Parkland (2013)

A recounting of the chaotic events that occurred at Dallas' Parkland Hospital on the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Director:

Peter Landesman

Writers:

Peter Landesman, Vincent Bugliosi (book)

Stars:

Zac Efron, Tom Welling, Billy Bob Thornton

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Nurse Doris Nelson
Matt Barr	...	Dr. Paul Mikkelson
Zac Efron	...	Dr. Charles 'Jim' Carrico
Mallory Moye	...	Emergency Room Nurse
Paul Giamatti	...	Abraham Zapruder
Elizabeth Tulloch	...	Marilyn Sitzman (as Bitsie Tulloch)
Ron Livingston	...	James Hosty
Jason Douglas	...	Ken Howe
David Harbour	...	Gordon Shanklin
James Badge Dale	...	Robert Oswald
Larry Jack Dotson	...	Acme Brick Supervisor
Austin Nichols	...	Emory Roberts
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Forrest Sorrels
Jonathan Breck	...	Winston Lawson
Eugene Lee	...	Orderly

Storyline

Recounting the chaotic events that occurred in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, Parkland weaves together the perspectives of a handful of ordinary individuals suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances: the young doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital; Dallas' chief of the Secret Service; an unwitting cameraman who captured what became the most watched and examined film in history; the FBI agents who nearly had the gunman within their grasp; the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald, left to deal with his shattered family; and JFK's security team, witnesses to both the president's death and Vice President Lyndon Johnson's rise to power over a nation whose innocence was forever altered.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1963 | lyndon b. johnson character | jacqueline kennedy character | kenneth o'donnell character | john f. kennedy character | 

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Taglines:

November 22, 1963 was a day that changed the world forever.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for bloody sequences of ER trauma procedures, some violent images and language, and smoking throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Production Notes

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 2013 (France)

Also Known As:

Félelmetes nap

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$310,246, 4 October 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$653,651

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,628,565

Company Credits

Production Co:

Exclusive Media Group, The American Film Company, Playtone

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name Lee Harvey Oswald became infamous the day of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, USA but the story of the family he left behind is less well known. Told though the eyes of his brother Robert Oswald, this thread of the story is revealing and sad. The trio of gifted actors playing the family of the presidential assassin includes James Badge Dale as Robert Oswald, Jacki Weaver as Marguerite Oswald, and Jeremy Strong as Lee Harvey Oswald.

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Goofs

Throughout the film, Secret Service agents carry M16A1 rifles, with a birdcage flash hider and forward assist. That model was not available in 1963. At the time, the Secret Service used the original-model M16, with a three-prong flash suppressor and no forward assist.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: On November 22, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, made a political trip to Dallas, Texas with his wife, Jacqueline, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Title Card: Less than an hour after landing in Dallas, Kennedy was assassinated.
Title Card: This story is based on the true events that took place on that day, and the three that followed.

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Crazy Credits

Although based on a true story and depicting real-life people the end credits state: "All characters in this film are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental."

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Connections

Referenced in Filmselskabet: Episode #4.1 (2013)

User Reviews

Different angle - fascinating

If you think you have seen enough on screen about the assassination, this movie doesn't go into territory covered by previous movies like "JFK". No conspiracy theories or reconstruction of the shooting. Instead its provides you with a detailed fascinating view of the events and people that you don't figure centrally on screen before. What happened at the hospital from the point of view of doctors and nurses - harrowing. Removing the body after death to Air Force One by the secret service. Lee Harvey Oswald's brother and mother and their reaction. Zapruder's filming of the event and the way the film was developed and first viewed. The FBI's first reaction to the shootings and Oswald.

The movie is very well directed. It gives a feel of being in the thick of things. Authentic. The acting is good with a mostly well chosen cast. Zac Efron as the doctor who first attended to JFK. Paul Giamatti as Zapruder. Tom Welling and Billy Bon Thornton as a Secret Service agents. The actor playing Oswald looks like him. A couple of not so good choices. The actress playing Jackie didn't look too much like her. Colin Hanks didn't look like a chief resident doctor.

Overall very interesting. Worth a watch.