We're all Zapruders now
The National Geographic Channel is airing a two-hour documentary on Monday night at 9, to mark Sunday's 46th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
Countless TV specials on the subject have been made, of course, but this one, called "The Lost JFK Tapes: The Assassination," may have some dramatic edge. It goes back and assembles news coverage, radio reports, photos, and home movie footage -- some of it as-yet unseen -- to give Kennedy’s visit to Dallas a real-time feel. There’s no scripted narration and jumping around in time; just a nightmare unfolding.
Nowadays, with 24-hour cable news channels and cell-phone cameras, we get to watch every major event as it occurs minute-by-minute. We’re all Zapruders. The media can tell the stories of our lives and times with an almost insane amount of detail. But TV was not equipt for such a mind-blowing tragedy in 1963. This two-hour doc attempts to give the early 1960s a 2000s feel. Here's a clip:
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