So mysterious were the circumstances of John F. Kennedy’s untimely demise and so doubt provoking the results of the official inquiry into it that JFK’s life and death are still spawning a myriad of interpretations as writers and filmmakers keep coming back to the story-turned-myth in search of inspiration.
With the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963 less than two weeks away, the spotlight on the Dallas shooting has inevitably been renewed.
Kennedy’s life in the hands of an assassin (or two?) and in the swing of his political career when the world held its breath hoping for the 35th US president to ameliorate global tensions make him a profoundly tragic but also romantic figure.
His charm as a man and leader coupled with his intense life and the mystery of his death are the ingredients of a compelling Hollywood story.
US film director Oliver Stone, whose film “JFK” starring Kevin Costner was a blockbuster hit, said the reason Kennedy’s murder case continues to generate interest “is because it has never been truly solved”.
The Warren report, prepared by am investigation commission, could never completely lift doubts about Lee Harvey Oswald being the only suspect.
Nelson McCormick, who made the TV movie “Killing Kennedy” for the National Geographic Channel, said the JFK assassination was “a murder case that the more you investigate it, the more questions it produces than answers”.
This year’s hit may be a screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 2011 novel “11-22-63,” which tells the story of a time traveler who tries to prevent the killing from taking place. The rights for this movie have been bought by Warner Bros.
However, one must admit that the Kennedy story alone is no fail-safe success recipe. A film or book also needs to be good, critics point out. – Eurasia Review
