Just a few days ago in class, Mr. Mitchell showed us the Zapruder Film, a silent, color home-movie shot by Abraham Zapruder depicting the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Back when we watched the documentary on the assassination in history class, I went on a brief spree, looking up some information regarding the assassination, and of course I stumbled upon the Zapruder Film. I didn’t know that’s what it was called at the time, I actually watched a slightly edited version that was panoramic, stabilized, and was pieced together using multiple videos of the assassination, ultimately giving the viewer a better understanding of the surroundings at the time of the shootings (Here’s the link if you’re wondering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqk3sdfXFkc). Despite my previous viewing of the assassination, it was still quite a bit jarring how violent the video was. Anyways, after watching both the video and reading 22 November, the chapter that aligns with the events depicted in the video, I appreciate more how DeLillo manages to craft the story. He plays with the timing of the shots, which shots hit and which missed, and he even builds upon the supposed fact that the third shot was louder by suggesting that the reason behind it is that the “third shot” was actually two shots being fired near simultaneously. The whole scene was set up very well and I could see everything from the video being played out in my mind.
Angela mentioned in her post that she thought the book to be more emotionally provoking than the video, and while I agree with that to some degree, the book also shows Lee to be very mechanical. The video is a silent, short film; very little can be taken from it emotionally. I mean you can see Jackie’s shock after the fatal shot as she crawls onto the back of the car but besides that, it’s rather emotionless. On the other hand, the book does introduce multiple character’s thoughts on the events unfolding, and I think that alone brings upon more emotion than a simple video like the Zapruder Film can. However, the book also shows Lee in a very robotic state prior to shooting; he is very focused and “soldier” like. At this stage, his mental state seems to be cleared, however that changes quickly as he realizes he is not the lone gunman.
Libra, the last english book of my last english class at Uni has come to an end. Overall it was an enjoyable read, although quite long and complex, especially compared to Kindred. However, the complexity of the narrative made it all the more intriguing to me. Personally, I think Libra is an incredibly well developed conspiracy plot and the web of character connections and use of parallel narratives make it seem very real.
I too found the homemade video of the Kennedy assassination to be quite jarring. I was expecting to see Kennedy fall from a distance but the video was much more gruesome as we get the image of the Blood flying out of Kennedy's face and his head exploding. In your blog, you say that you found the video to be rather emotionless. I disagree, I found the video to be very emotional even though it it a silent, short film. The imagine of Jackie sitting right next to Kennedy is just so powerful and I can't even imagine what she, Kennedy's bodyguard, or the crowd that was so close to Kennedy, might have gone through during and after the event. Obviously if we don't have context and just watch the video by itself, it's not nearly as emotional.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the violence and graphic nature of the footage remains shocking (and yet strangely compelling and "real" at the same time) even after multiple viewings, and the impact is even greater, I think, because of the uncertainty surrounding what is actually happening "off-screen." The footage wasn't necessarily suppressed all those years because of a cover-up (although, as always with this case, who knows?), but because it contains a graphic depiction of a beloved President being murdered. (They had no choice about the footage of Lee's murder, as it took place on live TV, and the stations all owned their own footage of the event.) There's definitely something a little gross about the utter proliferation of variations on this footage available now at the click of a mouse.
ReplyDeleteThe footage of 9/11 has generally been treated differently, where the networks all broadcast some seriously graphic and horrific stuff on the day itself, just letting the cameras run, but pretty quickly it was deemed disrespectful of the dead to replay falling bodies and people waving from windows. The footage that was screened live all that day has largely been cleaned up in subsequent documentaries and commemorations, and there isn't the same aura around a single 20-second piece of film, as with Zapruder's home movie. If 11/22/63 was the first postmodern historical event--in large part because it was accidentally documented by an "amateur" (there were apparently no news cameras rolling)--by 9/11 we've entered the age where pretty much anything that happens in public will be documented by a whole host of camera/phone-wielding amateurs. News organizations now draw their own footage (of, say, the Ferguson protests in late 2014, or the Arab Spring) from these amateurs posting on Twitter.
I think that Delillo did a fantastic job creating this narrative to fit in so cleanly in the gaps between the recorded historical facts. It is obvious that Delillo really did his research (maybe Nicholas Branch can be seen as an embodiment of this research) and the final product creates a seamless narrative that follows the actual events perfectly. This is especially true of the chapter 22 november and when we saw the Zapruder film in class it really solidified for me how well Delillo painted his story on the facts. In fact one could argue that, taken out of context, the Zapruder film could easily be perceived as a film adaptation of the chapter 22 november.
ReplyDeleteI think Libra was a step up from the other books in how complicated it was, with the exception of maybe Mumbo Jumbo. Not only were there three sides to the story (Lee Oswald, the plotters, Jack Ruby), it was immensely complicated where a chapter from 1963 would be bordered by two from approximately 1960 and 1962 in Lee's story. I agree that the book is also more emotionally provoking, there are at least five mentions of the president's brains coming out of his head (in gruesome detail) while in the video we can only see one or two frames where JFK "blows apart". I also found the book complex but intriguing, a fitting end to the year.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the video had less emotion to it than the actual novel, largely because of the reasons you described. Having the actual thoughts of those involved, instead of the empty, indiscriminate destructors of bullets adds layers to the scene. I'm not sure if it was complex relative to the average book in this class, but I definitely agree more so than kindred.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the video had less emotion to it than the actual novel, largely because of the reasons you described. Having the actual thoughts of those involved, instead of the empty, indiscriminate destructors of bullets adds layers to the scene. I'm not sure if it was complex relative to the average book in this class, but I definitely agree more so than kindred.
ReplyDelete