It's the magic of the motion picture. Film has given us the ability to enjoy the memorable performances of actors and actresses long gone, to experience the culture of another era and, indeed, to relive pivotal moments in history over and over again, whether we wish to or not. The assassination of US President John F. Kennedy at 12:30 PM (Central Standard Time) on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas was a horrific moment in American history. For decades, endless debate has raged over the true circumstances of his death, spawning countless conspiracy theories and accusations of a CIA cover-up.
There are films and still photographs taken by at least fourteen photographers in Dealey Plaza during the assassination. Of these, the footage recorded by private citizen Abraham Zapruder is the most complete visual recording of the incident. I'm not one to subscribe to these often-ridiculous conspiracy theories, so now I'll just present the facts: Zapruder captured the scene with a Model 414 PD Bell and Howell Zoomatic Director Series Camera that operated via a spring-wound mechanism, which filmed at an average frame rate of 18.3 frames per second, and recorded on Kodak Kodachrome II 8 mm movie safety film. The footage of the assassination itself runs for a total of 486 frames, or 26.6 seconds. Kennedy's limousine is visible in 343 of the frames, or 18.7 seconds.
The most infamous image contained in the film is the final fatal shot to President Kennedy's head, almost exactly as the limousine passes directly in front of (and slightly below) Zapruder's position. It is truly a horrid thing to be watching, but sheer morbid human curiosity makes us simply incapable of averting our gaze. Pleasant this film is not, but its significance to American history is irrefutable.
There are films and still photographs taken by at least fourteen photographers in Dealey Plaza during the assassination. Of these, the footage recorded by private citizen Abraham Zapruder is the most complete visual recording of the incident. I'm not one to subscribe to these often-ridiculous conspiracy theories, so now I'll just present the facts: Zapruder captured the scene with a Model 414 PD Bell and Howell Zoomatic Director Series Camera that operated via a spring-wound mechanism, which filmed at an average frame rate of 18.3 frames per second, and recorded on Kodak Kodachrome II 8 mm movie safety film. The footage of the assassination itself runs for a total of 486 frames, or 26.6 seconds. Kennedy's limousine is visible in 343 of the frames, or 18.7 seconds.
The most infamous image contained in the film is the final fatal shot to President Kennedy's head, almost exactly as the limousine passes directly in front of (and slightly below) Zapruder's position. It is truly a horrid thing to be watching, but sheer morbid human curiosity makes us simply incapable of averting our gaze. Pleasant this film is not, but its significance to American history is irrefutable.