Lena Torres
The Zapruder film is a 26-second home movie that captured the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Abraham Zapruder, a Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer, filmed the presidential motorcade as it travelled through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. The film is regarded as the most complete footage of the assassination and has been the subject of much analysis and discussion. While the original film did not include sound, some versions available online have had audio superimposed, including the Dictabelt recording of Dallas Police Channel 1.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Film Type | 8mm |
| Camera Model | Bell & Howell Zoomatic Director Series Model 414 PD |
| Sound | No |
| Date of Filming | November 22, 1963 |
| Location | Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas |
| Filmmaker | Abraham Zapruder |
| Subject | Assassination of John F. Kennedy |
| Frame 313 | Withheld from the public due to its graphic content |
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What You'll Learn
The Zapruder film was silent
Zapruder sold the rights to the original film to Life magazine for $150,000, but he kept the original and gave copies to government investigators. He did not want the public to see the full horror of what he had witnessed, so he requested that Frame 313, which showed the fatal shot, be withheld from the public. Life magazine agreed and did not publish Frame 313. However, bootleg copies of the uncut film circulated, and in 1975, a copy was aired by Geraldo Rivera on his show "Good Night America."
The fact that the Zapruder film was silent did not prevent it from having a significant impact on the public when it was finally aired. The visual images of the assassination were powerful enough to affect people deeply, even without accompanying sound. The film's silence may even have added to its impact, allowing viewers to project their own interpretations and emotions onto the events unfolding on screen.
In recent years, some people have combined the Zapruder film with audio recordings from Dallas Police Channel 1, creating a version with superimposed sound. This version has sparked new discussions and conspiracy theories about the assassination, with some claiming that the audio reveals evidence of multiple shooters. However, it is important to note that the original Zapruder film, as shot by Abraham Zapruder, was silent.
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Abraham Zapruder captured the JFK assassination
On November 22, 1963, Abraham Zapruder, a Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer and hobbyist filmmaker, captured the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. Zapruder had planned to film the presidential motorcade as it travelled through downtown Dallas but decided against it due to the rainy weather. However, at the insistence of his assistant, he retrieved his camera and set up in Dealey Plaza to capture the motorcade as it passed through.
Zapruder stood atop a 4-foot concrete abutment, giving himself a nearly perfect vantage point. As President Kennedy's limousine approached, Zapruder began filming and unexpectedly captured the shooting. His 26-second, 8mm colour motion picture sequence is regarded as the most complete footage of the assassination, providing a relatively clear view from a somewhat elevated position. It captures the moment Kennedy's head was fatally wounded, and he slumped to the side.
After developing the film, Zapruder gave two copies to Secret Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. The film became an important piece of evidence in the subsequent investigations, including the Warren Commission hearings. Zapruder testified before the Commission about his recollection of the events, including the direction from which he believed the shots came.
The film has since been the subject of much scrutiny and has fuelled numerous conspiracy theories. It has been featured in various films and other media, with some adding audio to the silent film, combining it with police recordings from that day. The original film was eventually purchased by the U.S. government and designated an "assassination record". It is now stored at the National Archives and Records Administration, with the copyright donated to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
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The film was sold to Life magazine
The Zapruder film, a 26-second, 486-frame, 8mm colour motion picture, was captured by Abraham Zapruder on November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. It recorded the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy as his motorcade passed through the plaza. Zapruder, a Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer, was an admirer of President Kennedy and considered himself a Democrat. He was filming the presidential limousine and motorcade as it travelled through the plaza, and his footage ended up capturing the shooting.
Zapruder's film became a crucial piece of evidence in the government investigation into Kennedy's assassination. Knowing that his footage might be valuable, Zapruder developed the film and screened it for the Secret Service the following day. He also met with Richard Stolley, an editor at Life magazine, and agreed to sell all rights to the footage for $150,000. Zapruder was troubled by nightmares of the film's gruesome content, and he did not want the public to see the full horror of what he had witnessed. As a result, he stipulated that frame 313, which showed the fatal shot to the President's head, should be withheld from the public.
