The synopsis and credits for this entry were based on a “Director’s Cut” home video version containing seventeen minutes of additional footage, and therefore may not accurately represent the theatrical release.
       The following quote appears in opening credits: “To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men. – Ella Wheeler Wilcox.”
       End credits are preceded by the following written statements: “In 1979, Richard Helms, Director of Covert Operations in 1963, admitted under oath that Clay Shaw had worked for the CIA. Clay Shaw died in 1974 of lung cancer. No autopsy was allowed. In 1978, Jim Garrison was elected Judge of the Louisiana State Court of Appeals in New Orleans. He was re-elected in 1988. To this date, he has brought the only public prosecution in the Kennedy killing”; “Southeast Asia: 2 million Asian lives lost, 58,000 American lives lost, $220 billion spent, 10 million Americans air-lifted there by commercial aircraft, more than 5,000 helicopters lost, 6 ½ million tons of bombs dropped”; “A Congressional Investigation from 1976-1979 found a ‘probable conspiracy’ in the assassination of John F. Kennedy and recommended the Justice Department investigate further. As of 1991, the Justice Department has done nothing. The files of the House Select Committee on Assassinations are locked away until the year 2029”; “What is past is prologue”; “Dedicated to the young in whose spirit the search for truth marches on.” The home video contains the following addendum: “As a result of this film, Congress in 1992 passed legislation to appoint a panel to review all files and determine which ones would be made available to the American public.
       According to a 15 Dec 1991 LAT article, writer-director Oliver Stone’s interest in John F. Kennedy’s assassination was piqued in 1988 when he attended a film festival in Cuba. There, he met Ellen Ray, publisher of Covert Action Information Bulletin, who urged him to read On the Trail of the Assassins (New York, 1988) by Jim Garrison, former New Orleans, Louisiana, District Attorney and then judge in Louisiana’s 4th Circuit Court of Appeal. Stone was fascinated by the book, which chronicled Garrison’s investigation of Kennedy’s assassination and his indictment of Clay Shaw as part of a conspiracy to kill the president. Stone also optioned Jim Marrs’s Crossfire – The Plot That Killed Kennedy (New York, 1989), and teamed with Zachary Sklar to begin writing a script. The two approached the story of Kennedy’s assassination through Jim Garrison’s investigation, making “Jim Garrison” the central character; however, they incorporated up-to-date research that Garrison did not have access to in the late 1960s, and therefore took dramatic license by altering his findings and some real-life events, including Garrison’s closing argument in the trial of Clay Shaw. They also created composite characters like “Mr. X,” who was largely based on Fletcher Prouty, a former aide to the Joint Chiefs of Staff during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration. Nevertheless, Stone was quoted in a 25 Feb 1991 DV article as saying they had not taken too many creative liberties because the material was “very important and sacred to the public.”
       In 1989, Stone took the project to Warner Bros. executives Terry Semel, Bob Daly, and Bill Gerber, and made a “handshake deal” with the studio in which Warner Bros. agreed to finance the project for $20 million. Stone later commented that better deals could have been struck in the international market, but he chose to sell the project to a single entity because it was “dangerous” material that he did not want circulating around. Stone also trusted Warner Bros., based on its history of producing controversial political films, including All the President’s Men The Parallax View and The Killing Fields (1976, 1974, and 1984, see entries). Israeli financier Arnon Milchan’s Regency Enterprises came on to the project with additional funds, and the budget doubled to $40 million. Canal Plus also came in as a co-financier, as noted in the 25 Feb 1991 DV, but Warner Bros. retained worldwide distribution rights.
       A 12 Apr 1991 Publishers Weekly item announced Warner Books had acquired mass market rights to Garrison’s book, On the Trail of the Assassins, for $137,500. A paperback version was set to be re-titled JFK and released concurrently with the picture. On 20 Jul 1992, the screenplay was also published, in a volume containing research notes and production stills, by Applause Books, under the title JFK: The Book of the Film: The Documented Screenplay, as noted in an 8 Jun 1992 Var review.
       According to an article in the Nov 1991 issue of Esquire, the film was referred to as Project X during pre-production, and was generally shrouded in secrecy. Scripts were numbered and “kept under lock and key,” and Stone allegedly had the production office swept for bugs.
       Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Jeff Bridges, Michael Keaton, and Dennis Quaid were rumored to be considered for the role of “Jim Garrison,” although Stone was quoted in the 15 Dec 1991 LAT as saying Kevin Costner had always been his first choice. Several contemporary sources, including the 15 Dec 1991 LAT, pointed out that Costner did not closely resemble his real-life counterpart, who had a reputation for being “flamboyant” and “quick of mouth.” Stone admittedly veered from depicting those qualities in favor of having an understated and morally simplistic main character to anchor the film.
