Review of Kennedy

Introduction

`the streets are lined with camera crews
every way you look at this you lose…`

Twenty years ago this bio of president John Fitzgerald Kennedy was aired in the United Kingdom. Twenty years before that on the 22nd November 1963 he was shot dead on front of huge adoring crowds lining the streets of Dallas, Texas. The new King Arthur for the American people was dead and with him died the hopes of a generation. Kennedy was 44 when he became the President of the largest democracy in the world.

Ask anyone of a certain age and most will tell you where they were when they heard Kennedy had been shot.

After Kennedy it seemed like it was all down hill for the United States. A succession of less than perfect Presidents followed and the disaster of the Vietnam War clouded future administrations.

As this series shows many of the recurring problems with overseas were tested early in the Kennedy administration. His time as President was just over 1000 days but a succession of crises had to be dealt with. `Kennedy` mainly looks at the Statesman and not the man. The administration had to deal with the Bay of Pigs, Civil Rights and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy also moved the Space Race and stated he would have a man on the moon by 1970. He and his brother Bobby who he made Attorney General at the scarily young age of 34 had started to tackle organised crime.

This bona fide war hero was undoubtedly helped into the White House by a significant amount of family money. But cynicism aside there seemed to be a determination to make a positive mark on the country.


Much has been written, many fine films have been made and a raft of conspiracy theories floated down the river about this hugely important man.
Of the many other films `Thirteen Days` looks in depth at the Cuban Missile crisis and `JFK` is Oliver Stone`s mammoth look at one of the conspiracy theories. There is even a fine Peter Gabriel song `Shoot into the Light`. Perhaps because despite the shortness of his reign an awful lot happened that would impact on future generation. His powerful oratorical style and the impact of television mean that there is a lot of contemporary archive footage to use and examine.




This particular drama was a UK co-production with a Brit directing, Jim Goddard. Goddard had previously helmed dramas for Euston films including `Fox`, `Callan` and `Out` but also responsible for `Shangai Surprise`. The writer Reg Gadney also adapted `The Sculptress` for television and produced the screenplay of the bio, `Goldeneye: the secret life of Ian Fleming`.

Notable acting by Martin Sheen, Blair Brown as Jackie Kennedy. Also an early and brief appearance by Kelsey Grammar.

Video

Not a bad picture at all considering it is 20 years old and it was made for television. Presented in its original full screen format.

Audio

Getting over the Sheen non-Bartlett accent was a struggle. This Kennedy interpretation can be rather grating on the ear. However it is not insurmountable and eventually it seems more natural to the ear.

Sound is Dolby digital and there are also subtitles in English.

Features

To fit this series into the real historical context these archive films have been added to the second disc. This is the same version as the region 1 version released two years ago.

January 20th 1961 The Inaugural Address

Reproduced in full-colour film of the inaugural address. Note that Vice President Johnson looks very much like the actor who plays him in the series. Kennedy`s speech almost predicts the crisis of 1962. `We dare not tempt them with weakness…`

Other things to look out for-Jackie`s outfit, Eisenhower looking frail and Vice President Johnson fiddling with his glasses and speech cards.

Most famously- `Ask not what your country can for you but what you can do for your country`.
Oh and Tricky Dicky -looking small and weasley but that might be hindsight.

October 1962 `One Week in October`

Documentary about the Cuban missile crisis.
Poor quality but very watchable black and white film. Presented by the Department of Civil Defence. Narrated by actor Gary Merrill who also appeared in The Outer Limits. It was made in 1964 and has previously been available on VHS through specialised suppliers. Very interesting plea for civil defence planning. All this film does is reinforce the pointlessness of planning for nuclear war.

June 26th 1963 `One Day in Berlin`
Black and white footage of Kennedy`s Berlin speech. Again not good quality and not as compelling. It has a very propagandic tone.


November 21st 1963 The Last Two Days

Elegiac music accompanies this documentary about the circumstances and events leading up to Kennedy`s murder. In colour but a period piece.

Very affecting archive footage and commentary from the day he was killed.
Watching people crying in the streets on hearing the news is also quite moving.

Conclusion

`When there is no vision the people perish`

President Kennedy spoke these words the night before he was gunned down because his `vision` didn`t suit somebody. If you believe this drama then his vision saved us all from a horrific war and his death was a disaster for the country and possibly the world.

As a historical piece it is probably kinder than it need to be about his personal life as Jackie Onassis-Kennedy was still alive when it was made.

I found the end deeply moving even though I knew he would still be shot and that a television programme cannot change history. Had he lived, maybe like Bill Clinton, he would have been revealed to have clay on his feet but his early death the original King Arthur he has become the stuff of legends and a filmmakers dream.

If you are a conspiracy theorist this may add a little grist to the mill but it is mainly a fairly faithful rendition of events in the short administration. One curious edition is a very creepy performance by … as J. Edgar Hoover the FBI boss who seemed unnaturally obsessed with Kennedy`s sex life. In hindsight this seems perfectly reasonable given that in the `swingin sixties sex scandals rocked our own government. Thankfully we are spared Hoover in a dress, somehow I don`t think a new version could resist!

It`s a great story well told with the best President the US never had playing possibly the best one they ever aspired to. It also very good value with over 6 hours of drama plus all the archive footage that has only been available on VHS from specialised suppliers. A lot of online suppliers seem to be selling this at under £15. Perhaps the story is ancient history to many people now but it still grabbed me and I think I will also actively seek out and revisit other notable film treatments.