07-10-2013, 10:15 PM
Jim,
Thank you for your excellent commentary! You are right: the filmmakers of "Parkland" may have slightly opened the door in Marguerite's line about her son as a "government agent." The performer playing the role of Marguerite was Australian actress and former Academy award nominee Jacki Weaver, and she delivered an earnest performance, never lapsing into caricature. But it was curious why Weaver would adopt a Southern accent when all of the extant recordings of the short, stout Marguerite include no hint of a Southern drawl. The real Marguerite Oswald (tall, slender, born and raised in the South) undoubtedly did speak with a Southern accent. The 84-year-old Robert Oswald still speaks with a heavy Southern accent. June Oswald (born in the Soviet Union and raised in Texas) speaks with a pronounced Southern accent. But her dad--the man shot by Jack Ruby in Dallas--had no trace of a Southern accent. The careful viewer of Oliver Stone's "JFK" will detect a slight Russian accent in Oswald, as played by Gary Oldman. It turns out that Oldman--a brilliant British character actor with the ability to adopt an infinite range of vocal characterizations--studied the audio recordings of Oswald. Oldman came to the conclusion that Oswald spoke English with a Russian accent. Throughout "JFK," this was the kind of care and thoroughness that defined Oliver Stone's work. Unfortunately, the cast, screenwriter, and director of "Parkland" failed to do their homework. In your outstanding "Harvey and Lee" home page, one of the themes that you and John unfold is that the truth lies in the details. This was a major shortcoming of the "Parkland" film.
To their credit, the filmmakers of "Parkland" inserted a short scene where Robert Oswald meets with his "brother" in the Dallas jail. In the short conversation, Harvey tells Robert, "Do not form any opinion on the so-called evidence." Of course, this line was drawn from Volume I of the Warren Commission hearings, where Robert Oswald recalls this significant moment for the committee. But the film never describes any of the suspect evidence, including the backyard photos to which Oswald was almost certainly alluding. This kind of detail was what Oliver Stone was able to layer into the three-hour "JFK" film. But at slightly more than 90 minutes, "Parkland" barely scratched the surface of the four major topics it raised (the medical scene, Zapruder, the FBI, and Oswald). As David Josephs posted on this thread, the film was a "Cliffs Notes" version of complex issues never resolved for the viewer. As a result, Americans will walk out "Parkland" dazed, conflicted, and confused, just as they were after the assassination weekend.
James
Thank you for your excellent commentary! You are right: the filmmakers of "Parkland" may have slightly opened the door in Marguerite's line about her son as a "government agent." The performer playing the role of Marguerite was Australian actress and former Academy award nominee Jacki Weaver, and she delivered an earnest performance, never lapsing into caricature. But it was curious why Weaver would adopt a Southern accent when all of the extant recordings of the short, stout Marguerite include no hint of a Southern drawl. The real Marguerite Oswald (tall, slender, born and raised in the South) undoubtedly did speak with a Southern accent. The 84-year-old Robert Oswald still speaks with a heavy Southern accent. June Oswald (born in the Soviet Union and raised in Texas) speaks with a pronounced Southern accent. But her dad--the man shot by Jack Ruby in Dallas--had no trace of a Southern accent. The careful viewer of Oliver Stone's "JFK" will detect a slight Russian accent in Oswald, as played by Gary Oldman. It turns out that Oldman--a brilliant British character actor with the ability to adopt an infinite range of vocal characterizations--studied the audio recordings of Oswald. Oldman came to the conclusion that Oswald spoke English with a Russian accent. Throughout "JFK," this was the kind of care and thoroughness that defined Oliver Stone's work. Unfortunately, the cast, screenwriter, and director of "Parkland" failed to do their homework. In your outstanding "Harvey and Lee" home page, one of the themes that you and John unfold is that the truth lies in the details. This was a major shortcoming of the "Parkland" film.
To their credit, the filmmakers of "Parkland" inserted a short scene where Robert Oswald meets with his "brother" in the Dallas jail. In the short conversation, Harvey tells Robert, "Do not form any opinion on the so-called evidence." Of course, this line was drawn from Volume I of the Warren Commission hearings, where Robert Oswald recalls this significant moment for the committee. But the film never describes any of the suspect evidence, including the backyard photos to which Oswald was almost certainly alluding. This kind of detail was what Oliver Stone was able to layer into the three-hour "JFK" film. But at slightly more than 90 minutes, "Parkland" barely scratched the surface of the four major topics it raised (the medical scene, Zapruder, the FBI, and Oswald). As David Josephs posted on this thread, the film was a "Cliffs Notes" version of complex issues never resolved for the viewer. As a result, Americans will walk out "Parkland" dazed, conflicted, and confused, just as they were after the assassination weekend.
James