National Geographic Documentaries

JFK: The Final Hours (2013x24)

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This is history in the remaking, an epic look at an iconic event, and a world transformed. Take a bird’s eye view into a historical nexus point -- a forensic examination of the 24 hours leading to Dealey Plaza and the journey to catastrophe. We all know what happens there – but -- what happened before an era imploded? The day long period prior to the assassination of JFK is like a single pristine core sample boring into both the man behind the legend and the country behind the man. The view of Jack and Jackie’s tour of Texas affords intimacy and grandeur, providing an unforgettable document of all that was lost when those shots rang out. Visually, that lost world springs to life, as footage of the First Couple’s 24 hours in Texas is presented and selectively woven into haunting “then and now” of the same locations today. From a narrative standpoint, first person testimony features a riveting collage of personalities providing “who knew” and “I can’t believe” insights. One notable example is the show’s narrator, Bill Paxton, who, as an 8-year-old watched one of JFK’s last speeches, given by the President only hours before his death.