       JFK was said to cost between $35 and $40 million, with an additional $15 million spent on promotion. Costner was reportedly paid $7 million and a percentage of box-office receipts. Cameo actors, including Jack Lemmon and Ed Asner, were said to have received $50,000 each for one or two weeks’ work, as noted in a 7 Jun 1991 DV “Just for Variety” column.
       Although an 11 Jan 1991 Screen International item listed James Woods and Charlie Sheen as part of the cast, the actors did not appear in the final film. Charlie Sheen’s father, Martin Sheen, provided voice-over narration but was not credited onscreen. The role of Jim Garrison’s mother was to be played by Angela Lansbury, as noted in a 31 May 1991 DV “Just for Variety” brief, but Lansbury’s scenes became too expensive and were cut from the film. Glenn Ford also dropped out of the picture, according to the 17 May 1991 DV, due to a surgery. As noted in a 13 Jan 1992 People brief, actor John Larroquette played talk show host “Jerry Johnson” in a scene that was cut from the theatrical version; however, it was included in the director’s cut released on home video in 1993.
       Principal photography began in Dallas, TX, on 15 Apr 1991, as stated in production notes and the 16 Apr 1991 HR production chart. The first ten days of shooting took place in Dealey Plaza, the site of President Kennedy’a assassination. As reported in an 18 Apr 1991 NYT brief, Stone’s request to film inside the Texas School Book Depository was rejected three times by the Dallas County Commissioner. The sixth floor room where Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy had been turned into a museum, and the Commission argued that filming would disrupt the exhibit and potentially hurt the city’s image. The Dallas County Historical Foundation came to Stone’s defense, and helped overturn the decision. Filmmakers reportedly paid $50,000 to shoot there. Other Dallas locations included the police headquarters where Lee Harvey Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby, the Texas Theater where Oswald was arrested, and the neighborhood in which Oswald killed police officer J.D. Tippit. After six weeks in Dallas, filming moved to New Orleans, LA, where locations included the Criminal Courts Building where Clay Shaw was tried in 1969. Filming was also set to take place in Washington, D.C., as noted in the 25 Feb 1991 DV.
       Principal photography concluded on 31 Jul 1991. Post-production was rushed to accommodate a 20 Dec 1991 release date, according to a 10 Oct 1991 LAT news item. Stone reportedly worked eighteen-hour days, seven days a week, to have the film ready in time for at least 800 prints to be struck by the opening date. The running time was initially three-and-a-half-hours, plus an intermission, but was reduced to three hours and nine minutes.
       As reported in several contemporary sources including the 24 Jun 1991 LAT and Nov 1991 Esquire, an early version of the shooting script was leaked to the press. Despite letters sent by Oliver Stone’s lawyers, threatening legal action against anyone who revealed the script’s contents, articles were published in the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and Time magazine, decrying the film’s factual inaccuracies and questionable sources. The Washington Post piece by George Lardner, Jr., who had reported on Jim Garrison’s investigation in the 1960s, included a “point-by-point refutation” of the film’s thesis, while Jon Margolis of the Chicago Tribune accused Stone of being “a man who sees conspiracies everywhere.” Jim Garrison was routinely discredited as an unreliable source, as in the Time article, which described him as “somewhere near the far-out fringe of conspiracy theorists” and accused Stone of buying his theories “wholesale.” In response, Stone acknowledged Garrison’s “hubris” and “King Lear arrogance,” but praised his “argument and courage.” The Nov 1991 Esquire article written by Robert Sam Anson accused Stone of trusting questionable sources other than Garrison, including Fletcher Prouty (“Mr. X”), nightclub performer Beverly Oliver, and Larry Howard, founder of the JFK Assassination Information Center, whose claims (including having a congratulatory letter President Lyndon B. Johnson wrote to Kennedy’s assassin) were generally considered outrageous. Stone was said to have paid $80,000 to Howard’s research center. He also allegedly paid $25,000 to Marita Lorenz, who claimed to be a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative and mistress of Fidel Castro; Lorenz later accused him of failing to pay the full $200,000 he had promised her for a two-year option deal, and using her material without permission in both JFK and the upcoming Nixon (1995, see entry), as noted in a 17 Mar 1995 DV article.
