gavin6942
The home movie footage that caught the assassination of the American President, John F. Kennedy.I had assumed that I had seen this film a dozen times, maybe one hundred times. But I guess I was seeing lower grade copies, and probably just clips, Seeing the complete film, with its 2012 remastering... wow. I had no idea the film was so nasty and gory. It may be one of the more disturbing things you will ever see, and definitely the most disturbing to be considered worth preserving by the Library of Congress.The version I saw also had commentary, which seemed a bit questionable, such as the crowd chasing the assassin up the grassy knoll. Was that Zapruder talking or added later? I presume the latter.
amandakstroud
I don't think there's another piece of film that has been more dissected than the Zapruder film. For an amateur with vertigo, I think he did a very commendable job of capturing the scene, even as chaos ensued. From the Umbrella Man, to the Black Dog Man, to the Badgeman, this video has been the source of so many alleged "sightings" and conspiracy theories. While gruesome, it is also riveting. You cannot help but look closely at the film--to try to see what others have seen, or to spot something new--up until the goosebump-inducing frames when the President is shot.I ultimately gave this 9 out of 10. Honestly, this was arbitrary. How do you put a number on such history?
frannywentzel
While the historic significance of this film is beyond critique, one should also give Herr Zapruder credit for his brilliant cinematography.First off he picked one of the best spots to get his shot. Given that he suffered from vertigo one should also credit his willingness to sacrifice his own personal well-being in the service of Art. While he wasn't able to get fully above the Stemmoms Freeway sign, one can only do so much with the set one is given.Second of note is his directorial decision to cut when he realised he'd filmed the motorcade too soon. This meant that virtually all of the assassination would be covered in the 30 second allotment covered by the spring wound camera drive mechanism.The fact that he was able to keep rolling as all Hell broke loose in Dealey Plaza even has he himself was reacting to the events should've gotten him a press photography award.It should be noted that Oswald was almost 3x as far away from Zapruder than any proposed second gunman - he was practically right on top of the so-called Grassy Knoll area and within steps of any plausible sniper lair. One would expect that upon hearing an unsuppressed gunshot from right behind and under him, Zapruder would've whipped around to get a shot. That he didn't should say something about the veracity of 'second gunman' claims.At any rate you can tell that the fatal bullet came from behind by a slight forward head movement in the same moment JFK loses the piano lessons - and I was using footage available at a pro-conspiracy site.
kitkat41810
This film would be a great piece of history if in fact it was a real film of the Kennedy assassination. The are far too many mistakes in this film for me to point out. It is a film of the Kennedy assassination, but many of the important facts have been altered. There are missing scenes, and many of the scenes, after the president's limo passes the sign, don't fit in. Both Kennedys move noticeably slower then the other four people in front of them. Next time you watch this film look for things that don't add up, such as the Texas Gov. and his, along with the SS men in the front, lunge forward but you can see that the limo is not stopping or slowing down, in fact is is accelerating. This film is clearly an attempt at a cover up.
AD
