JFK
Written while attending Louisiana State University and published in the Plaquemine Post South in 1991.
BY: DAVID B. GOURGUES
DEDICATED TO THE YOUNG, IN WHOSE SPIRIT THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH MARCHES ON. These are the words that flash upon the screen at the end of Director Oliver Stone's controversial new film, JFK. Through this message, Stone hopes to propel the youth of America into constantly searching for the truth in all things, especially those events of November 22, 1963, in which a supposedly lone gunman took the life of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and shattered the nation in the process.
Stone's film has been widely criticized for fabricating history and has prompted many stories to condemn it. The December 23rd issue of Time had a lengthy article on the film and the same week saw Newsweek examine the film on its cover as "The Twisted Truth of JFK". The problem that haunts Stone's film is that he has made up facts to prove Kennedy was not killed by Lee Harvey Oswald alone. In fact, Stone concludes that Oswald did not even fire a single shot. Stone, the Vietnam veteran who has already brought us powerful films in Platoon, Born on the 4th of July and Wall Street, contends that Kennedy was assassinated by a conspiracy between the CIA and major military personnel who wanted to see the Vietnam War progress for financial, economic and political reasons. And while the Warren Commission's report on the Kennedy Assassination was overruled to a certain extent in the late 70's by other evidence brought forth to the House Select Committee on Assassinations, Stone throws in his own two cents worth as to what he thinks occurred on that fateful November day.
Is this propaganda on Stone's part? Yes. Is it wrong? No. The reasons are simple: Anyone who has read anything on the assassination of President Kennedy, seen spectator Abraham Zapruder's film of the assassination and examined the evidence of the lone gunman theory will probably conclude that a conspiracy, not Oswald, killed Kennedy. But, according to the Warren Commission, Oswald acted alone. The fact that many of the film's critics have been overlooking is that Stone wants to bring this horrific moment in our history back where it should be -- in American's minds. Maybe Oswald did act alone, but the path that the investigation took has left the assassination in a bad light.
Stone chooses to use former New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison as the centerpiece to tell his story of a military-industrial conspiracy. Garrison's book, On The Trail of the Assassins and Jim Marrs' Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy were the basis of the film's script, which sees Garrison (Kevin Costner) take New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones) to trial for being involved in a plot to kill Kennedy. Garrison concluded that Shaw had CIA and mafia ties. Mixing original black and white news footage with his own created black and white news footage, Stone craftily creates his own events to seem as if they really happened. He makes up characters, such as Donald Sutherland's Mr. X, who tells Garrison who really killed the President and why.
After all the fiascos the American people have been through recently -- the Iran-Contra scandal, Oliver North, the BCCI scandal, the S&L crisis -- I think that Stone's film has come out at the perfect time. Stone says that the film is designed to open a new investigation into the assassination and wake up the American people as to the possibility of non-elected, hidden persons operating our country. And if "twisting history" a bit is the key, then I support Stone.
As for the film itself, it is electrifying. Using a first-rate cast, Stone has made one heck of a film. Gary Oldman (Oswald), Jack Lemmon (a drunken private eye), Joe Pesci (David Ferrie) and Kevin Bacon (Willie O'Keefe) in a stunning, small performance. The film is perfectly pieced together by Stone -- real black and white footage, manufactured black and white footage, color -- all sequenced beautifully. The events flow smoothly as Costner's Garrison, falsely portrayed as a hero according to most, leads a charge into one of America's darkest nightmares. But Garrison is only the bucket that Stone throws the water of events into to get his story across.
JFK is long -- 3 hours and 15 minutes long. It is a compelling, well-made and astonishing film. But it is only a film -- not the true events of what, how and more importantly why John F. Kennedy was killed. You may disagree with Stone and may dislike his film, but this movie is not to be missed by anyone.
My Rating: A