The JFK Image: Profiles in Docudrama

(Hardback)

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One of the most popular presidents of the twentieth century, John F. Kennedy has been the subject of countless books, documentaries, and portrayals both on television and in feature films. Whether depicting his exploits during World War II (PT-109), capturing crucial moments during his presidency (Thirteen Days), or providing a fictionalized account of his assassination (Executive Action), films continue to portray Kennedy and his legacy. In The JFK Image: Profiles in Docudrama, Raluca Lucia Cimpean examines John F. Kennedys representations in motion pictures, focusing on how the late presidents image has been constructed to keep the myths of the Kennedy era and Camelot alive. The volume explores those myths through docudramas, which combine the aesthetic and narrative codes of documentaries with those of fiction to portray the characters and events of the Kennedy era as classic battles between good and evil. Beginning with an examination of the docudrama and its uses, this book analyzes the Kennedy imagewith its focus on the New Frontier, Camelot, and revisionist approachesand then provides in-depth examinations of such films as JFK, In the Line of Fire, and The Rat Pack. Drawing on archival research and Kennedy letters only recently released to the public, The JFK Image will be of great interest to scholars of film and popular culture, as well as those working in political science, the culture of the 1960s, and, of course, Kennedy studies.

Reviews

The JFK Image: Profiles in Docudrama makes an important contribution to the theoretical analysis of docudrama as a new and independent genre as well as to the study of John F. Kennedys image in American popular culture. -- Manfred Berg, Curt Engelhorn Professor of American History, Heidelberg University
Cimpean attempts to deconstruct how John F. Kennedy's mythologized image has been used in docudramas (and in various forms of print media) since his assassination on November 22, 1963. In part 1, she proposes that Kennedy's image is composed of his professional actions during his presidency and his legacy soon after his murder, perpetuated by Jacqueline Kennedy, close friends, and journalists (what Cimpean calls The New Frontier and Camelot), along with the sordid and 'unflattering' details of his personal life that have surfaced in the years since (which Cimpean terms 'Camelot-Inside-Out'). In part 2, she frames these time periods by discussing them under three headings'The Kennedy Leadership,' 'The Kennedy Assassination,' and 'Kennedy Nostalgia'providing a firm foundation for her argument. Summing Up: Recommended. . . .Upper-division undergraduates. * CHOICE *
Much of the historical context the author surveys in the opening chapters may be familiar...but the authors focus on how contemporary journalists and historians discussed Kennedys presidential leadership and postassassination legacy proves enlightening.... As some universities have offered courses examining the depiction of the presidency in film, television, and new media, especially during election years, a focused study like The JFK Image can supplement preexisting, broader texts.... This book is also recommended for Oliver Stone scholars, as the authors criticisms of Stone are rarely seen in other Stone scholarship. Courses on the Kennedy administration and the Cold War may also benefit from adopting this text, not only in its examination of the construction of Kennedys image while in office...to how he was remembered after the assassination, but also in its incredible detail on Kennedy historiography and Cimpeans simple, yet clear taxonomy. * Journal of American Culture *

Author Bio

Raluca Lucia Cimpean received her PhD in American Studies from Heidelberg University, Germany. She is currently a visiting lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she teaches for the Honors College.