Film: Oliver Stone's "JFK" (1991)

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in the political docudrama "JFK", Oliver Stone asserts that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone, that the F.B.I. had a vested interest in hiding important information from the public and that the C.I.A. had an active role in the assassination in hopes of fueling the military industrial complex of the United States. The paper further explains that, in the film, Stone attempts to make viewers conscience of the possible tampering of evidence and lack of investigation into the murder of the president. The author stresses that Oliver Stone does not want his viewers to accept all of the events portrayed in the film. Rather, Stone directed this film to act as a "counter-myth" in reaction to the "myth" he believes the Warren Commission Report fed the public. The paper stresses that Stone's accusation that the Archives somehow lost the brain, which it did not, affects the viewer's understanding of what actually happened.

From the Paper:

"Perhaps the most shocking claim that Oliver Stone makes in his film in relation to the autopsy is that John F. Kennedy's brain has been lost by the National Archives. This particular claim arose in 1972 when pathologist Cyril Wecht was allowed to examine the Kennedy autopsy records at the National Archives. Wecht tried to open the footlocker where the stainless steel container and microscopic tissue slides were held, only to notice that they were gone. Wecht then blames the Archives for losing an important piece of physical evidence due to negligence and carelessness."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Isikoff, Michael. "Seeking J.F.K.'s Missing Brain, 'Secret Files.'" JFK: The Documented Screenplay. Ed. Jane Rusconi. New York: Applause Books, 1992. 416-18.
• JFK. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones. 1991. DVD. Warner Home Video, 2003.
• Reitzes, David. "26 trained medical personnel at Parkland Hospital." The JFK 100. 2001. 4 March 2007 <http://www.jfk-online.com/jfk100parkland.html>
• ---. "The President's autopsy." The JFK 100. 2001. 4 March 2007 <http://www.jfk-online.com/jfk100autopsy.html>

More papers on Film: Oliver Stone's "JFK" (1991):

• Comparison Essay # 3418 : "Oliver Stone: Revered, Reviled and Out of Control"
• Film Review # 120200 : "The Film "W." by Oliver Stone"
• Essay # 3160 : "Oliver Stone"

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