Parkland: A Film Surrounding JFK’s Assassination

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Did you know that John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald died in the same Dallas hospital? How about that the same doctor worked on both men?

The world was never the same after November 22, 1963, the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Since that time, we’ve heard a million conspiracy theories on who actually shot President Kennedy and we’ve rewatched the Zupruder film over and over again searching for some clue, perhaps for some explanation. There have also been numerous books, films and documentaries about that notorious day in American history.

Parkland Zapruder

Parkland Zapruder

The docudrama “Parkland” was released in theaters today. Instead of being about possible conspiracies or the life of JFK, the film takes a fresh take on the assassination. The “cool” moments of the film are the many reveals of the interesting seldom talked about facts, like the ones above. “Parkland” is an adaptation of the book written by Vincent Bugliosi called “Four Days in November” which is a second by second account of the assassination.

The film was written and directed by Peter Landesman who chose to concentrate on the mayhem and hysteria surrounding Kennedy’s murder. The movie takes a page from the renowned Kurosawa film “Rashomon” in that we see the story from multiple points of view. What was it like in the ER (the film is named after the hospital where they took the President after he was shot) when Kennedy arrived? How did the city of Dallas respond to the tragedy? How did the Oswald family react? How did Zapruder morally feel about selling his film? What was the personal sentiment of your everyday American citizen?

There is no central character in the film. But the list of Hollywood heavy weights is impressive. First off, it was produced by Tom Hanks. Billy Bob Thornton, Zac Effron, Paul Giamatti, Marcia Gay Harden, Colin Hanks and Ron Livingston all play secondary characters. The reviews have been tepid for the film, as the popular site Rottentomatoes.com gave the film a 47% on its famous Tomatometer. Betty Sharkey, the film critic from “The Los Angeles Times” felt that the film had its interesting moments despite its imperfections. She wrote in her review, “What you never doubt are the intentions, to illuminate the ordinary, to find a way to make a historical event newly indelible. Parkland succeeds as it fails. For whatever its flaws, it is unforgettable.”

Parkland Cast

Parkland Cast

“Parkland” can be seen in limited release. You can check out their website to see when and if the film is coming to a theater near you.

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Parkland: A Film Surrounding JFK’s Assassination
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  • Hmm

    All I know is that Oswald was not the killer. Heck, the United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) investigated until 1978 and in its final report, concluded that Kennedy was very likely assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.

    Everyone knows the official story is nothing but garbage. All you have to do is look at everyone who surrounded Oswald. They were all connected to the CIA or FBI in some manner. It is crazy. Oswald was exactly who he said he was — a patsy. If you study the case, you will see all the nonsense that was in the Warren commission. The problem is that most people don’t read let alone study and analyze.

    People make fun of conspiracy theories but the reality is that some conspiracy theories actually turn out to be very true. History is full of examples of official stories that turn out to be absolutely false. People just don’t want to believe them because if they are true, then they come to the realization that they are not safe. If they can do this to someone like Kennedy, they can do this to anyone.

    • Ann Casano

      I agree. Please post your reaction if you do see this film. So much information we just don’t know about for sure. It really is amazing.

  • mark lane
