The Murder of JFK: A Revisionist History (1999) Not Rated Starring: Arthur Schlesinger, Jack Anderson, and Sam Halpern Rating: out of

Most of these documentaries feature so-called "experts" -- many of whom seem as qualified as I am to investigate the assassination -- spouting off that either the Mafia, the CIA, the Cubans, Fidel Castro, or, simply, Lee Harvey Oswald were responsible for the death of President Kennedy. Some even speculate that a combination of any two of the aforementioned culprits could have been involved. I've yet to see one that incorporates a theory implicating all of them simultaneously, but I'm sure it's out there.

Upon hearing of The Murder of JFK: A Revisionist History, I figured -- based on the title alone -- that it was yet another in a long line of crackpot "documentaries" that featured no content of any importance or significance. I was wrong. While it doesn't break any ground in terms of providing any new evidence or theories, it is a fairly comprehensive collection of interviews and archival footage from the time of the assassination that sheds more light on the background leading up to the assassination than any film I've seen on the subject.

The first hour of the film is spent documenting the political and social circumstances that led up to the rise of Fidel Castro in Cuba. The level of detail provided here is fascinating. Most JFK Assassination documentaries skim over the details of how and why the Castro backstory is so important to the assassination timeline. I was encouraged that the rest of the film would provide the same level of meticulous examination to the assassination itself.

With one hour spent on the Castro element, the next 40 minutes details the political climate Kennedy faced before and after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Again, this is more detail than any other documentary has been willing to devote to that particular aspect of the era. Once the timeline arrives at November 22, 1963, however, a rather cursory look at the assassination is followed by a quick summary of the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations' investigations.

Although listed at 3 hours, The Murder of JFK: A Revisionist History's actual running time is 2 hours and 20 minutes. Had it been 3 hours long, it may have been able to devote as much time to the actual assassination as it does the events leading up to that terrible day. But, while The Murder of JFK skimps on the actual investigation of the shooting, it is still recommended viewing for assassination buffs. The film contains many pieces of footage that, while not directly connected to the assassination itself, provide a more rounded picture of the political climate of the time.

The box may trumpet content such as "the only known color footage of Lee Harvey Oswald", "the first digital rendering of the Zapruder film, mastered from the original" and "newly discovered footage...including Lyndon B. Johnson’s thoughts concerning a conspiracy", but none of these is particularly exciting or worth watching the film to see. The color footage of Oswald is minimal and the Zapruder footage is definitely clearer than what I've seen before but it doesn't provide any new clues or evidence. The footage of Lyndon B. Johnson's "thoughts concerning a conspiracy" is simply a clip that shows him saying that he thought there might have been one, not him admitting there was one.

If you're expecting new theories on why the Mafia killed Kennedy or who the "umbrella man" really was, you're not going to find any of that type of discussion here. This is an intelligent look at the events that could have contributed to the assassination. On that merit alone, it's interesting viewing. For those looking for the smoking gun footage, I'm afraid the journey doesn't end here.

Trivia: The Murder of JFK: A Revisionist History was the winner of the 1999 IDA/ABC News VideoSource Award for the Best Use of News Footage in a Documentary. (Source: The Internet Movie Database)