PSC482G, Spring 1999
Assignment 20, due Friday 26 March 1999
Overview of Oliver Stone’s JFK movie
Preliminaries:
1. Watch the video of JFK or read the screenplay in Stone and Sklar's JFK: The Documented Screenplay.
2. Survey the articles by Stone and others in the second part of Stone and Sklar’s book.
Answer these questions (at whatever length you consider necessary):
1. What were Stone’s reasons for making the movie? (You should be able to find several.)
2. What is the central story of the movie?
3. Who does Stone believe killed JFK? Summarize the basic scenario in Dealey Plaza (number of shots, locations of shooters, etc.)
4. What was Lee Harvey Oswald's role in the assassination, if any?
5. What were the motivations of the killers?
6. How could the killers have done it and covered it up for 35 years?
7. Is this conspiracy inherently plausible? Why or why not?
8. Give the nature and strength of the evidence presented by Stone for his scenario.
9. David Belin has said that JFK contains "more than 100 major lies and omissions." Find ten biggies (including unproven assertions).
10. What is Stone’s viewpoint on factual inaccuracy in a movie (i.e., artistic license)?