JFK

The film JFK (1991), a fascinating cinematic theory about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), was one of the most controversial films of its time. Directed and coscripted by Oliver Stone (1946–), JFK fired up the decades-long debate over who actually murdered the fallen president. Was it lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald (1939–1963), as was indicated by the "official" Warren Commission, which was entrusted to investigate the crime back in the 1960s? Or was it the end result of an elaborate plot, masterminded by the Mafia (see entry under 1960s—The Way We Lived in volume 4), the U.S. government and military, Cuban nationalists, and any number of additional Kennedy-haters?

JFK is based on the obsession of real-life New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison (1921–1995), played by Kevin Costner (1955–), with uncovering the truth of the assassination. In the course of his investigation, Garrison tries a businessman named Clay Shaw (1913–1974) with plotting to murder Kennedy. Meanwhile, as Garrison's scenario unfolds, Stone offers a parade of characters, some real, some made up, and some composites.

Many Kennedy-assassination conspiracy buffs have chosen to view the content of JFK as essentially factual. Their skepticism over the "lone gunman" theory was fueled by the film's explosive script, fast-paced editing, dazzlingly realistic visuals, and riveting performances. Stone seamlessly edits footage from the Zapruder film (an amateur home movie that is the only record of the actual shooting of Kennedy) with his own, made-up images. This blending of fact and fiction caused great controversy. Stone seems to present certain aspects of the Kennedy assassination as fact. His film is not a documentary, however, but a cinematic invention offering a single theory.

Much of the content of JFK is, at best, clever speculation. But Stone's intentions and the subsequent controversy aside, the filmmaker did succeed in returning the issues surrounding one of the saddest and most disturbing moments in American history to the forefront of public awareness.

—Rob Edelman

For More Information

Garrison, Jim. On the Trail of the Assassins. New York: Warner Books, 1988.

Mackey-Kallis, Susan. Oliver Stone's America: Dreaming the Myth Outward. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996.

Marrs, Jim. Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1989.

Stone, Oliver, producer. JFK (film). Warner Bros., 1991.

Stone, Oliver, and Zachary Sklar. JFK: The Book of the Film, a Documented Screenplay. New York: Applause Books, 1992.