So long as filmmakers think they're exposing hidden facts, we'll be experiencing the effects of "Oswald's Ghost" long into the future.
Oswald's Ghost (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted: 19
Fresh: 14
Rotten:5
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963 left a psychic wound on America that is with us still today. Few Americans then or now accept that a lone, inconsequential gunman could bring down a president and... The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963 left a psychic wound on America that is with us still today. Few Americans then or now accept that a lone, inconsequential gunman could bring down a president and alter history. In that breach, a culture of conspiracy has arisen that points to sinister forces at work in the shadows. Drawing upon rarely seen archival footage and interviews with key participants, Oswald's Ghost takes a fresh look at Kennedy's assassination, the public's reaction to the tragedy, and the government investigations that instead of calming fears lead to a widespread loss of trust in the institutions that govern our society. --© PBS [More]
Starring: Dan Rather, Norman Mailer, Gary Hart, Mark Lane
Starring: Dan Rather, Norman Mailer, Gary Hart, Mark Lane, Edward Jay Epstein
Director: Robert Stone
Director: Robert Stone
Screenwriter: Robert Stone
Producer: Robert Stone
Composer: Gary Lionelli
Studio: 7th Art Releasing
Reviews for Oswald's Ghost
The more interesting question to raise might be "What toll does it take on a society when someone as inconsequential as Lee Harvey Oswald can slay someone as historically significant as JFK?
What starts out interesting eventually feels unfocused: Just what was the rationale for making this in the first place?
Taking on the most over-used documentary topic in America, this JFK assassination flick has to produce a new angle. It doesn't do it.
A straightforward documentary on the assassination of President Kennedy.
The only obvious question that Oswald's Ghost raises is: how come Mort Sahl wasn't in the movie?
[A] meticulously researched, seemingly unbiased summary of the [JFK] killing and the major conspiracy theories.
Filmmaker Robert Stone doesn't have the answer, but his curiosity about Oswald and the entire assassination experience has been shaped into this fascinating documentary.
Veteran conspiracy buffs probably won’t find much of Stone's material particularly new, but Stone’s film does serve as a neat summary for the rest of us while offering a number of intriguing insights into how conspiracy theories work...
Though the film may not change many minds about what happened and why, at least it attempts to describe and explain events like few other documentaries on the same topic.
Although [the director] often shifts abruptly from micro to macro, the film holds together, and a two-pronged thesis gradually emerges.
Though the material is hardly fresh, it retains some fascination, and Stone has assembled Oswald's Ghost well, with few of the stylistic tics that marred his Guerilla: The Taking Of Patty Hearst.
Oswald's Ghost is a thorough and systematic primer on how and why the JFK assassination became a generational obsession, and seemed to signal the demolition of at least one version of the American dream.
The selling point of Oswald’s Ghost, Robert Stone’s documentary about the enigmatic blue collar Texan generally regarded as the assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is its refusal to dispute the safest assumption.
Stone argues quite convincingly that Kennedy's horrifically violent death will continue to prickle the national psyche.
The title of this nonfiction examination into JFK's assassination implies that its focus is the legacy of Lee Harvey Oswald and his infamous crime, but the truth is far more mundane.
Impresses as a concise, intelligent and rigorously well-researched piece of work.
After a strong start, Oswald's Ghost ends up as ephemeral as its namesake.
This is a good refresher course for those who aren't familiar with the JFK assassination. But despite the film's attempts to close the case, there will always be questions about what happened on that November day in Dallas.
Latest News for Oswald's Ghost
January 20, 2008:
Revisiting the Kennedy Assassination for the Nth Time. ![]()
More...
November 29, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Awake Not Screened For Critics
This week at the movies we have a grand total of one new wide release: Awake, starring Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen. What do the critics have to say? More...
Related Forums for Oswald's Ghost
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| Smart People | |
| Kung Fu Panda | |
| Journey to the Center … | |
| The Incredible Hulk | |
| Indiana Jones and the … |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| WALL-E | |
| Tropic Thunder | |
| Sisterhood of the Trav… | |
| Encounters At the End … | |
| Gonzo: The Life and Wo… |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Around The Network
- Oswald's Ghost at Rotten Tomatoes

Top Critic


