Customer Reviews

Kennedy

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4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
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This 1983 NBC mini-series may well be the best of its kind and remains probably the definitive Kennedy docu-drama. The film is confined to the brief years of the presidential administration, and is refreshingly honest in retelling the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the presidential philandering and, of course, the drama of that fateful final day. Martin Sheen is magnificent, as usual, in the title role, and he plays his presidential role with a believeable human quality that the real man thought of his constituency as the disenfranchised. As the first lady, Blair Brown's portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy is riveting and haunting as impressed throughout with her voiced-over prophecy of her "appointment with death." Beyond the two leads, a stellar supporting cast is headed by the late E.G. Marshall as the Kennedy patriarch, Joe Sr., John Shea as RFK and the late Vincent Gardenia in a sinister turn as FBI head J. Edgar Hoover. But this film belongs to Sheen and Brown, and together they ignite a sense of glamour and vitality that defined the real couple. Brown, especially, however, is mesmerizing, and her accomplishment here is a must-see. There are apparently two versions on the market, the original and an edited time-condensed version. Stay away from the shorter one. The editing is so bad that continunity is sacrificed, and all we get is a jumbled mess. The original is well worth the five or so hours to watch it, and its an impassioned account of the successes and shortcomings of the Camelot administration.

Having already mastered RFK in 1975's THE MISSLES OF OCTOBER, it was only logical that Martin Sheen step up to the role he was seemingly born to play in what has proved to be one of the best mini-series ever produced. KENNEDY is a believable docu-drama that stays true to the 1000 day historical record. What's very commendable is Jim Goddard staying away in mass from the soap opera element of JFK's now much publicized adultery and the blind eye turned (to it) by his wife, staff and family. Vincent Gardinia offers memory burn as J. Edgar Hoover, just as Sheen does with JFK. The final ride through Dealy Plaza is horrific.

Martin Sheen plays an excellent John Kennedy in the 1983 mini-series, Kennedy. he's got the voice of John Kennedy down almost to perfection.

the DVD version is great. you get additional footage such as JFK's Inaugural Address, One Day in Berlin, One Week in October, and The Last Two Days.

throughout the mini-series you see the tension between Hoover and both Jack and Bobby, you go along on the campaign trail with JFK, right up until the shots are fired in Dallas.
good mini-series.
i surley enjoyed watching all of it.

Being from Massachusetts, I can say that the attempted Kennedy accents in this 1983 miniseries are occassionally almost accurate, never entirely perfect, and sometimes just plain awful. Still, the writing and acting here are pretty good for a TV movie of this vintage. Some parts go on way too long, such as the Bay of Pig and civil rights segments, and J. Edgar Hoover is creepy sometimes, but mostly just over the top. Resemblances are uncanny, though, to the real Hoover and Jackie Kennedy. Martin Sheen as JFK is close, but no cigar. EG Marshall as old man Kennedy does a great job. This is certainly no substitute for history, but as a TV entertainment, it remains impressive. The cutting is pretty contemporary for something of this vintage. This, overall, holds up pretty well.

This movie, first shown on NBC in Nov. '83 to coincide with the anniversary of of JFK's death, is a great tribute to the man, his times and his legacy. Brilliantly portrayed by Martin Sheen, JFK comes to life on the small screen, and Blair Brown gives a great performance as First Lady Jackie. This DVD is the COMPLETE version of the 3 part miniseries that was originally aired on tv.
All in all, GREAT release for the DVD format. From Election Night to Assassination, the film tells the whole story of Kennedy's presidency. Not to be missed!

This 2-Disc DVD set is outstanding. I recall seeing this mini-series when it originally aired in November 1983, exactly 20 years after JFK's tragic assassination. It's now great to have it available on DVD.

All the major elements that made up the presidency of John F. Kennedy are explored very nicely during this five-hour program, including the Bay Of Pigs invasion of April 1961 and the ultra-frightening Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.

"Kennedy" star Martin Sheen, who portrays President Kennedy here, is certainly no stranger to playing Kennedys. Prior to this 1983 TV mini-series, Martin was cast as Attorney General Robert Kennedy in the 1974 telefilm, "The Missiles Of October" (opposite William Devane's portrayal of JFK).

In another "Kennedy connection", Sheen played Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach in the 2003 film, "The Commission", which explores The Warren Commission's examination into President Kennedy's 1963 assassination.

Mr. Sheen is probably now best-known for playing fictional "President Bartlet" on the NBC-TV drama, "The West Wing".

A major reason I purchased this DVD product was for the extra features included on Disc 2. Here, we get to see the real JFK in action, in a series of documentaries and historic film footage. These extras total 75 minutes, making this 2-Disc package a completely absorbing and satisfying experience for anyone who wants to look back into history at one of the most popular men ever to occupy The White House.

The four bonus programs on the second disc of this set are:

>> JFK's Inaugural Address to the nation (January 1961).

