JFK - Director's Cut (1991)

JFK an excellent movie, a must see

One of the best movies from Oliver Stone. One of the best works of Kevin Costner. November 11, 2008

CANT SEE THE SPECIAL FEATURES

I CANT SEE THE SPECIAL FEATURES HIGH LIGHTED AND IM STANDING RIGHT UP CLOSE TO MY VIDEO SCEEN VERY BAD JOB BY WARNER BROTHERS OTHER WISE THE VIDEO AND AUDIO ARE GOOD November 7, 2008

JFK - Blu-ray Info

Version: U.S.A / Region A, B, C
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
VC-1 BD-50 / Advanced Profile 3
Running time: 3:25:49
Movie size: 38,42 GB
Disc size: 46,01 GB
Average video bit rate: 18.85 Mbps
Subtitles: English SDH / French
Number of chapters: 88

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 1611 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1611kbps (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 192kbps

# Audio Commentary by Director Oliver Stone
# Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy (90 minutes)
# 12 Deleted & Extended Scenes (55 minutes)
# Multimedia Essays
--Assassination Update - The New Documents (30 minutes)
--Meet Mr. X: The Personality & Thoughts of Fletcher Prouty (11 minutes)
# Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes - SD)
# DigiBook packaging November 4, 2008

Political perfection...

I have made it pretty clear in the past that Oliver Stone is a director I just don't really get. He is lauded by many and he is considered to be one of the most controversial directors of our time, but every film of his that I have seen has proved to be less controversial and more boring and absurd. He just seems to miss the point. I know that some do not agree, but I also know that I am not the only one to feel this way.

A friend of mine the other day stated that Stone was an `enemy of fun'.

That said; I absolutely adore `JFK'; I mean, utterly and unconditionally flaunt this film as one of the greatest political thrillers of all time. From the first few seconds of footage I was completely engulfed in this film, and Stone's dedicated delivery never let up. I was blown away because I really expected to pass over this as merely decent at best, but I honestly am taken aback by just how brilliant this film really is. From the acting to the script to Stone's masterful art of filmmaking, `JFK' is an unforgettable masterpiece if I do say so myself.

It's safe to say that I really had no idea what this movie was about before I sat down to watch it. I actually thought that Kevin Costner was playing Kennedy himself, that's how `in the dark' I was about the true nature of this film. Instead, Costner plays district attorney Jim Garrison, a man on a mission. After the horrendous murder of John F. Kennedy, Garrison makes it his personal agenda to bring the man (or men) responsible down. When Lee Harvey Oswald is arrested and then murdered Garrison smells foul play and so he, along with his team, pursues the truth at all costs. As Garrison sinks deeper into the seedy underbelly of deceit and betrayal he uncovers a truth that sadly only he can see, and this truth (what is truth really?) causes more problems than good for Garrison and his family.

First and foremost I really need to praise the script, up and down, inside and out because it is pristine on all fronts. Not only is the film informative but it is engaging. It doesn't just throw random facts at you and expect you to follow along. Instead, it lines each commanding sequence of events with facts that melt down off the screen and caress our minds. We never feel like we're being preached to, and we never feel like we're being manipulated. We are merely being told a story, and story that twists itself and morphs into something so much bigger than we ever could have expected. The opening sequences that map out Kennedy's term and his horrific murder are brilliantly constructed, for they immediately engulf you into this tragic tale. The reshot footage of the murder is spellbinding and gut wrenching and totally effective in getting the audience immersed in the film from the very beginning.

Then there is the acting, all of which is superb. I normally find Costner rather dull (except his wildly brilliant turn in `The Upside of Anger') and here he does skirt around to prospect of boring me (he just has a very monotone delivery) but he really pulls it all together when he needs to (his final courtroom monologue is brilliantly delivered).

The rest of the extensive cast though never misses a beat. Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman take highest praises from me. Jones (who was Oscar nominated) is sublimely sleazy as Clay Shaw. There is a scene where he is being interrogated by Garrison and as he denies all the allegations he carries this smirk of satisfaction across his face that sent chills down my spine. Kevin Bacon (who I am never fond of) is masterful here and Oldman is just plain chilling as Lee Harvey Oswald. Singling anyone out is very hard though. Joe Pesci is on the top of his game, as is Michael Rooker, and Sissy Spacek is heartbreaking as Garrison's conflicted wife. Jack Lemmon, John Candy and Walter Matthau make the most of their limited screen time, and Donald Sutherland is flawlessly captivating in his cameo as the informant X.

The star of this film is none other than Oliver Stone though. His direction, his complete grasp of subject, is astonishing. Honestly, this was one of the most pleasant surprises in recent memory for me. I really thought that nothing Stone did would ever move me, let alone be one of my favorite films of any given year, but `JFK' is just too perfect not to completely fall for.

There has been a lot said about the truthfulness of the film, many attacking it for manipulating facts and expressing opinion, but honestly, isn't that what film is all about. Stone is able here to give us his own interpretation of truth without ever forcing us to accept what we don't want to. Nothing is presented in a way that conditions us. Instead he delivers a solid thriller than exposes what `could' have taken place without ever telling us what `did' happen.

Quite honestly, this film is a total triumph. October 13, 2008

Sixth Floor Window

I've rated Stone's 'JFK' 3 stars not because of quality or accuracy but because this movie had a major impact on me. In my first watching of this film, I detected at least one major, and I think deliberate, factual error. One of the characters is handing a Carcano rifle as another character says words to the effect, "The three shots took 7.8 seconds to fire. Let's time it." He then picks up a stopwatch and clicks, "Go." The other character, works the action [once], he works the action again [twice], he works the action a third time [three]. "9.2 seconds," the one man emotes. "Impossible."

Well, from reading over reports of the shooting I knew that this scenario was an untruth. The timing was from the moment of the sound of the first shot--a couple of seconds after the first levering.

Fascinated by such an obvious error and, considering the fact that I am a pathologist and a shooter, I decided to redo the entire shooting scenario--personally--using the same type Carcano-Mannlicher rifle and the same type ammunition that the FBI claimed Oswald used. I performed accuracy, rate of fire, bullet penetration, bullet deformation, head deflection and other studies. By the time I was finished, I probably did as much ballistic work with the Kennedy shooting as anyone in the world, not excluding the FBI and CIA.

If you're interested in the results of my ballistic studies, try my website at www.mexicanconquest.com.

[...]

Ron Braithwaite, MD, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico August 29, 2008

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