The death of a president
The assassination of President John F Kennedy in Dallas on 22 Nov, 1963 was an unprecedented event not just in the history of the US – but for its culture. Captured on Abraham Zapruder’s grainy, home-movie footage, the first family were pictured in both shining glamour – and then, following the shooting – in grisly horror. Many cultural historians mark the assassination as a turning point, one that represented an increased blurring between public and private life, and also a move, through the changing media landscape, from the printed word to the immediate, visceral image.
In the wake of the public outpouring of grief that reverberated around the nation – and the world − countless artists were inspired by or sought to make sense of the assassination through their work. From poems and novels to films (both mainstream and avant-garde), not to mention the visual arts, conspiracy theories and non-fiction – the tragic events of 22 November have proven to be rich material for the creative mind. With the 50th anniversary, numerous new films and books have appeared, while future projects, such as Legacy of Secrecy, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro – are rumoured to be on the horizon. BBC Culture takes a look at some of the films and fiction inspired by JFK’s assassination. (Bettmann/CORBIS)
Read more on BBC Culture@http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131122-jfks-death-in-film-and-fiction