Report (1967) User Reviews (7)

Back in Time

[mrdonleone · 6/10 · 30 April 2008]

I watched this movie gem with some older film freaks like myself. They all remember where they were on the day Kennedy was shot. I can't remember, I wasn't born yet.

On the end of the 20th century, I received a book about the best movies ever made. 'Report' was in that list. Since then I looked everywhere but I've never seen it until today, and I'm really unhappy because my expectations were too high.

During the nine years I searched for this short film, I saw many pictures about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I saw Oliver Stone's 'JFK', 'The Jim Garrison Tapes' and so on. And every time I saw one, I said to myself 'this film is really good, but Bruce Conner's 'Report' will top them all'.

That's why now I'm disillusioned. We see the same pictures over and over again and that irritating black screen we already knew from 'Blonde Cobra', we witness here again. Flashing images destroy every bit of interest in what happened to JFK that day.

The only thing I admire in this film, is the soundtrack. It's like somebody tells us what happens, even though we almost can't see anything. It's really stupid, because I believed this film would be heaven on earth for me. Instead, I think it's not worth our attention. If you want to know something about the assassination, use the Internet, or watch 'JFK' with a superb performance by Kevin Costner.

On the other hand, the older film lovers praised this short film, but I guess it's because Conner took them back in time, so they remember their youth more than the assassination. Don't let this fool you: 'Report' isn't worth much.

Report

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 17 July 2016]

There are a few films from the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die that are almost impossible to find and watch, but after trying various sources I finally found this 13 minute short. The title says exactly what the film is, it is a report featuring archive footage and news voice recordings of the day that President of the United States John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It starts with JFK and his wife Jackie riding in the car with the motorcade, when suddenly it fades to black momentarily, the recorded voice reporting that something has happened, it flashes for a while while the reporters explain the situation, with the President rushed to hospital, and witnesses telling how two shots were confirmed, with the possibility of a third. It the repeats the old film reel countdown as the latest breaking news update is announced, that the President has been assassinated and is confirmed dead on 22 November 1963. The film then goes back with the reporters talking about the events before the shooting, with excerpts of JFK and his wife arriving on Air Force One, JFK meeting the Pope, JFK attending an event with bull fighting, and finally the funeral with his grave escorted to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. While the narration continues, there are flashes of other relevant archive footage, including the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald, the book depository where the shots were fired, the rifle that fired at the President, the wedding of JFK and Jackie, and text about when JFK was inaugurated - 20 January 1961. There are also flashes of other archive footage recorded at the time, and from other random sources, including a commercial for Tappan Food Waste, a mushroom cloud from nuclear testing, a bullet fired to break a light bulb, the movie Bride of Frankenstein, footage from the Vietnam war, slow-motion of a needle popping a bubble pop, a roaring tiger and a female typist. It may be very hard to find, it's certainly not a film I can see myself watching more than once, but I can agree it is a must see film because of its historical significance, particularly to journalism and news casting, the assassination of JFK was and still is one of the biggest news events in history, a most interesting short documentary. Good!

Reliving the Kennedy tragedy

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 13 May 2016]

"Report" is a 13-minute short film from 1967, so it will have its 50th anniversary next year. It was written and directed by Bruce Conner, one of the most impactful (short) film directors of his time. I am not really sure if I liked this film here because of him or because the topic is among the most important subjects of 20th century politics, maybe a bit of both. It was really sad to watch this though, to see the desperation after this black day in American history. It is possibly an even better watch for people like myself who were not yet alive in the 1960s as it delivers a priceless history lesson. So yeah, I absolutely think you should check it out. Thumbs up.

Reliving history.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 29 August 2011]

Of course lots of movies, documentaries and books have been made, regarding the JFK assassination, so you would think that a 13 minutes, artistic, short would add very little new but the movie in fact does an amazing job and also works out original and refreshing, by telling little and with showing even less.

It's not a documentary or a short that follows and tells a story. What the movie does is showing lots of random images, that aren't even all JFK related at all. But by doing so, the movie is recreating the right sort of feelings and emotions, that take you back to how it must had been that day, without showing anything involving the actual assassination. After all, the Zapruder film wasn't made public yet, so even if they wanted to show the actual assassination, they just simply couldn't.

The images shown trigger all kinds of emotions and they are supported with audio clips of life radio broadcasts, that reported on the assassination. The images show despair, chaos, hope, by using old archive footage and footage from actual movies, that mostly aren't JFK related. It nevertheless seems to fit the subject so very well and takes you really back to November 22, 1963.

It doesn't seem to me like the movie is raising any questions, or is trying to look for a deeper meaning to the assassination, like all conspiracy theory people love to do but that doesn't mean that the movie itself isn't a provoking one. The images and audio really tell you everything to let you feel how things must had been like on November 22, 1963, without really telling you a narrative story or show anything of the actual assassination of John F. Kennedy. This makes this short a real accomplishment by Bruce Conner, that above all things really works out well, with what it is trying to achieve.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

A beautifully made piece of film that inherently provides difficult emotions but a whirlwind of history up close

[StevePulaski · 9/10 · 2 April 2014]

Bruce Conner's "Report" is a cinematic relic, one that compiles archive footage of subpar quality but turns it into a beautiful showcase of hellish emotion and grief. The thirteen minute short takes very poorly preserved archive footage showing the events of November 22, 1963 when President John F. Kennedy rode through downtown Dallas, Texas with a parade, unknowingly bound to meet his gruesome fate, and adds clear audio of news reports describing a chaotic scene in Dallas after the president was shot. After about six to seven minutes of hearing this audio, we listen in on audio that gives us an idea of the events that preceded the horror, with reports talking about John and his wife Jackie Kennedy, their outfits, and the parade route, showing how everybody but one person knew what would happen to John F. Kennedy that day. "Report" is fascinating because through its technical imperfections (this is not a criticism) it creates a shivering account of that day, sure to strike the biggest cord with people who were alive when Kennedy was killed and remember where they were that faithful day. I was reminded of the feeling I get when I curiously search news reports of recent tragedies like the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, or even the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, or even simply recall where I was when I first heard about the events. When viewing things like this, it's almost as if your body goes into shock, unable to process all the emotions you're currently feeling. A deep feeling of sadness looms over you like storm-clouds rolling in. Even preparing for the downpour doesn't help much because it truly can't predict the real reaction and the real wave of sadness and disgust. Conner's "Report" is a beautifully made piece of film that inherently provides difficult emotions but a whirlwind of history up close.

Directed by: Bruce Conner.

A uniquely powerful experience

[rikker04 · 31 October 2000]

'Report' is an eerily affecting associative film that contains no original footage--it was entirely made at the editing table. Conner recreates within viewers the feeling of having been at JFK's assassination--among other things, he loops the same few seconds of actual Kennedy footage with the running commentary of radio announcers--you can feel the confusion, and it triggers that desire to SEE the President, or anything--a very human response to tragedy, and what America must have felt--by the fifth minute of straight black, strobing black and white, and seemingly endless uncompleted countdowns of the Academy leader. But not even the reporters being heard can see what is happening.

The film is laden with images of death and draws comparison between the absolute shock at the assassination, and the death motif of the images and descriptions preceeding--Kennedy rides by in his 'gunmetal grey' limousine, the police fight back adoring school children to the footage of World War I warfare.

'Report' undermines our faith in the image and its ability to deliver truth and meaning--the two exact things that the country has been searching for since Kennedy's death. We still ask 'what really happened?' and 'why?', and we still have no answers. It is a film about loss, an ironic juxtaposition of images that at first may seem random, but in the end makes for a uniquely powerful experience.