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Title:	JFK: Special Edition (1991)
Studio Line:	Warner Bros. Oliver Stone's powerful film about the shots heard round the world and the mystery enshrouding them is one of the most provocative movies of our time. Beside its box-office success, critical acclaim and awards, it played a major role in the national debate leading to passage of the 1992 Assassination Materials Disclosure Act. This remastered two-disc DVD edition features the Academy Award-winning film with 17 added minutes (Disc A) and compelling extra features (Disc B) that enrich the mosaic of the turbulent investigation of President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination by Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner).
Director:	Olive Stone
Cast:	Kevin Costner, Sally Kirkland, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Taggart, Anthony Ramirez, Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci, Ray LePere, Walter Matthau
Academy Awards:	Won for Best Cinematography; Best Film Editing. Nominated for Best Picture; Best Director; Best Screenplay; Best Supporting Actor-Tommy Lee Jones; Best Sound; Best Original Score-John Williams. 1992.
DVD:	Widescreen 2.35:1/16x9; audio English DD 5.1, French DD 5.1; subtitles English, Spanish, French, Portuguese; closed-captioned; single sided - dual layered; 88 chapters; rated R; 205 min.; $24.98; street date 2/6/01.
Supplements:	Feature-Length Director Audio Commentary; Deleted/Extended Scenes; Multimedia Essays; Production Notes; Theatrical Trailer.
Purchase:	DVD | The Oliver Stone Collection

Picture/Sound/Extras: B+/A-/B+ Of all the films I've reviewed, JFK probably offers me the most difficult dilemma. Is this because it's a bad film? Heavens no - it's a tremendously effective piece of cinema. I've never been particularly wild about Oliver Stone but this is one film of his that I felt worked; it's well-paced and so powerfully done that you almost never notice that it's almost 3 and a half hours long. My problem stems from the fact that it's a piece of propaganda akin to the work of Leni Riefenstahl. That may sound like hyperbole but it's not. From start to finish, Stone weaves a web of lies, half-truths, and questionable data that all sounds great but doesn't stand up to the historical record for longer than the blink of an eye. To call JFK historically irresponsible is a vast understatement; it offers a view of the Kennedy assassination much more flawed than that of the conspiratorial "establishment" he seeks to discredit. Not for a second will I pretend to be any kind of expert on the Kennedy assassination. For the most part, my knowledge swirled around the usual bits and pieces; grassy knolls, magic bullets, etc. When I first saw JFK during its theatrical run in 1991, I was quite impressed; I was one of those "if even half of this is true, it's obvious Oswald didn't do it" kind of people. I got my thimbleful of knowledge and away I went! Unfortunately, I've since learned that the thimble contained poison, not knowledge. I've done some reading - primarily Gerald Posner's terrific book Case Closed - and the vast majority of the "facts" touted in JFK can be refuted fairly easily. Most of the witnesses it and other pro-conspiracy works use to support their theories have changed their stories repeatedly over the years; Stone and the others conveniently choose the tales they find most pleasing. And despite all the "data" Stone cites to prove the "impossibility" of many of the events of November 22, more reasonable sources do confirm the reality of these occurrences. Facts mean little to Stone and others of his ilk. In reality, it's virtually impossible to prove them wrong because they so selectively pick and choose what they will believe; all that matters is that the data support their conclusions. Throughout JFK we hear how corrupt and evil the US government has become, and Stone tells us that the Warren Report was simply a cover-up. Yet at the end of the film he offers the fact that the House Select Committee on Assassinations - using some very questionable data - concluded in the 1970s that a second gunman probably was involved. This is Stone's MO from beginning to end; use what he likes, discredit what he doesn't, no matter how irrational and subjective these choices may be. Sometimes you tell a lie often enough that you ultimately accept it as truth. The sad irony of the Kennedy assassination is that the lies about it have gained such wide exposure that they've gained the status of virtual common knowledge. It was a conspiracy, the Warren Report was a cover-up, etc. Insidiously, Stone and many of the others have worked to almost make Oswald a martyr, a tool of the military-industrial complex. Just as Oswald says in the movie: he was a "patsy." What the conspiracy buffs neglect to tell you is that Oswald really was a pretty screwed-up guy. He quite perfectly fit the now-cliché model of the quiet loner who goes off, except he offered plenty of warning signs. Does JFK notify us that Oswald attempted to shoot a right wing leader only a few months prior to the Kennedy assassination? Or that the same gun was used in that attempt