Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

JFK Blu-ray Movie Review

Commemorating a National Tragedy and a Provocative Film

Reviewed by Michael Reuben November 18, 2013

Oliver Stone's JFK continues to divide viewers, but it isn't going away anytime soon, because the tragedy that inspired it continues to reverberate through contemporary events. Terms like "lone gunman", "the grassy knoll" and "the magic bullet" have picked up enough currency to become catchphrases, at least in popular culture, if not in historical scholarship. Books on the assassination of America's thirty-fifth President continue to appear long after the truth of that era-defining moment is supposed to have been established beyond any doubt. In the end, the significance of the assassination may turn out not to be so much the facts themselves, which are almost certainly more prosaic than the vast conspiracy alleged by former New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison in both real life and Stone's film, but the nagging uncertainty that has dogged the event for five decades (and counting).

November 22, 1963 will mark the 50th anniversary of that terrible day, and observances are planned in many cities, including Dallas, Texas, where the assassination occurred. Warner has decided to reissue its previous Blu-ray of Stone's film in the longer director's cut in an "Ultimate Collector's Edition" (or "UCE"), which contains a host of new extras and memorabilia. Since none of the Blu-ray content is new, this review will be limited to itemizing the contents of the package.

The Blu-ray disc of JFK contained in this UCE is identical to the 2008 digibook release previously reviewed at Blu-ray.com, and I refer the reader to that review for further discussion. However, I disagree with the prior reviewer's assessment of the film and have modified the score accordingly, copying the grade given by my colleague Kenneth Brown when he reviewed the Blu-ray elsewhere.

JFK Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a video evaluation and screenshots of JFK, please see the previous review (from which the score has been copied).

JFK Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For an audio evaluation of JFK, please see the previous review (from which the score has been copied).

JFK Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The extras accompanying the main feature are discussed in the previous review. The following is a list of new extras specific to the UCE:

• The Untold History of the United States, Chapter 6: JFK & the Brink (1080p; 1.78:1; 57:50): This episode from Stone's ten-part Showtime series deals with Kennedy's administration and assassination. For a review of the complete series, see Kenneth Brown's review.



• JFK Remembered: 50 Years Later (DVD; 1.33:1; 1:30:21): Directed by documentarian Robert Kline, this new overview of Kennedy's Presidency appears to have been created specially for the UCE. The DVD has been formatted with no menu and simply plays from beginning to end.



• John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums (DVD; 1.33:1; 1:25:40): Made in 1964 by the U.S. Information Agency for distribution overseas, this documentary overview of Kennedy's Presidency is narrated by Gregory Peck and became so popular that it was eventually released domestically. The DVD has been formatted with no menu and simply plays from beginning to end.



• PT 109 (DVD; 2.35:1; 2:20:13): Released through the Warner Archive Collection, this is the 1963 film starring Cliff Robertson as Lt. John F. Kennedy, captain of a World War II PT boat that was sunk by a Japanese destroyer.



• JFK Movie Photo Book: This volume replicates the contents from the 2008 digibook.



• Photos and Correspondence Selected from the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.



• Character Photo Cards: The actor (in character) is pictured on the front, with the real historical figure on the back, with biographical information.



• Quotations Book.



• Reproduction of Inaugural Address.



• Reproduction of Campaign Poster.

JFK Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

To me, the missed opportunity of the UCE is to supply the theatrical cut of JFK for the first time on Blu-ray, which I consider to be a superior version of the film. Fans of JFK would greatly benefit from having both cuts available via seamless branching, and the video quality could be improved by splitting the film between two Blu-ray discs. Maybe that will happen with the next UCE. Meanwhile, this version is a worthy holiday gift idea for the Kennedy fan or history buff on your shopping list who doesn't already own JFK on Blu-ray.