Rating: 
Summary: "Even The Shooters Don't Know"
Review: "JFK, The Book of the Film "is really an extraordinary achievement....The screenplay incorporates practically every rumor, fact, factoid, and theory regarding the events of November 22, 1963. Almost every line of dialouge is meticulously footnoted.... The second half of the book is a compendium of op-ed articles both in defense of and attacking (as in the case of Tom Wicker, Alexander Cockburn, et al) both Oliver Stone and the film. At times these attacks seem both humorless and hysterical ("hey guys..it's a MOVIE!") Though the book is ten years old, I find myself taking it off the shelf every six months or so to browse both the screenplay and the media barrage surrounding it. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: an epic, the least to say.
Review: Among all the stories which popup every day, this is one story that we should tell our children exactly how and why it happened, the book as the movie did, presented the whole enigma in such a fantastic realistec way, you feel actually living with the characters breathing with them, at times joining in discussions... the complexity and huge number of names and sides in the story means it is not for teatime at all, you really need to concentrate well with this one.
The event was a trajidy no question about it, and what the late Mr.Garrison tried to do was to prevent what we are witnessing nowadays by disclosing the truth, to tell the truth is a courageous mission, to stick to it and face such enormous powers ready to do any thing even kill the president is even harder.
I do recommend that we should have a copy of this story whether as a book or as film, for the sake of history which is always twisted by the claws of the most powerful .
Rating: 
Summary: Two star for showing how to make films on rumors not facts.
Review: I went back to read this book and follow some sources and was surprised of what I found. I compared it to another book being sold here on Amazon, here is what I found. Now that the KGB has exposed their own double dealing in putting out admitted false facts to under mine American freedoms and society, I think Oliver Stone owes us an explanation! I mean, I guess he never thought the Soviet Union would fall and files would get out showing why and where false rumors were placed to attack our institutions' creditability, did he? Well, in another book listed on this forum, "The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB" by Christopher Andrew, Vasili Mitrokhin has done just that with verified, factual, papers taken from the KGB by KGB. All of sudden KGB Agents working in America are coming out being exposed for the first time. Oliver Stone fell for much of these rumors when making JFK as shown by his own sources in this book. I think his reputation, creditability and trustworthiness should not only be questioned but avoided for incompetence, to say the least! Why would anyone want to promote Communistic rumors about JFK's death in America. Oliver Stone did, but who cares why! "The Sword and Shield" is written by a History Scholar of the highest credentials while this book is written by a drunk driver, that is all that needs to be said. I wonder if the films of "Nixon" and we already know that Stone changed "On The Fourth Of July" from what happened at the Democratic Convention to the Republican Convention which was a total faslehood in an alleged biography. It seems most of Stone's films are based on similar shoddy work by a storyteller claiming he filmed history. Based on this book and knowing the other book Oliver Stone should be ashamed of himself. After reading both books I can only say, Oliver's last name is about what his life and perceptions of life are all about, being STONE blind whne making reality.
Rating: 
Summary: A Paranoid View By A Democratic Presidential Delegate Author
Review: If anyone would visit Dallas, Texas and the location where JFK was shot, you realize just how much disinformation has been written on this subject, especially this screen play. I found the entire screen play just a fatasy of paranoid exploitation by a profiteer claiming to sell the truth! For example, the grassy knoll is less than 30 feet from the road way, with an easy 10 second slow jog, up a knoll about 3 feet high from the road way, to the fence on the Grassy Knoll. If shots came from there it was easy for any policeman to run to that area, let alone see anyone tryimg to shoot from such an open area. Even a quick getaway is not as easy as this screen play makes it out to be, since you can preview the entire parking lot for over 100 yards. Also, the distance from the sixth floor to the road is far closer by observation that anyone can imagine, except for Oliver Stone. These easy observable locations makes the Warren Report much more accurate than this screen play. Also, the people who benefited by JFK's death was the Democratic Party and its leadership not any right wing Republican radicals? Johnson won overwhelmingly and the Democrats took even a stronger positions in the House and Senate. Moreover, to support such a screen play based upon the past reliability of the author in biographies that are suppose to be real stories about real people is another reason to doubt its integrity. Again, another example I can cite here is "On The Fourth Of July" where Ron Kovic was beaten and thrown out of the 1968 Democratic Convention, not the Republican Convention. What few know is that Oliver Stone was a delegate to the Democratic Convention but this fact permits him to change facts in this film based on poetic license. So be it, but such behavior cannot be construed for the truth by a truth teller. The same for this screen play, it is a great work of intentioanl fiction meant to poison the minds of the reader to reasonable, objective and available facts, and does it very well indeed, If the public prefers to remain blind, so be it! Some will say these are stupid stories for stupid people, others will say it is a great tale but please remember it is just entertainment. Well, this screen play is a very entertaining story but please don't call it a book of facts, truth and accuracy. It is a very good fable as well as the film.
