Oswald's Ghost (2007)

I watched this on SBS 2 last night, they have a lot of interesting films on there. That's a fact. This feature length documentary directed by Robert Stone focuses on the assassination of JFK in 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald and the surrounding conspiracy theories. Unfortunately Oswald was blown to pieces by small dog loving Jack Ruby a few days later, so he went to his grave without being trialled and denying the charges. 
The film delves into Oswald's character and history and offers a reasonably compelling argument that he was capable of acting alone. Dude had been in the Marine Corp and then did some crazy shit like shoot his elbow to get out. He defected to the Soviet Union and returned to the States again with a little commie wife. He also allegedly shot a cop who was trying to arrest him after the assassination. Basically the guy was trained up and had some wild ideas and visions of grandeur. The Warren Commission, responsible for the 'single bullet theory', was set up after the assassination and concluded he acted alone but it was widely criticised as to being, well, wrong. 
The middle of the film focuses on the conspiracy theories, ranging from a CIA hatched plot, the Cubans, the Vietnamese, the mafia, and president to be, Lyndon Johnston to name a few. There's quite a bit of food for thought dished out here, some of it sounds like wild crackpot talk and some of it can be seriously considered.

Lee Harvey Oswald: bewildered communist.

                                      
Giving opinions and offering insights throughout is a revolving set of heads. Some of these I found interesting like Norman Mailer, guy just sounds like an authority on anything. Mark Lane, the attorney who authored 'Rush To Judgement' which criticises the Warren Commission and questions Oswald's guilt. Also popping up were a few aged heads with the title 'Student Activist'. What their authority is remains a mystery to me. I can only guess they were hovering about at uni in the 60's ingesting chemicals, rooting about and talking shit. Good times no doubt but I don't think we needed to see them in this.
The film ends by covering the traumatic years following the assassination, other political leaders that got capped (Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy) and the effect it had on the American public's psyche. A lot of facts are covered by news broadcasts from the time and other contemporary footage which does a great job of depicting the fervour created by the event. The people interviewed often have a unique involvement and perspective (apart from those curious old students) and a lot of light is shed on Oswald who remains a strange figure in US history. 
Seeing as I didn't have a lot of knowledge about the JFK assassination or an opinion of who was responsible, I found this to be an illuminating documentary.  It offers the possibility that Oswald was the gunmen and it also gives credibility to some of the conspiracies. If you are already clued up on all this and hold your own theory then I don't know how much it would offer. Me however, I got quite a bit out of it and would like to hear some more points of view on how poor Johnny lost the back of his skull.
3.5/5 

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