>> "One Week In October" -- A half-hour film produced in 1964 by the Department Of Defense about the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Lots of archival film footage detailing the events surrounding the Missile Crisis is included here. It's a good, concise overview of those terrifying days in October '62.

>> "One Day In Berlin" -- Excerpts of the speech JFK made at the Berlin Wall.

>> "The Last Two Days" -- A 19-minute color film chronicling the last two days of President Kennedy's life in November of 1963.

I enjoyed this very much. I saw it when it first aired, and liked it better this time than last! Martin Sheen was fantastic, and Blair Brown WAS Jackie! There was ONE actor that I recognized, yet couldn't put my finger on who he was. He played Robert McNamara. It was David Schramm! He played Roy Biggins on "Wings" He was at least 100 pounds lighter, and had no mustache. He was a VERY believable McNamara! It was worth the purchase price just to see him!

One of the best mini-series' ever presented on T.V. I compare this movie to Roots, as far as casting and direction. Martin Sheen and John Shea are great as the two major characters, and Bonnie Blair plays Jackie Kennedy as I imagined her, nice but stuffy. I thought Vincent Gardenia's potrayal of J. Edgar Hoover, however was a little overboard. I realize he was stern, but I actually believe he was a weak person, who groveled on his knees to President Nixon, to keep his job! The other members of the supporting cast were great, E.G. Marshall, Geraldine Fitzgerald, etc. A first class production!

JFK was an enigma of the 20th Century. This series showcases his life from his entrance into the White House, through to his assasination in Dallas on 22nd November 1963. It's goood to see his infedelity was not glossed over. Martin Sheen and Blair Brown are spot on perfect as Jack and Jackie, interdispersed with perfect renactments of archival footage. He had a lot happen in less than 4 years as president, The Bay of Pigs, The civil rights movement, the birth and death of his two sons. Martin Sheen of course went on to portray another president in the West Wing. The name Kennedy will always be senonomous with tradgedy. If you are facinated by the Kennedy's and that era in America, this series is a must. It's frank, and as factual and real as it can be. A great forerunner to Oliver Stone's JFK

I strongly urge you to begin your view of the DVD International release of "Kennedy" with Part 3 at the start of the second disc. Here we relivewhat we went through when Cuba was armed with missiles by the Soviet Union and Kennedy was reported to have done what he could to prevent a knee-jerk invasion of the island as some were advocating. It is simply chilling to have seen that sequence at this time in our country's history. (This is being written one month after Sept. 11, 2001.)

This five-hour film appeared on NBC as a special in 1983. I cannot vouch for the absolute accuracy of the events reproduced here or certainly not for the characterizations. The private conversations are, of course, to be taken as historical fiction; but the acting is on such a high level that one can readily believe these very words were spoken at the times portrayed in the film.

Martin Sheen makes a totally crdible "Jack" Kennedy, although he seems to be alone in his family for having that famous accent. He is hardly ever off-screen and has been directed to show the character, if not warts and all, at least as a human being trying to juggle several insurmountable problems (civil rights, Viet Nam, Cuba, and J. Edgar Hoover) all at once. His womanizing is reduced to a single female voice on a telephone; and Marilyn Monroe is mentioned only once in another context. His constant statements that he "cannot" remove Hoover from the FBI seem to imply many other skeletons in his closet, but this is interpretation.

Hoover (Vincent Gardenia) is shown as a cross between Ming the Merciless and something out of "Star Wars," totally obsessed as he is with gaining power of the country by having files on just about every one of consequence. His own perversions, explicit in future film recreations, are here only implied.

The Bobby Kennedy of John Shea is your all-American that even Hoover cannot fault morally although the latter will keep insisting that Organized Crime does not exist in America. E.G. Marshall and Geraldine Fiztgerald make a fine Joseph and Rose Kennedy, both unable (like most parents) to see anything negative about their children or anything positive about any of their opponents.

Blair Brown's Jackie in this script seems simply an airhead, more concerned with buying expensive gowns and redecorating a White House that will not hold her for more than 1000 days. Perhaps the real woman was like this; I do not know. But Brown does a marvelous job playing a vacuous fashion-plate whose popularity often exceeded that of her husband.

The scenes of how Blacks and Freedom Riders were treated down south are nauseatingly graphic; and I plan never to watch that part of this video again. There MUST have been some citizens of those states who did not think or act in that barbaric way, but they are noticeably absent from these sequences.

You will be interested in comparing the four special features with the film's versions of them: The Inaugural Address, One Day in Berlin, The Last Two Days (the Dallas trip), and One Week in October (the Missile Crisis). In the last case, the film handles the matter more satisfactorily.

What is best about the film is its apparent objectivity. I did not see any halos around anyone's head; but the horns on the Soviet Ambassador and J. Edgar Hoover were fairly prominent. Superior viewing from DVDI.