Rating: 
Summary: The film you thought you knew.
Review: JFK: The Book of the Film explores many controversial aspects of the film with contributions by leading researchers and authors. Overall, an excellent companion to the movie.
Rating:
Summary: a dizzying summation of 3 decades of conspiracy theory
Review: More than any of his other films, JFK proves that Oliver Stone is neither the cinematic genius that his most ardent supporters would have you believe nor the egotistical hack his harshest critics claim. Despite what some have claimed, Stone does not assert that he is filming "history." He is, in fact, very open with the premise that he is analyzing and commenting on history through the dramatic form. Does Stone change the order of events and the actions (and names) of characters for the sake of creating good drama? He does, but he is honest about it. Indeed, by using the sometimes dizzying structure of flashbacks and multiple film-stocks that give JFK such a dynamic texture, he is being much more honest in his approach to history than most other "respectable" film-makers. History is almost always viewed from a highly personal perspective and Stone knows it, and he tells us so through his film-making. It is unlikely that anyone will ever know the full truth of the Kennedy assassination. Did Oswald act alone? Was there a conspiracy? Did Oswald act alone and upstage a larger conspiracy to kill Kennedy? We will never know. What Stone did in the film JFK (and develops in this book) was to take nearly thirty years of theories about the assassination and try to turn them into a coherent narrative and an engrossing film. Are there contradictions and holes in Stone's narrative? Indeed there are, but that is true of basically every theory surrounding this defining moment of the 20th century. Whether you agree or disagree with Stone on the particulars of the event, he has fostered a debate about a topic which remains clouded. Much of what is here should be taken with a grain of salt, but this book is a valuable resource for anyone who would like to explore the myths and legends surrounding November 22, 1963.
Rating:
Summary: Exhilirating and thought-provoking
Review: Possibly the smartest screenplay ever written for an American political film. People tend to respond to this movie according to their own beliefs and conspiracy theories, instead of respecting the brilliant technique with which screenwriters Oliver Stone & Zachary Sklar bring these familiar events to new life. Not for the literal-minded, perhaps, but a brilliant construction, a movie that shakes up assumptions and makes you think. Worth a second look, on video and on paper.
Rating:
Summary: Travesty
Review: This is an absolute travesty. Every possible conspiracy element - discredited or not - is added in. Garrison's investigation of the innocent Clay Shaw - the least substantive theory - is the platform for Stone's delusions. And it would HAVE to be about the Vietnam War wouldn't it !
Take one example, the three tramps arrested in Dealey Plaza: Stone has them armed in the film , but they were not connected in any way and were later released.Read Anthony Summers instead and ignore this rubbish.
Rating:
Summary: Travesty
Review: This is an absolute travesty. Every possible conspiracy element - discredited or not - is added in. Garrison's investigation of the innocent Clay Shaw - the least substantive theory - is the platform for Stone's delusions. And it would HAVE to be about the Vietnam War wouldn't it !
Take one example, the three tramps arrested in Dealey Plaza: Stone has them armed in the film , but they were not connected in any way and were later released.Read Anthony Summers instead and ignore this rubbish.
Rating:
Summary: Should satisfy both the pro and anti-Oliver Stone crowd.
Review: This is an excellent reference book with footnotes throughout the script for "JFK", which provide the reader with sources for the events being described (I'm proud to say that an article I wrote about Priscilla Johnson McMillan is referred to on p. 48.) In addition, almost 100 articles from newspapers and magazines dealing with the controversy surrounding both the film and JFK's murder are provided, as selected by the editor, Jane Rusconi (who headed the research team for the movie). There are also several important documents provided in the appendix of the book, as well as Jim Garrison's actual closing argument to the jury. All in all, a great contribution to the assassination literature.
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