       Other detractors of the film, based on the leaked script, included Tom Wicker of NYT and Dan Rather of CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) News, as stated in a 20 Dec 1991 NYT article. Stone personally responded to the backlash by writing several articles, including pieces in the 2 Jun 1991 Washington Post, 20 Dec 1991 NYT, 24 Dec 1991 Washington Post, and 6 Jan 1992 LAT, in which he supplied research and facts to bolster the conspiracy set forth in JFK. The Nov 1991 Esquire quoted a controversial interview Stone gave the New Orleans Times-Picayune in which he accused the press of being “asleep for twenty-eight years” and called George Lardner, Jr. “a CIA agent-journalist.” Stone also defended the dramatic license he had taken by saying, “This isn’t history, this is moviemaking.” Referring to Akira Kurosawa’s 1951 film, Rashomon, which presents contradictory versions of one incident, Stone claimed he took a “‘Rashomon’ approach” to telling the story of the assassination, which left audience members to make up their own minds.
       Gay rights activists also responded to the leaked script by expressing concern over the portrayal of homosexual characters as “bad guys” and “totally bizarre,” as noted in a 6 Dec 1991 LAT article. Stone responded by allowing the activists to view the film four days prior to theatrical release.
       Other criticisms leveled against Stone prior to release included rumors that he had quashed competing projects, including a film titled Libra that was to be directed by Phil Joanou. Stone denied the accusations, and, in a 7 Nov 1991 NYT article, Phil Joanou was quoted as saying he had spoken with Stone about the project, but Stone had not done anything to stop it. HBO Pictures was interested in producing Libra at one time, but the company, which was owned by Time Warner, chose not to compete with JFK, produced by its sister company, Warner Bros. Joni Sighvatsson, producer of a competing project about Jack Ruby, titled Ruby (1992, see entry), stated Stone used his influence to deny Sighvatsson’s crew access to “important Dallas locations” and local actors until JFK had been released. Stone responded to the “cry baby sources” making such accusations by arguing that the film industry is inherently competitive.
       To combat negative publicity, Washington, D.C., public relations executive Frank Mankiewicz was hired. The 7 Nov 1991 NYT stated that Stone had traveled to Washington, D.C., the previous week for a dinner with reporters from the NYT, Washington Post, People magazine, and CBS.
       The world premiere took place 17 Dec 1991, as noted in a 19 Dec 1991 LAT brief. The event raised $250,000 for Rock the Vote, a non-profit organization promoting youth voting and voter registration. A Dallas premiere took place two days later on 19 Dec 1991, and benefitted the Dallas Children’s Health Project, the Children’s Health Fund, and the Film Commission of North Texas, as noted in a 6 Dec 1991 HR brief.
       Critical reception was mixed. Controversy over the subject matter persisted, despite several positive reviews, including those in the 20 Dec 1991 LAT and 16 Dec 1991 Var. A 24 Dec 1991 NYT article quoted “several studio chiefs,” anonymously as saying they were upset over Warner Bros.’ presentation of the film “as truth,” instead of clarifying that it represented Stone’s interpretation of the truth. Warner Bros. responded by issuing a statement defending free speech and describing the film as “a suspense drama.”
       A damning editorial by George F. Will in the 24 Dec 1991 LAT argued that Stone “falsifies so much he may be an intellectual sociopath” and called the film “an act of execrable history and contemptible citizenship.” Meanwhile, former Texas governor John Connally, who was shot by Kennedy’s assassins while riding in the motorcade, accused Stone of going “too far” by implicating the Secret Service, CIA, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), military, and mafia in the assassination, as noted in a 25 Dec 1991 LAT “Morning Report” column; however, Connally did agree with Stone that the “single bullet theory” was inaccurate. Asked to comment on the film, President George H. Bush, a former director of the CIA, was quoted in the 3 Jan 1992 LAT as saying, “I have seen no evidence that gives me any reason to believe that the Warren Commission was wrong.” Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) chief executive Jack Valenti waited three months after the film opened to issue a statement condemning JFK as “a ‘hoax,’ a ‘smear’ and ‘pure fiction,’” as noted in a 2 Apr 1992 NYT. A former aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson, Valenti claimed to have had read “every paper that crossed the President’s desk,” and compared Stone’s film to the Nazi propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl. Stone responded by calling Valenti’s diatribe “emotional” and “off the mark.”
       Pat Dowell, the longtime film critic for Washingtonian magazine, resigned when editor Jack Limpert refused to publish her positive review of JFK, which awarded it three-and-a-half out of four stars. Limpert stated that the film’s premise was “bizarre...crackpot, preposterous,” and that Dowell’s review “suffered from bad writing,” according to the 27 Jan 1992 LAT. The National Society of Film Critics spoke out in support of Dowell, as noted in a 1 Feb 1992 LAT item, and condemned Limpert’s decision to pull the review. Kevin Costner reportedly called Dowell to show his support, as well. A 3 Feb 1992 LAT brief later noted that Jayne Blanchard, Dowell’s replacement at the Washingtonian, also gave the film a positive review with three-and-a-half stars.
