I admire Zapruder's raw, edgy style, but in the end, it's yet another gore-fest devoid of any plot or substance.
shareIt's an assassination, not a Scorsese or a Tarantino, what more do you want, expert cinematography? An Oliver Stone screenplay? I mean, come on, get a grip.
shareYeah but you gotta admire his stealth marketing campaign. Gets Life Magazine to front $150 grand for advertising then hold it off the market for over a decade. Lets Geraldo Rivera premiere it and holds if off the market for another couple decades to let the audience salivate. Better than the Snakes on a Plane marketing campaign.
shareI also thought that it was a risky move to kill the main character halfway through the movie, but when all was said and done, I think it was a decision that ultimately paid off.
shareBeautiful, Beautiful Thread.
shareZapruder later stated he was just following his favorite director Hitchcock and what Hitchcock did in Psycho.
Life is like Wikipedia: There are no Facts, Just Popular Opinion
I also thought that it was a risky move to kill the main character halfway through the movie
as an homage to Hitchcock.
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Samuel Beckett
I have to admit, the final act just falls apart. I hope Zapruder's next film has an attempt at resolution that doesn't leave the viewer high and dry, so to speak.
Also, that was the least exciting car chase I've ever seen.
Believe me, you don't want Hannibal Lecter inside your head."
How did this movie do in theaters?
shareHow would you compare the car chase to the one in Bullitt?
shareMaybe amateurish but at least the Kodachrome-II film used was state of the art and had only been introduced by Kodak two years before, in 1961. It was professionally developed on Kodak equipment by technicians in a photo lab in Dallas, the day of the assassination. Zapruder's results are unsteady and blurred in places because he said that he "startled" at the sudden sound of each gunshot.
I think the lack of editing really was this movie's falldown. Also WHICH insensitive scenery designer put that bloody road sign in?
Zapruder certainly should get a better crew next time. Oh and the characters were really undeveloped, dialogue sucked, and lack of angles and shot types ranks this as the worst blockbuster to ever hit the big screen.
I want my money back.
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Gunner of Team Norrington AND Team Davenport!!
PPP,
I think you are being too judgmental. Maybe you have had time to reconsider your take. Zapruder wasn't going to do this film and decided to do so at the last minute. He did a good job with such a short lead time. Although I do agree with you there was no editing, many disagree and think the film was edited before showing. There are books written on the (supposed) editing. That only supports my take it didn't need any editing.
As far as undeveloped characters, it was supposed to be the "I know I've seen some of those people before" kind of film. I think he made the right choice and hit a nice balance.
Life is like Wikipedia: There are no Facts, Just Popular Opinion
I feel disappointed that there were neither opening titles nor end credits. And the lack of trailer! I mean, come on... even Dracula had a trailer and that was made 30 years before this! This is also one of those films that have 100 times more behind-the-scenes material than the actual film.
There are rumours that someone is going to make a remake of this. If it happens (and I hope it doesn't) it must have same kind of edgy, dark feel on it.
kennedy shouldve gotten some nominations for his performance. pretty realistic portrayal of a dude getting his head blown off
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