that featured in the Kennedy attack? Of course not - these might actually lead some people to - gasp! - think that Oswald did it! Interestingly, the whole experience of examining the assassination has made me extremely wary and skeptical about any sources of material. While I certainly liked Case Closed and thought it made a great deal more sense than the conspiracy theories - Posner does an excellent job of establishing just how absurd and virtually impossible such a far-reaching plot would be - I nonetheless have to question it; if theories I don't agree with are open to doubt, then so should be ideas that make sense to me. The only truly rational response to the assassination debate is one of agnosticism; I can state that I think Oswald very likely acted alone, but I find it hard to believe that all doubt will ever be removed from the issue. As I mentioned earlier, it's almost impossible to get conspiracy theorists to acknowledge facts that refute their beliefs. These assassination buffs have become a virtual Flat Earth Society; all evidence that contradicts their thoughts must be tainted. Check out the reader comments about Case Closed on Amazon; many of those who didn't like the book believe it to be CIA/FBI/pick-your-evil-agency propaganda. The feelings of the true believer cannot be altered. JFK doesn't limit its distortions and lies to Oswald and the technical aspects of the assassination. We also get the deification of sleazy crackpot Jim Garrison and additional scorn heaped upon an innocent man, Clay Shaw. All of this is well and good for a movie, but unfortunately it completely distorts the historical record. It seems fairly clear that Shaw did not have any involvement in anything other than having the wrong first name and sexual orientation, and that Garrison was not quite the earnest truth-seeker he seems as played by Kevin Costner; most reports depict him as a fairly obsessive paranoid nutbag. Not much sign of that in JFK, however. Actually, we do get the occasional glimpse of other opinions of Garrison and his witch-hunt - for instance, bits of an NBC TV special are shown - but these notions are quickly discarded by the audience because we've seen the "truth." Stone depicts fact and fiction so that they are interchangeable. An irrefutable fact such as Kennedy's drive through Dallas is not distinguishable from wild-eyed conjecture like LBJ's possible involvement in the "plot"; Stone never offers the audience any caveats to know the difference between levels of reality. Why would he? He wants to present his insane case, and he does so remarkably well. JFK honestly is something of a masterwork. It's tremendously entertaining and compelling and displays terrific craftsmanship in all areas. Never does it fail to intrigue the viewer. Obviously, the film works better if the audience lacks knowledge about the assassination, but even a semi-educated viewer such as myself still found it fascinating. I knew it was all a crock, but it was a damned watchable crock. Stone's style clearly helps him establish his theories, since the viewer rarely gets time to catch his breath and consider what has been posited. So much information gets aired during JFK that it really takes two or three viewings to absorb it all. Actually, if you want to best study the ideas Stone raises, you do need to watch the movie a few times so you'll better be able to remember his absurdities when you learn the truth. Much of the credibility of JFK is bolstered by its terrific cast. Costner plays a variation of his usual bland self, but in this case, that's probably a good thing; since Garrison was such a mess in real life, Costner's Gary Cooper routine gives the character a grounded presence that he sorely needs. On the other hand, I found Tommy Lee Jones' flamboyant portrayal of Shaw to be excessive; we are told early on that Shaw was a "butch" homosexual, one you'd never suspect of being gay, but that's certainly not in line with Jones' swishy performance. The remainder of the cast work well in roles of varying size. Subliminally, the number of well-known actors present works to support Stone's version of the events; it gives the piece much more credence than it would otherwise possess. Sissy Spacek plays Garrison's wife, and she's adequate, but it's a poor role that leaves her little to do other than whine at Garrison as he neglects his family. (Okay, "whine" is probably unfair, since she's correct to feel the way she does, but Spacek doesn't earn the sympathy of the audience.) Probably the best portrayal in the film comes from Gary Oldman's turn as Oswald. Oldman possesses an extremely strong ability to lose himself in a character, and rarely has he done so as completely as he does here. He fully inhabits Oswald to a degree I wouldn't think possible. As a film, JFK remains a rousing success. As an honest discussion of the facts behind the Kennedy assassination, it fails to do anything than propagate a series of tired old lies. While filmmakers aren’t bound to absolute factual accuracy, the manner in which this story is told makes it look much more truthful than it actually is; the degree to which fact and speculation are intermingled tears down any