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Special Features
Lyndon Johnson's Statements on Vietnam Theatrical Trailer
Editorial Reviews
In the era of nuclear confrontation, John F. Kennedy attempted to prevent war six times during his short tenure as president. He didn't live to face a seventh. Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived takes up one of America's controversial what-if scenarios, examining the question: Would the U.S. have escalated the war in Vietnam if Kennedy was not assassinated in 1963? With insight and erudition, the film traces JFK's presidency a 1,000-day term plagued with tense political stand-offs through rare and previously-unseen archival footage, offering nuanced accounts of the former president's political decisions and, by extension, his probable response to the escalating conflict in Vietnam.
Featuring unprecedented access into the leadership style of one of the nation's most important leaders, Virtual JFK sheds new light on the man who helped avoid war in six crises and did not live to save America from the devastating war in Vietnam.
Q&A with Virtual JFK director Koji Masutani
What do you think virtual history can teach us that the more traditional study of history can't?
We identify our film as a work of "virtual history," a term coined by the Harvard historian Niall Ferguson. Virtual history, Ferguson explains, involves the study of "what if" questions: the investigation of how the past would have unfolded had precipitating events or the underlying conditions been different. In the case of Virtual JFK, we ask what if Kennedy had not died in 1963? Would he have chartered a less-disastrous course in Vietnam than his successor, Lyndon Johnson? The approach is controversial. The Cambridge historian of Soviet Russia, E.H. Carr, described counterfactual narratives as a "parlor game." History, he insisted, is "a record of what people did, not what they failed to do." Yet, historical analysis, by its nature, presupposes consideration of roads not taken. We believe that virtual history can teach us (or remind us) about the contingent aspects of history that more traditional history does not emphasize.
What drew you to JFK's presidency as a subject?
My formal background in International Relations attracted my attention to JFK's presidency—particularly within the framework of foreign policy issues. Virtual JFK represents the synthesis of more than forty years of debate, much of it acrimonious, over what Kennedy would have done in Vietnam had he not been assassinated. Although I grew up outside the United States, I have always been keenly aware of the enduring debates over what JFK would have done, and the parallel debate over who or what was behind JFK's murder. Oliver Stone's 1991 film, JFK, integrated these two issues into a single and conspiratorial hypothesis. In Virtual JFK, we deal decisively with what JFK would have done, and leave it to others to debate whether, as Stone believes, Kennedy was killed because he had decided to withdraw the U.S. from Vietnam. However the debate about the motives behind JFK’s assassination may evolve in the future, we believe, on the basis of considerable evidence, that if JFK had lived, he would have withdrawn the U.S. from Vietnam.
Can you discuss your collaboration with producer Peter Almond, who produced Thirteen Days, the Kevin Costner film on the Cuban Missile Crisis?
As a young filmmaker who is constantly setting foot on new terrain (by default), I require--without exception--a highly experienced producer. As in any industry with more than one member, when newcomers arrive they are bound to encounter an infinite array of personalities, conduct, and intellect. So being able to find and connect with a producer who demonstrates first-rate efficiency, responsibility, and perceptiveness has been critical to my learning curve. The task of delivering the film to an audience would have been a wildly different and impossible operation without a producer like Peter Almond.
How did your collaboration with the authors of Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived: Virtual JFK (Rowman and Littlefield) come about? Was the origin of the project the book, or the film? How do you think the two complement each other?
I was fortunate to cross paths with two dynamic professors/authors from the Watson Institute for International Studies (at Brown University) almost immediately before graduating from college in 2005. I kept up a rigorous correspondence with them over email the summer after I graduated and, very quickly, we discovered that we had a team to be able to simultaneously produce a book, film, and a teacher's guide. The book and film—in particular—were produced side by side, and they complement each other in that one strengthens and enhances the other. There is only so much information that can be conveyed in an 80-minute documentary, and there is only so much that a reader can do to participate vicariously reading a book.
Featuring unprecedented access into the leadership style of one of the nation's most important leaders, Virtual JFK sheds new light on the man who helped avoid war in six crises and did not live to save America from the devastating war in Vietnam.
Q&A with Virtual JFK director Koji Masutani
What do you think virtual history can teach us that the more traditional study of history can't?
We identify our film as a work of "virtual history," a term coined by the Harvard historian Niall Ferguson. Virtual history, Ferguson explains, involves the study of "what if" questions: the investigation of how the past would have unfolded had precipitating events or the underlying conditions been different. In the case of Virtual JFK, we ask what if Kennedy had not died in 1963? Would he have chartered a less-disastrous course in Vietnam than his successor, Lyndon Johnson? The approach is controversial. The Cambridge historian of Soviet Russia, E.H. Carr, described counterfactual narratives as a "parlor game." History, he insisted, is "a record of what people did, not what they failed to do." Yet, historical analysis, by its nature, presupposes consideration of roads not taken. We believe that virtual history can teach us (or remind us) about the contingent aspects of history that more traditional history does not emphasize.
What drew you to JFK's presidency as a subject?
My formal background in International Relations attracted my attention to JFK's presidency—particularly within the framework of foreign policy issues. Virtual JFK represents the synthesis of more than forty years of debate, much of it acrimonious, over what Kennedy would have done in Vietnam had he not been assassinated. Although I grew up outside the United States, I have always been keenly aware of the enduring debates over what JFK would have done, and the parallel debate over who or what was behind JFK's murder. Oliver Stone's 1991 film, JFK, integrated these two issues into a single and conspiratorial hypothesis. In Virtual JFK, we deal decisively with what JFK would have done, and leave it to others to debate whether, as Stone believes, Kennedy was killed because he had decided to withdraw the U.S. from Vietnam. However the debate about the motives behind JFK’s assassination may evolve in the future, we believe, on the basis of considerable evidence, that if JFK had lived, he would have withdrawn the U.S. from Vietnam.
