Four Days in November

From Zanecorpwiki

Summary

A well regarded documentary about the days leading up to and immediately following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The piece is largely a compilation of stock footage and while important from a historical perspective, it would be hard to say why this is a good film. It's well made, and while the subject is powerful, the documentary neither adds to it, nor is it presented as a pure documentary. The film is instead a combination of don't blame Dallas, a Kennedy memorial, and a bit of regret. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not a great film.

This is not a great film, but it is an important film. It's also a window into the mindset and leanings of the country at the time and shortly afterward. In summary, I would recommend this film even though there's nothing remarkable about it as a film.

Detail and Notes

The first part is a mixture of plaudits for Kennedy and footage designed to show just how hard Dallas tried to protect him. Parts of it are a little creepy. In one scene, the police chief of Dallas is informing the citizens of the ramifications of recently passed measures, saying this: Nothing must occur which is disrespectful or degrading to the President of the United States... We will take immediate action if any suspicious conduct is observed... Citizens themselves may take action if it becomes obvious that someone is planning to commit an act that is harmful or degrading to the President of the United States. Citizen's authorized to attack protesters? That's how you defend America!

The film came out a year after the assassination, and while it's certainly period authentic, there isn't a lot of context for people that didn't grow up in that era. This isn't a weakness of the film, just a fact.

Finally, we should remember that at the end of the day, this is a propaganda film. Not in a bad way, just that it's completely uncritical, one sided narrative. But that's the purpose of it. It's a memorial piece, not a critical research piece.