Peter Jennings Reporting: The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy

2003 "The most compelling murder mystery of our time."
7.1| 1h26m| en| More Info
Released: 22 November 2003 Released
Producted By: The Documentary Group
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Synopsis

Forty years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, more than 80% of Americans still believe that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone. This documentary attempts to separate fact from conspiracy theories to get to the truth, employing stunning forensic technology that makes it possible for the first time to be an eyewitness to this crime of the century – to see precisely what happened that November day in Dallas.

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Reviews

Diagonaldi Very well executed
Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Jeanskynebu the audience applauded
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
blubb06 I read a few comments on this scattered across the web prior to viewing it, and the condemning ones clearly outweighed the positive reviews (I didn't take the time to read those). I had devoured Jim Garrison's book (after watching Oliver Stone's "JFK") and found it convincing. In any case with that much smoke around, there's usually some fire, and if only the - possible - premature demolition of a certain WTC building for a little insurance or stock market fraud.The BBC has a reputation for well-researched, non-sensationalist documentaries that generally go along with official lines, and this film is a good example. Watching it with an open mind, I must say it offers a persuasive account of the Kennedy shooting. At least Dale Myers's computer-based reconstruction regarding the "magic bullet" is very convincing. Computer graphics are nowadays an essential part of every major accident investigation - in reality, not just in "Mayday" episodes. They are only as good as the data they rely on, but unless inaccuracies are found, this is definitely the most reliable method available today.The film also debunks some of the serious errors made by Oliver Stone's "JFK": That Oswald was a bad shot (he was actually a sharpshooter), the Kennedy-Connally bullet (surgically recovered fragments prove it really caused the wounds, ballistics show it was fired from the Oswald rifle) and others. It doesn't bring up all the "evidence" for a conspiracy, particularly the witnesses and the allegedly negative nitrate test on Oswald. And - as others have pointed out - Oswald's killing of the policeman Tippet is not really a "rock-solid fact". There is no "rock-solid" evidence for a conspiracy either, but that doesn't rule it out completely - until the 1990's, there was not overwhelmingly much tangible evidence for Auschwitz (see D.D. Guttenberg's book on the David Irving trial).The filmmakers took the trouble to interview a lot of people who knew Oswald and his wife personally, and their memories paint quite a different picture of the "secret agent": most notably Ruth Paine (who got him the job at the Texas Book Depository), Oswald's brother (who describes him as a social dropout seeking attention) and people who met Oswald during his time in Russia. Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy's successor, seems to have been convinced that Fidel Castro was behind it - an allegation that Castro himself objected to because it would have created the perfect pretext for an invasion of Cuba. John Ruby, the alleged mafia hit-man, is portrayed as a hothead on the fringes of the mob, at most - yet another "trigger-happy American" stereotype.Because all the alleged ringleaders - Ferrie, Shaw/Bertrand and Oswald - of the "conspiracy gang" are dead, it's up to guess if that's really all there's to it. The filmmakers vindicate Clay Shaw, the businessman/alleged CIA agent Jim Garrison prosecuted unsuccessfully, of any involvement, without delving into any of Shaw's mysterious ways - based on a lie detector test on Garrison's main witness Perry Russo. Here some will cry "foul", at the latest. Garrison tells us there were other witnesses. As always, it's a question of credibility.In my opinion, the film doesn't deserve the vilification it has received from some people that called it "propaganda" intent on bending the truth to reach foregone conclusions. Some "evidence" you ignore, some you disbelieve - the other side does the same. It's well made, maybe too good for everybody's taste, but certainly worth to take the time and make up your own mind.
tepidohare If you are a believer in a conspiracy to murder John F. Kennedy and you have a scientific mind, you will no longer believe the conspiracy theories after viewing this special. The special supports all of its conclusions with compelling facts and evidence, directly disproving many of the fundamental assumptions of the conspiracists.You will see many opinions by people who refuse to let go. But you will also notice that not a single one of them supports their objections to this documentary with any fact-based arguments. When they do try to argue fact, they are usually mistaken (example: reviewer Gregg Wager's assertion that this documentary does not mention the bullet that hit Gov. Connolly's wrist: untrue). Don't let them dissuade you from watching an excellently (and moreover, responsibly) crafted special.
kimbro1972 Unlike most documentaries that I've seen on the assassination, this one presents most, if not all of the differing views and lays them out for the viewer to see. The viewer is invited to follow along with the serious researchers and see for himself what they've spent years trying to painstakingly uncover: a search for the truth, whatever it may be. It presents the theory that Oswald murdered the President and acted alone in a much more convincing manner than previous works I've read or watched on television. The flaws of all the conspiracy theories are examined as well as the works of the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations in the 1970s. It is time well spent for the serious intellectual who seeks to better understand the assassination from every angle. As someone who believed for more than twenty years that there was a conspiracy to murder President Kennedy, I now question it. I never thought anything would ever change my mind about that. This is a must-see documentary that will open your eyes to the truth if you are willing to listen.
guycorhuo I couldn't stop to seen this documentary till its end. I was stuck in my chair. Like once i couldn't stop to seen Oliver Stone's JFK (1991). Instead, there were moments that i have arrived to think that the original title of this one was Peter Jennings reporting: The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy of Oliver Stone. The last 30 minutes are entirely dedicated to dismount the Stone's movie theory. That's not bad, sure, but at least Mark Obenhaus does the same that tries to criticize. I miss more testimonies of people that believe in conspiracy theories I think it would done better this movie. In a state of democracy i think it's good to have both versions (Obenhaus-Stone) for make each one his own version. But we must remember that Obenhaus has done a documentary and Stone a fiction...with all the reserves that it means...for both of them.