This documentary won't put to rest any of the vast conspiracy theories, nor does it try to. What it does is present an intriguing story of how the Zapruder film came about, and how it captured a defining moment in the history of America, tragic as it was. What amazed me was the fact that the footage was actually shown on Dallas TV shortly following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. My faulty recollection of the famed Zapruder footage places it on the public stage no earlier than the New Orleans show trial of Clay Shaw in 1967. Of course I was just a kid back in 1963, and my youthful attention span to world events wasn't uppermost in my mind. Today, I would be riveted. Be that as it may, every serious student of history should take a meaningful look at the Zapruder film. Slide 313 is one of the most horrific single images you will ever see outside of a horror film, and here it's all the more terrible for having been a real event. Not for the queasy or ill at ease, but a serious piece of film that will affect you almost as much as the actual event did for those who were around at the time.
Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film (1998 TV Movie)
User Reviews
Review this title4 Reviews
An incredible documentary
pdband18 July 2003
This is as much a documentary as it is history. The restoration and care of the film is well documented, and then it is shown in the clearest resolution ever seen. Obviously, the most historically significant piece of motion picture film ever seen.
The film was not seen in public as a motion picture until the Jim Garrison trail of Clay Shaw brought it out of the vaults of Time-Life. The Warren Commission only saw slides which did not accurately show the head motion of the fatal shot since the FBI had put some of the slides into the carousel in the wrong order.
After bootleg copies were shown on college campuses, it became obvious that there were factors to the fatal shot that fueled the fires of possible conspiracy when it was readily apparent that the final shot was at very close range and not consistent the with downward angle from a "sixth floor" shooter.
Some researchers, after years of painstaking searching for details, have concluded that there are possibilities that even the official Zapruder film is not as reliable a source as the undamaged copies made that need to be studied as well.
Regardless of your views of the assassination, as brutal as the images are, they are truly history that every American should be aware is available to see for themselves.
The film was not seen in public as a motion picture until the Jim Garrison trail of Clay Shaw brought it out of the vaults of Time-Life. The Warren Commission only saw slides which did not accurately show the head motion of the fatal shot since the FBI had put some of the slides into the carousel in the wrong order.
After bootleg copies were shown on college campuses, it became obvious that there were factors to the fatal shot that fueled the fires of possible conspiracy when it was readily apparent that the final shot was at very close range and not consistent the with downward angle from a "sixth floor" shooter.
Some researchers, after years of painstaking searching for details, have concluded that there are possibilities that even the official Zapruder film is not as reliable a source as the undamaged copies made that need to be studied as well.
Regardless of your views of the assassination, as brutal as the images are, they are truly history that every American should be aware is available to see for themselves.
Excellent if flawed digital rendition of a historic film.
frannywentzel21 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
It should be noted that since this was taken off the camera original, this version of the Zapruder film is three frames short of the 486 known to exist. Life Magazine claims that they had damaged three of the frames beyond repair when taking images off this for publication. Given that there were at three first generation copies available, it seems odd that MPI opted not to use them.
Also missing are the few test frames Zapruder took of some of his employees before setting out for his spot on Dealey Plaza. You'll have to search YouTube to find those but they are out there.
Those reservations aside, this is an excellent DVD product and should prove very useful for those interested in the JFK assassination. There's enough detail to see not only the moment where the second bullet deforms Governor Connelly's suit as it emerges from his chest but you can also see Kennedy's head move slightly forward just as the upper right front or his head explodes - making it reasonably plausible that Oswald could've acted alone.
One should note that JFK's head does not move "back and to the left" as described in Oliver Stones film but is thrown sideways to the left along with his upper torso. Indeed his head doesn't actually move much when you factor in the motion of his upper torso. One can make out the moment when all neurological function ceases.
Another detail of note is the reaction of the two Secret Service agents in the front seat. The driver looks back a couple of times before the both of them duck down after the fatal shot. Some conspiracy sites interpret this as the car coming to a violent stop during the shooting even though the limousine can clearly be seen to be moving at all times.
Included in this DVD is an interview with Abraham Zapruder mere minutes after the shooting and the 1975 'premiere' of the Zapruder film on Geraldo Rivera's Good Night America show as well as a talk show interview with the man from Life Magazine in charge of securing the film rights from Zapruder.
The Good Night America segment splices the Zupruder film into a sequence of other films to form a sort of narrative. Too bad there isn't a DVD or CD-ROM out there that weaves all of the available assassination footage into a high-quality cross-referencable media product.
* Note to the reviewer above * I don't believe the film was ever aired on Dallas TV. Zapruder himself was interviewed and the station seems to have made arrangements to process the film but nothing on the DVD says it was actually aired. Zaprurder did show the film to members of the press in order to bid out its usage rights with Life magazine securing all of them.
Also missing are the few test frames Zapruder took of some of his employees before setting out for his spot on Dealey Plaza. You'll have to search YouTube to find those but they are out there.
Those reservations aside, this is an excellent DVD product and should prove very useful for those interested in the JFK assassination. There's enough detail to see not only the moment where the second bullet deforms Governor Connelly's suit as it emerges from his chest but you can also see Kennedy's head move slightly forward just as the upper right front or his head explodes - making it reasonably plausible that Oswald could've acted alone.
One should note that JFK's head does not move "back and to the left" as described in Oliver Stones film but is thrown sideways to the left along with his upper torso. Indeed his head doesn't actually move much when you factor in the motion of his upper torso. One can make out the moment when all neurological function ceases.
Another detail of note is the reaction of the two Secret Service agents in the front seat. The driver looks back a couple of times before the both of them duck down after the fatal shot. Some conspiracy sites interpret this as the car coming to a violent stop during the shooting even though the limousine can clearly be seen to be moving at all times.
Included in this DVD is an interview with Abraham Zapruder mere minutes after the shooting and the 1975 'premiere' of the Zapruder film on Geraldo Rivera's Good Night America show as well as a talk show interview with the man from Life Magazine in charge of securing the film rights from Zapruder.
The Good Night America segment splices the Zupruder film into a sequence of other films to form a sort of narrative. Too bad there isn't a DVD or CD-ROM out there that weaves all of the available assassination footage into a high-quality cross-referencable media product.
* Note to the reviewer above * I don't believe the film was ever aired on Dallas TV. Zapruder himself was interviewed and the station seems to have made arrangements to process the film but nothing on the DVD says it was actually aired. Zaprurder did show the film to members of the press in order to bid out its usage rights with Life magazine securing all of them.
26 seconds captured on a home camera shocks the world
Pete the killer4 June 1999
Now finally the famous Zapruder film is available to own to the public. The original film was taken and digitally restored. It now shows a clear view of every movement of Kennedy and Conally. This film proves that there had to be a conspiracy to the killing of the president. I recommend this to film, its definitely to own!!
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