Parkland

On the 50th anniversary year of the Kennedy assassination, this film is a good reminder of the impact this event had on the world. While "Parkland" wasn't extremely special, it did appeal to my love of history. The story is adequate, resembling a backwards version of Emilio Estevez's "Bobby". That film was about the Bobby Kennedy assassination and it featured a variety of ordinary people at the Ambassador Hotel who ended up witnessing or being victimized by the tragedy at the end of the film. In "Parkland", the assassination is the inciting incident and the whole film is one long decrescendo as we follow the stories of a variety of witnesses to the events in Dallas in November 1963. I take pleasure in historical movies, especially with rising action, and so this film was good to watch but it could have been better.

History makes it clear that the innocence of 1950's America was changed into the tumultuous 60's and 70's by way of the death of President Kennedy. The opening scenes are typical of a movie like this with the introduction of the characters going about their innocent lives. It isn't a normal day when you think about it because Kennedy is coming to town but no one could have expected those shots to ring out in Dealey Plaza and it shows on the face of Abraham Zapruder. My favorite subplot of the film is Zapruder's because I am a videographer. I love the dramatic moments when everyone watching the footage realizes just how much of the assassination Zapruder captured. "JFK" only showed flashbacks to the scenes at Parkland Hospital but this is the first time that I can find where we get to see a full recreation of the attempt to save Kennedy's life. As mentioned, we see the effect this tragedy had on people. People fight back tears and gather outside the hospital. I like the moment by the way when Johnson says that he will not leave Dallas without Jackie. You can blame the secret service for their paranoia though. No knew if anything else was going to happen. I guess one reason why I enjoyed this film was that I got to see some events surrounding the assassination that I hadn't seen before such as Kennedy's coffin being transferred to Air Force One. There is contrast in this scene in that it is far different from the archival footage we saw earlier of the president arriving at the airport. We are verbally reminded that this event marks the first and only time the secret service lost a president (they were not tasked with full-time presidential protection until after the McKinley assassination). I like how the filmmakers used audio of Johnson's inauguration. My favorite scene in the whole movie was when the FBI agents realize that they could have stopped Lee Harvey Oswald. That included some powerful acting. The film also addresses the irony that Oswald was taken to Parkland after being shot. Trauma Room 1 is not used to treat him and we get to see how the doctors and nurses handle this irony. Another irony not shown in the film is that Jack Ruby, who shot Oswald, died in 1967 at Parkland. Another part of the story that is told in this film is how the Oswald family was treated and what happened to them during these four days. Robert is the central character of this subplot and that is effective. The film ends on a memorable note with the funeral of Oswald. I like how it is intercut with TV footage of Kennedy's funeral in Washington, which happened on the same day. This final scene includes some interesting sights such as the press acting as temporary pallbearers. I also like the contrast between Jackie's composure on TV with Marguerite Oswald's anguish. During this closing sequence, we also see that Parkland will never be the same. Walter Cronkite is the official voice of American history during the 60's & 70's and it is only fitting that this show ends with "That's the way it is...goodnight."

The cast is full of interesting names. Zac Efron looks quite grown up and I found nothing wrong with his performance. Amazingly, this is the first live action film of his that I have seen (maybe someday I will get around to watching the "High School Musical" trilogy). My favorite moment of Efron's is when he cannot bring himself to stop trying to revive the dead president. I forgot that Colin Hanks was in this film and so while watching it, I regrettably was too focused on Efron and forgot about Hanks. Marcia Gay Harden did her job so well that I recognized her but her character was what I mostly saw. Billy Bob Thornton's took full advantage of his costume and that was the right choice in playing Sorrels. Paul Giamatti's performance was my favorite. You believe that he is just an ordinary American who inadvertently recorded the most famous home movie of all time. The actors chosen to play the most famous characters look the part such as those playing Oswald and Johnson. I enjoy the work of composer James Newton Howard and his score for this film was well done. I like the music during the ending of the movie. "Apollo 13" continues to have an impact in Hollywood today as two of its main stars collaborate once again on a movie. Tom Hanks (Yes, there is a relation. Colin is Tom's son) and Bill Paxton act as producers for "Parkland". Here's a fun fact: Paxton was eight years old when he saw President Kennedy in person on the day of the assassination in Fort Worth, Texas. There are two photos to prove it. The title for this movie is a little vague when you think about it. Most of the movie might take place at Parkland Hospital but there is still a lot that doesn't.

Some might call this film cliché and under dramatic. I am a sentimentalist. I enjoy seeing most big screen reenactments of history and I am grateful for them because I wasn't in Dallas, let alone alive, in 1963. Heck, my mom was only a month old. This movie sufficiently appeals to my love of history. "Bobby" had rising acting and that made it slightly more dramatic than "Parkland", which was mostly falling action. There was nothing that could be helped about that because the story of "Parkland" is not the events preceding the assassination but instead the aftermath.

4 Stars