Lately #31: JFK, O.J. Simpson and Faye Dunaway

Three documentaries and a play.

A little bit of a break from the norm this week as I’ve been on a documentary binge of late and I’m hoping that - as fans of detail and revelations - these will entice you too. I’m curious to know once you’ve read through - which of the three you are drawn to?

I’ve also been in London and treated to a theatre binge - The Years was the standout. I tell you a little more below, and I feel a bit bad to entice you as it is only on for another two weeks. But in case you happen to be there and find tickets, GO.

Yara

1. A topical documentary…

Last week, thousands of unredacted documents related to the investigation into President John F. Kennedy's assassination were released, and yet, as many experts expected, they don’t seem to reveal any details that will put to bed some of the long-standing conspiracy theories. A key one being: Was there a second shooter?

Amid this climate of heightened interest, the recently released documentary JFK: What the Doctors Saw is one that will likely add fuel to the flames. It’s fascinating viewing. Seven doctors who were in the ER on that historic day reunite and disclose the medical details of what they saw as they tried to save the President’s life. Here’s the trailer:

Director Barbara Shearer was drawn to the idea of documenting the story from a new perspective:

“Hearing from the doctors—some for the first time—we get credible insights into what exactly happened to the president that fateful day in November 1963. The Parkland doctors had no agenda. They were simply trying to save a patient, who was dying before their eyes. And what they saw in those initial moments of tending to JFK indicates at least one shot to the front of the president which means there was, at least, a second shooter.”

What emerges from this fact-finding mission are very real discrepancies between what the Parkland physicians saw and the autopsy report that was done later at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The natural (and more difficult) question that remains, despite document releases, is why?

Seeing and hearing the first-hand accounts of these doctors was moving in a way that is hard to articulate - these men experienced this historic moment not through a TV screen, not as historical footage - but viscerally, with Kennedy’s life hanging in the balance.

2. A deep-dive documentary…

I feel I should give you a little background into our O.J. preoccupation. Years ago Gillian and I were hooked on a deep-dive podcast by the You’re Wrong About team into the infamous trial. There were 16 episodes and we were gripped. It was the first time that we’d heard that level of depth on the case, including a character analysis of each of the key players. Do you know the kind of scrutiny lead prosecutor Marcia Clark came under for her hairstyle?

So, when a new O.J. documentary dropped I was curious about whether it had anything to add…

It’s been 30 years since the bombshell verdict was read out, and to a whole new generation American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson will be the equivalent of what that podcast was for us - the first time they will hear about the story in this much depth.

I appreciated two key things that Director Floyd Russ brought to the story.

He intentionally wove in the voices of the people that were there. We get insight from a juror on the panel, as well as Simpson’s close friend who was a supporter turned doubter, and from the problematic lead detective on the case. And, he makes clear how significantly the historical moment impacted the trial - something as simple as the fact that DNA evidence was so new it had to be explained to the jury, and as complex as the racial tension in L.A. following the Rodney King riots:

“O.J. Simpson was just a vessel from which all of the frustrations and the anger and the disappointment over decades was funnelled.”

If you want to know how it was possible - with so much evidence against him - for the jury to deliver THAT final verdict, then this could help you understand.

Alas, prosecutor Marcia Clark does not appear - she’s had enough scrutiny for a lifetime.

3. A documentary that peels back the Hollywood glitz…

Faye Dunaway was not an actress that I grew up watching, and yet I had seen glamorous images of her in Bonnie & Clyde and at the poolside of the Beverly Hills Hotel (we included that backstory here), and so it was interesting to watch her life story ahead of her work. It’s something that I think would horrify her, as it’s all about the work for Faye: “I’ve always been about my work. I need my work. It fulfils me, it makes me feel good about myself”.

She’s an interesting character, often described as ‘difficult’ and it’s refreshing to watch a documentary that paints a rather frank portrait (this is no PR exercise). In fact, in the opening scene you see her impatience as the documentary team prepare to start the interview. She seems to have been both gifted and challenging, and is open about a late diagnosis of bipolar disorder that she’s come to accept is part of her make-up.

Now that I’ve been given a glimpse behind her Hollywood facade, I have to say - I rather liked her!

“I’m a down-and-dirty, very dramatic actress.”

4. An award-winning play…

The Years should come with a trigger warning. There’s a scene halfway through that’s a brutal depiction of a 1960s backstreet abortion. It’s raw and brilliantly acted.

It should also come with a guarantee of laughter (especially for women) with so many playful nods to the realities of womanhood.

Based on the book Les Années (The Years) by the “pioneer of French autofiction” and Nobel Prize winner, Annie Ernaux, the play sees five women take to the stage to each take a turn depicting the life stage of a single woman’s story against the backdrop of politics, culture, technology and music through the decades. Be warned, Taylor Dayne’s ‘Tell It to My Heart’ might make its way back onto your playlist…

It’s a real feat that director Eline Arbo blended joy and unease so successfully in one production, but also a genuine reminder of how life contains multitudes.

It’s the best thing I’ve seen on the stage. I wish it was on for longer for Gillian (and you all) to see!