JFK

This was my first time seeing JFK. I was pretty familiar with the Kennedy assassination already because I had an essay assignment in high school to argue for what really happened (Oswald was a patsy) so this film was interesting to revisit that history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuUtu2xRGgY

I think sound plays an important part in keeping a narrative with multiple shifts in time or place flowing smoothly. Much like Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas which relies on voiceover and rock and roll music to keep the narrative pacing along. JFK uses a traditional score, a semi-voiceover which usually happens over flashbacks, and sound effects like cameras flashbulbs or gunshots. Oliver Stone weaves these all together very effectively. These scenes rely on music to build up to the apex of each flashback scene. The music gets louder and more intense, like in the scene watching the Zapruder film where the music crescendos up the kill shot.

But in this film’s style, silence becomes important because it allows time to think, like a pillow shot. So after hearing a barrage of conspiracy information, the audience takes a moment to let what they’ve just seen sink in. Then the questions are asked. Was Oswald the real killer or a patsy? Was the CIA really behind the assassination? Without a chance to take things down a notch and stop to think, the film wouldn’t be as interesting.