       A 9 Jan 1992 Newsday brief stated that Stone was set to speak before the National Press Club on 15 Jan 1992 in Washington, D.C., to address ongoing criticisms. A “town hall” meeting, titled “Hollywood and History: The Debate Over ‘JFK,’” was held in New York City on 3 Mar 1992, with a panel including Stone and writers Norman Mailer, Nora Ephron, Edward J. Epstein and Christopher Hitchens, as reported in the 5 Mar 1992 LAT. With an audience of 1,500, Stone answered criticisms and debated the substance of his film with Epstein and Hitchens, who offered opposing views, and Mailer and Ephron, who were largely in support of Stone.
       The film grossed $5.1 million in 1,164 theaters in its opening weekend, which the 24 Dec 1991 NYT noted was “a bit disappointing.” However, ticket sales were expected to be lower due to the long running time. Three months later, the 2 Apr 1992 NYT reported box-office earnings of $68 million, to date, with strong overseas ticket sales anticipated.
       JFK won Academy Awards for Cinematography and Film Editing, and received the following Academy Award nominations: Actor in a Supporting Role (Tommy Lee Jones), Directing, Music (Original Score), Sound, Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Published or Produced), and Best Picture. Oliver Stone won a Golden Globe Award for Best Director – Motion Picture, and the film received the following Golden Globe nominations: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Kevin Costner), Best Screenplay – Motion Picture, and Best Motion Picture – Drama.
       According to a 30 Jan 1992 LAT brief, the movie prompted a press conference at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), at which Warren Commission attorneys and staff members presented a proposal “calling for the release of sealed documents and evidence relating to the Kennedy assassination.” The 12 Feb 1992 LAT later reported that the White House, Congress, and the National Archives had received a deluge of letters and phone calls, asking that the Warren Commission’s records be made available. The article reported that a recent poll had found 72% of Americans did not believe the public was told the “whole truth” about the Kennedy assassination, and 73% believed Kennedy was killed as a result of a conspiracy. The House of Representatives and Senate eventually passed a bill to open government files related to the assassination, as noted in a 5 Oct 1992 Var, which stated President George H. Bush was expected to sign the measure within ten days. The resulting President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 states all documents related to the assassination will be released to the public by 2017.
       A 28 Apr 1992 Newsday item reported Oliver Stone hired Barbara Kopple to direct a companion documentary, titled Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy, which would be partly funded by Warner Bros. The documentary was included in a 2003 “Special Edition” home video release of the film. American Movie Classics (AMC) also produced a documentary about the film for its Backstory series, titled Backstory: JFK, that debuted 25 Feb 2002 on the AMC channel.
       The estate of the late Jim Garrison sued “virtually the entire movie industry,” as reported in an 18 Nov 1995 LAT article, over “net profits” accounting issues on JFK and throughout Hollywood in general. Garrison’s estate claimed it had not received net profit participation payments from Warner Bros., despite JFK having earned more than $200 million in cumulative box-office grosses. The case was filed as a class-action lawsuit, accusing every major Hollywood studio of “price-fixing and breach of contract” in an effort to avoid paying net profit participants. A 27 May 1998 LAT news item stated that U.S. District Judge Robert Takasugi found the lawsuit lacked “class-action status”; however, the Garrison estate was allowed to proceed with suing Warner Bros. A 9 Apr 1999 HR article reported the Garrison estate won a “very small settlement,” with each of Garrison’s five children receiving “a tiny fraction of what they originally sought.”
       End credits contain the following acknowledgments: “Archival footage provided by: Zapruder Film: ‘Copyright 1967’ by LMH Company. All rights reserved; NBC News Archives; CBS News; UCLA Film and Television Archive; The Family of Orville O. Nix; Sherman Grindberg Film Libraries; Southern Methodist University thru its Southwest Film/Video Archives; National Archives; Cartoon clip courtesy of Warner Bros.”; “Special thanks to: Manierre Dawson paintings loaned by Timothy A. Foley/Tilden-Foley Gallery, New Orleans, LA; National Park Service, National Capital Region and United States Park Police; Vintage radio and police equipment provided by Ken Scott Communications, St. Ignatius, Montana; Michael W. Proscia; Julie Shapiro, Travelcorps; University of North Texas; and the people of Dallas and New Orleans”; “Filmed on location in New Orleans, Dallas and Washington D.C.”
       Sherman Grinberg Film Libraries is misidentified as “Sherman Grindberg Film Libraries” in the aforementioned acknowledgments.