DVD REVIEW -- Robert J. Groden's "JFK: The Assassination Films"
David Von Pein
Films"......
A Very Good Place To Go For The Complete Dealey Plaza Filmed Record Of
11/22/63......
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DC14U
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"JFK: The Assassination Films", produced and narrated by Robert J.
Groden, is an excellent piece of Kennedy Assassination resource
material. It's a program that places all of the motion-picture films
that were taken by the various amateur and professional photographers
on November 22nd, 1963, onto a single DVD.
The "Delta Entertainment" DVD version of this program, which was
released in 2003 under the slightly-different title of "JFK:
Assassination Files", runs for approximately 70 minutes and includes a
bonus program in the form of the 20-minute color film ("The Last Two
Days") taken by White House cinematographer Tom Atkins during JFK's
fateful trip to Texas in November 1963.
Each of the more than one dozen films shown on the DVD has been
"optically enhanced" for the best possible video quality. I've seen
these films presented on other videos -- but, I must admit, many of
these sequences look better than ever before thanks to the clean-up and
visual enhancement effort done for this program.
Each film appears to be complete and uncut in as well....with nothing
trimmed off the beginning or the end, which is valuable from a
"completist" (and historical) standpoint. Two good examples of this
come in the chapters for the Abraham Zapruder and Mark Bell films --
with each of these films containing footage on this DVD that is not
normally shown on JFK documentaries or assassination videos.
The very beginning of the Zapruder Film is shown, which includes a
couple seconds of footage taken a few minutes before the Presidential
motorcade arrived in Dallas' Dealey Plaza that November afternoon.
These very first frames show two people sitting on one of the park
benches located on the Grassy Knoll, as well as Mr. Zapruder's
assistant, Marilyn Sitzman, standing in front of this bench. Sitzman
turns to face Zapruder's camera just before this segment ends. The film
then goes directly to footage of the lead police motorcycles turning
onto Elm Street.
The version of the Mark Bell film on the DVD is also of interest for
its "complete" length. After the motorcade is seen leaving Dealey
Plaza, Bell filmed some additional footage from an elevated position,
across the street from the Elm Street activity. This footage is not
usually shown when Mr. Bell's film is utilized for a video, etc.
The Zapruder Film, which is the most famous of any of the motion
pictures taken on 11/22/63 (and the only one to show the entire
assassination from beginning through to its gruesome end), is given the
most detailed examination in this program (and rightly so). A variety
of different copies of the "Z-Film" are shown, and it's quite
interesting to see how lousy some of the original copies are.
But, along with a bad-looking copy or two, Mr. Groden also shows us
some "enhanced" copies as well....plus an original "unspliced" copy of
the famous 26-second home movie, which Groden had in his possession
before the film was accidentally damaged by the Life Magazine people
shortly after that company purchased the original film from Mr.
Zapruder.
Other films shown on the "Assassination Films" DVD (in addition to
Zapruder's and Bell's) include the footage taken by: Orville Nix, Marie
Muchmore, Robert Hughes, Tina Towner, Elsie Dorman, Charles Bronson,
Tom Alyea, Jack Daniel, Ernest Mentesana, John Martin, Mal Couch, and
NBC cameraman Dave Wiegman.
Wiegman's jittery black-and-white film is one of the most chilling
taken in Dealey Plaza that day. Mr. Wiegman was riding in one of the
press cars during the Dallas motorcade, a few car-lengths behind JFK's
limousine. Just as the shots rang out, Wiegman jumped from his car,
camera rolling, and ran toward the action taking place in front of him.
His film is a total blur in many places, because he's running as he's
filming. But it's a fascinating piece of film, nonetheless.
Elsie Dorman's film is quite interesting as well, mainly because of
Dorman's location at the time she filmed the motorcade -- the location
in question being the very same building from which the fatal shots
were fired -- the Texas School Book Depository. Dorman was filming from
the 4th Floor of the Book Depository, two floors below (and slightly
west) of Lee Harvey Oswald's 6th-Floor sniper's perch. Dorman's film,
therefore, gives us a similar view of President Kennedy's limousine to
that of what Oswald would have been seeing at the exact same moments.
