Parkland
Recounting the chaotic events that occurred in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, Parkland weaves together the perspectives of a handful of ordinary individuals suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances: the young doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital; Dallas’ chief of the Secret Service; an unwitting cameraman who captured what became the most watched and examined film in history; the FBI agents who nearly had the gunman within their grasp; the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald, left to deal with his shattered family; and JFK’s security team, witnesses to both the president’s death and Vice President Lyndon Johnson’s rise to power over a nation whose innocence was forever altered.
Director:
Peter Landesman
Cast:
James Badge Dale, Zac Efron, Jackie Earle Haley, Colin Hanks, Marcia Gay Harden, Ron Livingston, Jeremy Strong, Billy Bob Thornton, Jacki Weaver, Paul Giamatti
Screenplay:
Peter Landesman
Screening Date:
Sep 21, 2013
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.2% | 53.8% | 17.3% | 7.7% | 0.0% |
“Mixed emotions. Acting was fine. Too much emphasis is on blood. Details very interesting, but are they all true or part of an imaginative screenplay?”
“We know the story but not their perspective.”
“At the time of these events, I was living 12 miles from the Texas border in Louisiana. The town where I lived celebrated the assassination for two days, with fireworks and dancing in the streets!”
“Takes a big bite of all the stories surrounding JFK’s assassination, maybe focus is too scattered, but has a lot of new interesting details. I never knew Oswald had a brother or interesting a mother. Jackie Weaver is such a good actress; makes you want to see more of her. The scene with the coffin being jammed onto the plane is a good counterpoint with Lee Harvey Oswald’s funeral where the coffin is left to family and press to deal with. The film is called PARKLAND because it’s about the 2 bodies going through the hospital with very different treatment.”
“Painful to watch, but with many previously little known details and events. Demonstrates in the end of the banality of what Oswald did.”
“Very realistic film. I physically reacted to it. I don’t know whether I would recommend it. Very tough to watch.”
“Good film but tough to watch.”
“Lived through it all and remember the horror but I was still very tense throughout the film. Job well done.”
“Gripping, but no one will ever know. Didn’t think I would like it but it was engaging. On the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination it gives an interesting look at those in the margin of events. So many producers wow! Production design was spot on.”
“PARKLAND is a good film, I’m just not certain whether it is a necessary film for those of us old enough to live through and remembered the events in 1963. Very fine cast. Both young and old Jackie Weaver, Paul Giamatti were excellent as were Zac Efron and Tom Welling; nice ensemble acting. If the intent was to focus on the tangential figures it was not very successful as it did not expand and explore those characters as fully as it could/should have.”
“Powerful documentary. Spoke loudly for a single gun man evidence.”
“As we approach the 50th anniversary this is a story that never gets old. An interesting compelling re-telling with some new angles that shed light. The cinematography was impressing, the acting less so.”
“Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances usually make an excellent film.”
“I hate to say this, but if this happened today we’d be less shocked. Our society has become so violent the we almost expect such things to take place. With all these guns in the wrong hands what’s to become of our society?”
“Why was this called PARKLAND?”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
An interview with Peter Landesman, the director:
http://tribecafilm.com/features/peter-landesman-parkland-interview
New York Times review of Parkland:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/movies/parkland-recreates-the-kenne...
Reuteur's analysis of the film:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/01/entertainment-us-venice-festiv...
