Fifty years ago John Fitzgerald Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States. In another three years the anniversary of his assassination will be marked in films and new documentaries. This month HBO celebrates the life and career of John Kennedy with two documentaries that will educate the public about the man that served only around 1000 days as the president of the United States.
JFK: In His Own Words
This 1988 Emmy-winning documentary was produced to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the assassination of John Kennedy. Now it reemerges as the time gets closer to the 50th anniversary of his death.
Taken from over 300 hours of recorded words and over 200 hours of recorded pictures, JFK: In His Own Words takes viewers through the life of John Kennedy as the title says, in his own words. With excerpts from his many speeches as well as discussions and interviews, the public gets a look at the wit and wisdom of the man. He faced difficult times in his presidency and acknowledged that it is “easier to make speeches” than to get things done, but he tried to take the country toward a brighter future and toward peace.
This is an educational experience because it does not describe John Kennedy from a third party point of view. Rather John Kennedy describes himself and his actions. There is nothing like listening to his words in his own voice. No history book or school book can compare to actually listening to Kennedy’s speeches and his thoughts and ideas directly from the man himself.
A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy
Marking the 50th anniversary of his inauguration this documentary combines footage from several previous films by director Robert Drew. It is a good representation of the first president of the television age. His wit and concerns are highlighted in this film narrated by actor Alec Baldwin.
The 1960 presidential campaign was difficult for JFK as he confronted the religious issue. He maintained he wouldn’t be a Catholic president, but rather a president who happened to be Catholic.
His greatest achievement during his administration was the nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviet Union. Kennedy was greatly concerned about the future of the planet and felt the two superpowers needed to take a giant step toward assuring the planet would be a safe place for future generations.
JFK was the first president to conduct live press conferences. He knew how to take advantage of the television medium and get directly to the public. Other items in this documentary include the space race, the Cuban missile crisis, the Alliance for Progress, and the civil rights confrontations of the early 1960s.
HBO Highlights JFK
JFK: In His Own Words will air Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 8 pm on HBO2. A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy premiers Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 9:30 pm on HBO, exactly 50 years after his inauguration. There will be several encore presentations on both HBO and HBO 2 throughout January and February.
Read about the documentary Virtual JFK: Vietnam if Kennedy had Lived and Kennedys' Family Movies.