Life magazine published about 30 frames of the Zapruder film in black and white in its November 29, 1963 issue. Additional frames were published in colour in the December 6, 1963, special "John F. Kennedy Memorial Edition". Further issues of the magazine that featured the Zapruder film included those dated October 2, 1964, November 25, 1966, and November 24, 1967. The Zapruder film frames published in the October 2, 1964 issue were reproduced in black and white as Commission Exhibit 885 in volume XVIII of the Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits.
In 1975, Time Inc., the owner of Life magazine, sold the film back to the Zapruder family for $1. In 1978, the Zapruder family allowed the film to be stored at the National Archives and Records Administration, where it remains. In 1999, the Zapruder family donated the copyright of the film to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
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Frame 313 was withheld from the public
The Zapruder film is a home movie captured by Abraham Zapruder, a Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer, which recorded the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. The film is regarded as the most complete footage of the assassination.
Zapruder sold the print rights to his film to Life magazine for $150,000, with the condition that frame 313, which showed the fatal shot to the President's head, would be withheld from the public. Zapruder had a nightmare the night after the assassination in which he saw a booth in Times Square advertising "See the President's head explode!". He was willing to make money from the film, but he did not want the public to see the full horror of what he had witnessed.
Frame 313 was not published in the November 29, 1963 issue of Life, which published about 30 frames of the Zapruder film in black and white. It was also not published in the December 6, 1963 special "John F. Kennedy Memorial Edition", which included frames in colour. The version of the Zapruder film available to the public depicts the fatal head shot on only one frame of the film, frame 313.
The authenticity of the image in frame 313 has been challenged by Dino Brugioni of the CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC). Brugioni recalled seeing a "white cloud" of brain matter, three or four feet (91 or 122 cm) above Kennedy's head, and said that this "spray" lasted for more than one frame of the film. He was certain that the set of briefing boards available to the public in the National Archives is not the set that he and his team produced on November 23–24, 1963.
The Zapruder film has been the subject of much discussion and analysis, with some people claiming that it has been altered or that there was a conspiracy surrounding the assassination. Despite this, filmmaker Oliver Stone, along with other Hollywood producers and directors, has dismissed the idea of Zapruder film alteration, concluding in 1992 that the film was authentic.
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The film fuelled conspiracy theories
The Zapruder film, a silent 8mm colour motion picture, captured the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Abraham Zapruder, a Ukrainian-born American clothing manufacturer, filmed the presidential motorcade as it travelled through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. The film is regarded as the most complete footage of the assassination, showing the president's fatal head wound from an elevated position.
The film has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories and has had a profound effect on American and world consciousness. One of the sources of controversy is the sequencing of the assassination, with some believing that the break in the film might conceal a first shot earlier than analysts have assumed. The Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination, was accused of cherry-picking evidence to fit a "lone gunman" narrative, ignoring the implications of frame 313, which showed the fatal headshot. This frame was withheld from the public for over a decade, with bootleg copies circulating and generating the first wave of assassination conspiracy theories.
The film's showing of the fatal headshot suggested the presence of two shooters, contradicting the "lone gunman" theory. This has led to endless rationalizations and the rise of alternative-fact worldviews, where "true believers" attack the nature of truth, evidence, and rationality. The proliferation of images and facts has inspired endless alternative interpretations, particularly about who is "in control" in American democracy.
The film also fuelled conspiracy theories about the alteration of the footage itself. Some claimed that the film was falsified, with poor-quality copies leading to speculation about the presence of a pistol or multiple shooters. However, film experts, including Oliver Stone, dismissed these theories, concluding that the Zapruder film was authentic.
In recent years, a six-minute documentary by Errol Morris focused on a shadowy figure in the film known as the "Umbrella Man," sparking further conspiracy theories and speculation. The film and its aftermath continue to be a subject of fascination and debate, with conspiracy theory books and documentaries exploring various interpretations and ideas.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the Zapruder film did not have sound. Abraham Zapruder filmed the assassination of John F. Kennedy on an 8mm camera, which did not record sound.
The Zapruder film was recorded on an 8mm Bell & Howell Zoomatic Director Series Model 414 PD camera. 8mm film cameras did not record sound.
Yes, Zapruder heard the gunshots. He testified to the Warren Commission that there was an echo, and he assumed the shots came from behind him because the President's head went backward from the fatal shot.
Some versions of the film have had sound superimposed over the footage. These versions can be found on YouTube.
