The Lost JFK Tapes – The Assassination
National Geographic Channel Explores the Tragic Events of 1963
Nov 10, 2009
As the years near the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the events of that fateful weekend in Dallas and Washington continue to inspire conversations around the world. This year, 2009, marks the 46th anniversary, and to observe the occasion National Geographic Channel is airing a new film compiling different films in an inclusive documentary about the events that transpired November 1963.
A Timeline of the Assassination and Subsequent Events
The film starts with the President’s morning on November 22 in Fort Worth, Texas. It then picks up with the arrival of Air Force One in Love Field in Dallas and the disembarkation of President and Mrs. Kennedy. By compiling different footages, some black and white and some color, the story of the motorcade, the shooting, the rush to the hospital and waiting at the hospital, the search for the suspect, the apprehension of Lee Harvey Oswald, and the death of the president, the footage provides viewers with a detailed account of the timeline and the events.
The film then goes to the removal of the president’s body from Parkland Hospital and the motorcade back to Love Field followed by the casket being carried onto Air Force One. With the actual audio commentary by the Dallas television reporters, viewers of this film are treated to the most detailed compilation ever.
The hunt for the assassin is interspersed and the timeline is set up to give a reliable account of November 22, 1963. The day finishes with the arrival back in Washington of Air Force One carrying the old and new presidents, then the transportation of the casket to Walter Reed Medical Center. And finally, the return of President Kennedy’s body, along with Robert and Jacqueline Kennedy to the White House for the night is shown.
The following day is again split between events in Washington, D. C. and Dallas, Texas, as the body of President Kennedy starts its final tributes in the White House, the Capitol, and then ultimately to Arlington National Cemetery. All the while, the reporters are explaining every detail as they happen, including the interrogation of Oswald.
Then the assassination of Oswald adds to the incredible list of events taking the country by storm. Concluding this look back at these tragic days in history is the burial of Lee Harvey Oswald, where the press covering the story had to act as pallbearers because there were no others to carry out the task.
A Compilation of the Events as they Unfolded
The events of November 1993 have been documented and exemplified in films, documentaries, docudramas, and countless books. What makes this film stand out is that it includes footage that has not been seen previously, and it documents the events in a chronological timeline, putting the pieces of the events into a clear, concise schedule. The only thing that might have been added is more of the President’s funeral, however this film is not meant to be a documentary of the president. Instead it is a fresh look, from the perspective of the reporters who covered the events, of those tragic days, with footage that has been seen before and many new scenes.
Interesting, mesmerizing, and insightful are all words to describe this film. Airing in a two-hour time slot, this documentary can only skim the surface of the events, but it does provide an in-depth version of the timeline and all the critical things that happened that fateful November.
The Lost JFK Tapes – The Assassination premiers Monday, November 23, 2009 at 9 PM ET/PT on National Geographic Channel.
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