In 1963 President Jack Kennedy suffered fatal gunshot wounds while on visit to Dallas, Texas, an assassination that to this day feeds the flames of conspiracy theories, exhaustive research by independent study groups, and naturally, the moviemaking machine. From Oliver Stone’s focused look at the crime in JFK to a passing mention in Richard Linklater’s Slacker, the event, which sparked national outcry and continues to permeate the American consciousness, provides constant fodder for narrative exploration, also showing up in films like Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump and Ben Stiller’s Zoolander.
Film Factoid: In Oliver Stone’s epic JFK, Dr M.T. Jenkins, the anesthetist who officially declared John F. Kennedy dead, plays himself.