distinctions. I like JFK as a work of art but despise it as a source of information. The DVD: JFK appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Some will be happy with this SE of JFK if just because it’s not a “flipper”; the original release spread to two sides of a DVD, whereas the entire film appears on one side of this copy. Although the erratic source material means that the picture can’t be truly great, this new release also does a better job of accurately replicating the original film than did the old version of JFK. JFK combines archival footage - mostly from the Sixties - and new shots that are intended to look old in addition to the expected material that appears appropriately clear and fresh. Because of the mixture of film elements, an accurate grade becomes difficult to issue, but as a whole, the DVD displays the film nicely. Except when the image becomes intentionally fuzzy, sharpness looked very crisp and well-defined, with no unplanned concerns related to softness. A few moiré effects appeared due to various grills, and some minor edge enhancements cropped up, mainly in eyeglasses. Print flaws largely were restricted to film grain, much of which was manufactured for the movie; whenever Stone uses black and white footage, he added grain to give it that “aged” appearance. There are also some scratches and blotches placed in the new material to make it seem older. For the other scenes, however, the movie looked clean and fresh. I saw a few speckles and a tiny amount of grit, but otherwise the film was free from defects. Most of JFK features a fairly restricted palette; the movie mainly offers a brownish tiny that makes sense for this kind of subject. These tones looked clearly replicated and were accurate and full. Whenever the film is allowed to display brighter hues - such as during the Easter parade - the colors are exquisitely bright and bold, with no saturation or bleeding problems. Black levels seemed dark and deep, and shadow detail was appropriately heavy but usually avoided any excessive opacity; a couple of scenes looked slightly too thick, but these were rare. Ultimately, JFK features some flaws, but the vast majority were intentional, and the film as a whole seemed well-rendered. The new DVD’s Dolby Digital 5.1 remix also improves upon the material heard on the original disc. That release offered Dolby Surround 2.0 sound, and the new track definitely opens up the mix. Not surprisingly, the forward soundstage dominates the audio, but I was pleased to hear the breadth of the work. John Williams’ effective score spreads neatly across the front channels and adds depth to the film. Quiet a lot of ambient audio also appears in the forward speakers; most of this stays fairly subdued - such as cars passing in the background - but I found the audio to seem natural and well-integrated. The surrounds largely contribute atmospheric sound, with their main impact resulting from the dramatic impact of gunshots. Some good ambiance appears as well through music and general background effects. Split-surround usage is limited but adds occasional substance to the track. Audio quality always appears strong. Dialogue seems natural and distinct, with no signs of edginess or problems related to intelligibility. Effects occasionally display some minor distortion - exclusively during gunshots - but they usually seem clean and crisp, with good realism and clarity. Williams’ score comes across best of all, as the track plays it with excellent smoothness and depth. The martial drums work especially well, as they beat clearly and display tight bass. Although JFK isn’t an action-extravaganza, the soundtrack works well to support the material and it adds a nice touch. Unlike the original single-disc release of JFK, the new one provides a slew of extras, starting with an audio commentary from director Oliver Stone. This is the third Stone commentary I’ve screened, and it’s been amazing to hear how different all of them have been. His track for Wall Street focused on a career overview and general production issues that related to the film, while his remarks for Any Given Sunday discussed the story and his positive opinions of the actors. In the case of JFK, however, the emphasis is very firmly upon the “facts” told during the film. On a few occasions Stone mentions the actors and their efforts, but for the vast majority of the commentary, we hear Stone tell us the “truth” of the matter. If you’ve read my opinion of the movie itself, you’ll know that I don’t agree with his conclusions, but I will admit that I found it interesting to hear him go over them. To be certain, he displays a lot of conviction in what he says; I don’t doubt that Stone truly believes the comments he makes. Whether you will - or should - remains a different question. In any case, the commentary definitely offers a compelling listen. The first disc includes a few other minor extras. We find a “Cast and Crew” section that provides filmographies for actors Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Jay O. Sanders, Sissy Spacek and Joe Pesci plus a brief biography of Stone. “Awards” details some of the prizes taken by the film. Lastly, the initial disc