Thankfully (in my opinion anyway), Bob Groden's narration focuses
primarily on just the content of the various films themselves. He does,
however, interject his beliefs that some of the images we are seeing
within these amateur films "prove a conspiracy existed to kill
President Kennedy".
I, for one, do not subscribe to any of the many conspiracy scenarios
that have been formulated since JFK's murder. In my view, Lee Oswald
was the one and only killer located in Dealey Plaza on November 22nd.
Of course, many people (most, actually) will vehemently disagree. But,
so be it.
However, even for a person who advocates the "Lone Assassin"
conclusion, this Groden DVD is still a very worthwhile addition to any
collection of Kennedy assassination materials, for one very good reason
-- this program collects all of the available assassination-related
films and puts them all in the handy and easy-to-access location of
just a single Digital Video Disc.
Plus, it's nice to be able to have this complete filmed record of
November 22nd, 1963, on the higher-quality DVD format. And being able
to go directly to any of the various films via the disc's "Chapter"
selections is also a very useful and time-saving advantage over a VHS
taped version of the same material.
David Von Pein
May 2004
SNB
Actually, Groden snipped off several frames pertaining to the
Hester's( the couple you mention) and Marilyn Sitzman. When at his
home in 1980, he showed us the entire reel of footage taken by
Zapruder, that leads up to the asassination, which includes the family
footage, and some footage taken in his office. He filmed the Hester's
and Sitzman, for several seconds, and in the uncut segment, Sitzman
waves at Zapruder as he is filming from the pedestal.
> The version of the Mark Bell film on the DVD is also of interest for
> its "complete" length. After the motorcade is seen leaving Dealey
> Plaza, Bell filmed some additional footage from an elevated position,
> across the street from the Elm Street activity. This footage is not
> usually shown when Mr. Bell's film is utilized for a video, etc.
Sadly, Groden's enhancement cuts off some of the frame contents. He
cut off some of the bottom of the frame. You can determine this by
examining a frame from the film published in LIFE magazine November
24,1967 edition, or by viewing a Super 8 mm copy of the film as it was
sold through "The Collectors Archives", back in the late 70's.
> The Zapruder Film, which is the most famous of any of the motion
> pictures taken on 11/22/63 (and the only one to show the entire
> assassination from beginning through to its gruesome end), is given the
> most detailed examination in this program (and rightly so). A variety
> of different copies of the "Z-Film" are shown, and it's quite
> interesting to see how lousy some of the original copies are.
>
> But, along with a bad-looking copy or two, Mr. Groden also shows us
> some "enhanced" copies as well....plus an original "unspliced" copy of
> the famous 26-second home movie, which Groden had in his possession
> before the film was accidentally damaged by the Life Magazine people
> shortly after that company purchased the original film from Mr.
> Zapruder.
>
> Other films shown on the "Assassination Films" DVD (in addition to
> Zapruder's and Bell's) include the footage taken by: Orville Nix, Marie
> Muchmore, Robert Hughes, Tina Towner, Elsie Dorman, Charles Bronson,
> Tom Alyea, Jack Daniel, Ernest Mentesana, John Martin, Mal Couch, and
> NBC cameraman Dave Wiegman.
>
> Wiegman's jittery black-and-white film is one of the most chilling
> taken in Dealey Plaza that day. Mr. Wiegman was riding in one of the
> press cars during the Dallas motorcade, a few car-lengths behind JFK's
> limousine. Just as the shots rang out, Wiegman jumped from his car,
> camera rolling, and ran toward the action taking place in front of him.
> His film is a total blur in many places, because he's running as he's
> filming. But it's a fascinating piece of film, nonetheless.
Groden's copy of the Wiegman film is edited, also.
Compare the Wiegman footage as seen( unedited) in the 1988 "As it
happened" NBC original November 22,1963 News coverage of the
assassination. The unedited Wiegman Dealey Palza footage is available
in the " As it Happened " program.
Thanks, Dave.
David Von Pein
Much obliged. :)