Oswald's Ghost - B+

Released on DVD Tuesday. Unrated, 90 minutes. Trailer.

The cloud of the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been over Dallas for nearly 45 years. In that time, the event has become the most controversial historical event of modern American history. Oswald's Ghost is a documentary that examines the event and the debate between the conspiracy theorists and the Oswald as lone gunman believers.

This film had its theatrical premier at the Texas Theater in Oak Cliff, and was aired on PBS last week to coincide with its release on DVD. As a lifetime Dallas guy and history enthusiast, the Kennedy assassination has always fascinated me, prodding me to read Case Closed in high school and skipping school to hang around the grassy knoll on the 30th anniversary and meeting the man handcuffed to Oswald when he was shot (the white hat, in photo above). Click below for the rest of "Oswald's Ghost."

The film does an admirable job of remaining undecided on the conspiracy/lone gunman issue, and shows each of the players on both sides for who, and what, they really are. The style of the film reminded me of Fog of War, and the multiple interview subjects (including Sen. Gary Hart, Dan Rather, and Mark Lane) all offer interesting perspectives. The Warren Commission and LBJ are shown trying to do the best they can, and the big media of the 60's reporting it all as given, which gives reason to some to think 'conspiracy.' Oliver Stone and Jim Garrison are discussed as are the shreds of 'evidence' and theories that have been speculated about for nearly 5 decades. My favorite part is the debate featuring Arlen Specter, now a US Senator defending his magic bullet theory.

The most revelatory theme of the film for me was the prospect that people that believe in conspiracies are just weak minded, and need to believe something bigger than them exists. The truth is, a goofy marksman with something to prove pulled off a near miraculous feat and changed the course of history. Are the September 11 attacks any less implausible or unbelievable? Of course, there are several people that claim that is a conspiracy too. Worth the rental.