features some DVD-ROM material. Actually, we just get some links to online sites. One of which is the same Warner Bros. “Special Events” page that doesn’t appear to have been updated since the spring of 2000; I saw no mention of JFK here. The other site is supposed to provide access to articles and reviews, but as of January 21, 2001, it still is under construction. Other links include ones to the WB Studio Store, WB Home Video, and WB Online. There’s also a “DVD Sampler” with descriptions and trailers for fellow Stone films Heaven and Earth, Any Given Sunday Special Edition, Natural Born Killers and the JFK SE itself. (Why in the world there’s a DVD description for the DVD we already own is a mystery to me.) On the second DVD, we find a slew of “Deleted Scenes”. There are 12 in all - half of which are actually extended versions of existing scenes - and they run for a total of 54 minutes and 40 seconds. Not surprisingly, the completely new segments are the most interesting, as a few of the extensions are rather brief and don’t add much. The fresh scenes are more fascinating, especially an odd dream sequence that features a dead Oswald. This may be hard to believe, but had these snippets appeared in the final film, they would have made Stone’s theories even more clear; with shots of the government poisoning Jack Ruby and Oswald’s near-deification, the propaganda factor ratchets up another notch. Nonetheless, it was interesting to view the excised footage, especially since all of the scenes can be watched with or without commentary from Stone. His remarks here expand upon the same topics covered in the feature track, though he focuses a bit more on the filmmaking process since he discusses the reasons the various clips were left out of the movie. “Multimedia Essays” presents two different video features. “Meet Mr. X: The Personality and Thoughts of Fletcher Prouty” offers interviews with the man upon whom the film’s Donald Sutherland character was based. This 11-minute piece was surprisingly dull. Prouty mainly discusses his career and some aspects of the assassination, but I didn’t learn anything new or informative from his comments. It’s interesting to see the real man, but I didn’t gain anything from the experience. “Assassination Update - The New Documents” takes a look at the aftermath effected by the film. For all its flaws, JFK did create renewed interest in the assassination and put pressure on politicians to open up sealed films. This program discusses the actions of the Assassination Records Review Board, a governmental group put together in the mid-Nineties to examine and release much of the previously-unavailable records. If you’re looking for any revelations, you’ll need to search elsewhere, as the material covered here seems pretty unspectacular. Narrated by conspiracy buff Jim DiEugenio, the 29-minute and 40-second program rehashes some of the same old material under the guise of fresh and exciting new details. To quote from the film, that dog don’t hunt, and I found this piece to be disappointingly drab as well. The second DVD ends its standard material with the film’s theatrical trailer. It also includes a “DVD Sampler” with descriptions of a list of products too long for me to detail. (Actually, I suppose I could type them all, but I’m just too lazy! Live with it!) The “Links” go the Miracle on 34th Street route and actually provide access to home pages for some of the other major studios, not just those affiliated with Warner Bros. This is a surprisingly classy little touch. One final note about the 2-DVD edition of JFK: it utilizes unusual packaging. Like virtually all Warner Bros. releases, it comes in a cardboard “snapper” case. This one resembles the snappers of the past but the left side folds out and creates two additional panels. In one of these - the far left one - we find the second DVD. It’s placed in a paper holder and inserted into a slot built in to the panel. This is the first time I’ve seen this kind of packaging, and while it seems a little cheesy, it’s no worse than the average snapper. To date, Oliver Stone has yet to make a better film than 1991’s JFK. His investigation of the Kennedy assassination makes for an absolutely riveting and thrilling experience that manages to compress almost three and a half hours of material into a timeframe that seems much shorter. However, Stone abuses his power so egregiously that I have a difficult time appreciating JFK because it’s such a load of hooey; the film combines fact and fiction in a reckless manner that makes the entire movie intellectually dishonest. The DVD offers very good picture and sound plus some fine extras. Ultimately, I have to recommend JFK just because it’s such a strong film, but I urge you to check out other sources of material on the assassination and not just accept Stone’s blather without question. As I write this on January 21, 2001, the new 2-DVD Special Edition of JFK can be found only through the Oliver Stone Collection boxed sets; it appears in both the 6-movie and 10-movie varieties. However, it will be available for purchase separately on February 6, 2001, with a retail price of $24.98. Menu: DVD Movie Guide | Archive | Top