Can you discuss your collaboration with producer Peter Almond, who produced Thirteen Days, the Kevin Costner film on the Cuban Missile Crisis?
As a young filmmaker who is constantly setting foot on new terrain (by default), I require--without exception--a highly experienced producer. As in any industry with more than one member, when newcomers arrive they are bound to encounter an infinite array of personalities, conduct, and intellect. So being able to find and connect with a producer who demonstrates first-rate efficiency, responsibility, and perceptiveness has been critical to my learning curve. The task of delivering the film to an audience would have been a wildly different and impossible operation without a producer like Peter Almond.
How did your collaboration with the authors of Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived: Virtual JFK (Rowman and Littlefield) come about? Was the origin of the project the book, or the film? How do you think the two complement each other?
I was fortunate to cross paths with two dynamic professors/authors from the Watson Institute for International Studies (at Brown University) almost immediately before graduating from college in 2005. I kept up a rigorous correspondence with them over email the summer after I graduated and, very quickly, we discovered that we had a team to be able to simultaneously produce a book, film, and a teacher's guide. The book and film—in particular—were produced side by side, and they complement each other in that one strengthens and enhances the other. There is only so much information that can be conveyed in an 80-minute documentary, and there is only so much that a reader can do to participate vicariously reading a book.
The project as a whole was not necessarily conceived within a narrow disciplinary framework, because the question of what JFK would have done in Vietnam long ago overspread disciplinary boundaries. Many people, from diverse backgrounds and professional allegiances, believe they have a stake in this question: government servicemen, journalists, archival researchers, historians, political scientists, economists, psychologists, novelists, poets, filmmakers, and songwriters. However, the specific origins of the Virtual JFK project lay at the intersection of three disciplines: Cold War history, diplomatic history, and the various branches of political science that deal with decision-making.
The Kennedy family continues to make news and capture our imagination as a nation. What do you think it is about the family and JFK in particular that we find so compelling?
To his admirers, JFK represented a presidential era of glamour, intelligence, wit and possibility. In my mind, this combination of assured traits plays well to the American attitude toward history, one where "personalities have always been more interesting than facts" (to quote Kennedy himself). This attitude toward history (and politics) possibly explains the receptivity to and appetite for all things Kennedy. To those interested in U.S. foreign policy history, of course, JFK and his assassination fuel interest for another reason: November 22, 1963, was the single most significant day in the history of the Vietnam War.
The film includes some incredible footage and audio recordings that were recently declassified and never seen or hear before. How did you go about tracking down these recordings?
For three years, we researched every possible source for footage and secretly recorded audio tapes revealing internal deliberations from the Kennedy administration. We conducted rigorous research via the National Archives, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and the Miller Center of Public Affairs (particularly with help from Professor Marc Selverstone and his team). We conducted research for 36 months (uninterrupted) and we even tracked down JFK's family friends who--to this day--have been in possession of rare footage.
In addition to footage that would have otherwise been locked in vaults for decades longer, and in addition to recently declassified materials in the form of documents and audio tapes, Virtual JFK proudly features 30 entire minutes of Kennedy's press conferences--revealing moments of dismay, suspense, and outrage. Half a century after his abbreviated presidency, Americans are still trying to figure out who Jack Kennedy really was, and we invite viewers to get to know Kennedy directly--without talking heads or experts speaking on behalf of Kennedy.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Fascinating,
By Misty "Misty" (WI) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived (DVD)
I just saw this movie last night at the Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF) and I am still reeling. I was six months old when JFK was killed and frankly,embarrassingly,everything I've ever known about him has been related to me through others' opinions and glossy magazine articles discussing conspiracy theories, Camelot and Marilyn Monroe. I feel like I just took an incredibly interesting history course, one that everyone should attend, including most certainly, our current and any future US governments. This film should be shown to every high-schooler, and followed up again, with every college student. What an absolute eye opener.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Virtual JFK,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived (DVD)
Great footage that tells the story of JFK's aims for peace, quite a contrast with all of his succeeding presidents.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sounds of JFK,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Virtual JFK (Amazon Instant Video)
After deeply studying the life and philosophy, both the pros and cons, of JFK for greater than 3 years , I believe this movie is one of the best. This movie embeds the sounds, struggles, and outlooks of the JFK peace keeping ability. War does have a horrible price but so does peace, except in peace no one bleeds but only human's can grow from needed conflict. JFK and American Democracy needed the Communist's challenge. Today, what country or what idea makes America stronger and hopeful that with external pressure, a slingshot of universal pleasure can take place for global liberty. We have come to a point to where we have small tea parties, instead of un-surrendering civil revolutions. We have terror groups, who can never be seen, but we fight a number count War on Terrorism. A war where news keep the American deaths silent but make sure to print foreign suicide deaths. Like Vietnam, more foreigners will die because of American involvement. 2 million Vietnamese died along with over 58,000 American troops, including my uncle. In this movie you will notice the numerous press conference JFK had done and the what seemed like half a hundred news reports. I will alway argued that our media has looked that other way and escaping the element of "PRESS." Pressure is how journalism, even when you don't want to hear it or it seems like a conspiracy, keeps a democracy able to survive.
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