From the Guardian.com, “The Parallax View: a JFK conspiracy film that gets it right.”
“[Director Alan] Pakula was, like David Miller, a mainstream director whose filmography fails to excite. Also like Miller, he has one excellent credit: Klute. In many ways, ‘The Parallax View’ outshines even that fine thriller. Parallax begins with the murder of a politician on the campaign trail in Seattle’s Space Needle, followed by the near-instant death of the alleged assassin. An investigative journalist digs deeper into the seemingly open-and-shut case and masquerades as a malcontented loser-drifter to get ‘inside’ the Parallax Corporation. There are parallels with The Manchurian Candidate, but Parallax is even better than John Frankenheimer’s thriller about a programmed assassin – mainly thanks to the lead actor, Warren Beatty, who gives what is possibly the best performance of his career, as a hipster journalist masquerading as a malleable psychotic.”
JFK Facts at the movies
“The cinema of assassination inspired by JFK” (May 2, 2013)
“14 conspiracy movies inspired by Dallas“(Nov. 18, 2013)
“‘Parkland’ struggles to find an audience” (Oct. 8, 1963)
“Which David Mamet will direct his JFK film?” (May 18, 2013)
“The escapist impulse of ‘Letters to Jackie,” (June 20, 2013)
“The Bystander Theory’ offers an indie take on JFK” (Sept. 14, 2013)
Just finished watching it for the first time. I didn’t realize it was made by the same director who made All the President’s Men. Excellent film.
The opening scene, with the candidate being shot by a real gunman while the fake gunman is seen by everyone, was obviously inspired by the RFK assassination.
“The Parallax View” is a great paranoid thriller. It impugns the Warren Commission and leaves no doubt political murder conspiracies are for real. The set up of the Warren Beatty character is perfect. The Beatty character was so sure he was on top of the conspiracy. Perfect Oswald perhaps.
Beatty’s best performance in my opinion. No sly humor. Hard-core paranoia.
Pakula did a great job of directing. He caught the mood of the times (just about parallel with the Church Committee) perfectly. The early to mid-1970s was a heady time for conspiracy theories. Too bad JFK researchers then, when so many witnesses were still living and competent, did not have access to what’s known now in the wake of the ARRB releases, Doug Horne’s work, and your work Jeff.