We’ve held a number of private screenings of the rough cut of KINGKENNEDY. Here’s what people had to say…

Joanna Lumley (the Joanna Lumley!)

This film is extraordinarily gripping; even though we are familiar with these world-changing events and tragedies, the glimpses into the build-up and background are chilling.

It works brilliantly without commentary or over-view; it is history, subtly edited, speaking for itself.

Sara N

What a labour of love. Great music. Great story telling (although I had a few minor suggestions to help audiences who are not as familiar with the facts and who people are as you all are)  Anyway I cried a lot, and found it made me sad, incensed, inspired etc etc As the film developed my respect for all three men really grew  - especially Bobby ! It made me want to get back into political filmmaking and help change things……(which is of course what I’m doing but i’ve just lost faith so it re-invigorated me with the idea of ’someone’s gotta do it  - if good men/women sit by and say nothing …etc)

It’s also great to hear what they actually said from their own lips – really wonderful. Bobby seemed to be somehow the most tragic being the final crusading hope extinquished. I kept feeling that now Obama’s the president it’s a new era of some kind of hope at least – and the time this needed to be shown was in the dark years of Bush/Blair to shame those war mongering bastards!  There was so much in it to inspire, so many things said that I wanted to cheer and clap – I have to say it was a hugely enriching experience and I will recommend it to everyone I can to help.

Matt G

I believe that you have made an incredible movie and have obviously invested a huge amount of time, painstaking attention to detail and emotion into the project. I can’t even begin to imagine how long it took to gather all of that footage and cut it in the way you guys have – smoothly and seamlessly.

I saw all the fruits of your labour come together on the screen (and the bluetooth!) in a powerful but also very personal study on three of the most influential public figures from the 20th Century. It was wonderful to see (for once) ALL aspects from their family lives, political ideals, struggles, inspirational speeches all the way through to the tragic, wasteful deaths that they all suffered.

Another VERY important affirmation is your choice of “soundtrack” – fantastic – enough said.

We should all talk very soon to see how we can collectively work to get this the exposure it truly deserves.

Jennifer G

I absolutely loved this documentary. It was so moving that I got lost in it. On top of it all, I was reminded of my heritage in a very real sense. Without these powerful men my life as it is would not be possible.

Alan G

It’s really great: poignant, inspiring and timely.

The anorak in me liked Bobby Kennedy’s comment about populations being conservative and needing leadership to move a little.  I loved the family shots and all the behind the scenes footage.

Great soundtrack.  The story worked very well.

Nicolette E (an American in London)

I found the film to be intriguing, unbiased, moving, and very much informative, somewhat of an “eye opener”!

My favourite moments of the film were the clips/footage of the horrific, unfathomable events of war and racism.    Two different things in American history that are still alive today, just not talked about as much.

The soundtrack was brilliant!  Being an American, I grew up on music from my parents’ youth.  My Dad is a Californian who almost went to Vietnam.  I believe the soundtrack was music that conveyed the youth of that era.

I see this film as real, honest, raw and moving.  I walked away feeling a sense of sorrow, pride, responsibility as an American – and forward thinking.

Valentine Stockdale (film producer, screenwriter and executive producer)

It was a real pleasure to meet you and to watch King Kennedy last week. I had a strong suspicion it was going to be great, but I must say it totally exceeded my expectations. It was brilliantly, intelligent, witty, touching, emotional – eminently powerful and beautifully soundtracked, which is obviously a huge compliment. Very few films these days get anywhere near that sort of praise, especially from me (I’m relentlessly critical you see). So you have my most sincere congratulations. What you have made is absolutely brilliant and I believe, a very important filmic work.

Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury (Chairman of the Environment Agency and former Culture Secretary)

This is a stunning film, which brings the hope, the expectation, and the tragedy of the Sixties movingly and directly back to life. It encouraged me to remember, it made me think, and it brought tears to my eyes. But it’s not only about “then”. It’s about “now”, too. That’s what makes it so good. It’s a must-see.

Oozie G

Was blown away by the film. Amazing archive footage which everybody should see. Well done. Ooz

Emily J

Watching KINGKENNEDY was like travelling in time.  It’s a painfully wonderful film that sits uncomfortably and yet somehow hopefully within the context of our world today.  It’s uncomfortable because you have to examine the mountains of dust that were swept under the carpet; the ugly truth is suddenly right there in front of you.  But it’s also inspiring because you can sit and hear Martin Luther King, with his eyes and heart blazing with hope say “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” And feel the exponential joy that the journey of equality he started has been so symbolically and powerfully signposted with the election of Obama.  I sat and watched King and thought, if he but knew… it made me tingle, and it made me cry.
…

The humanity of the film was extraordinary.  You would think that a documentary without a narrator to lead you would be confusing and possibly hard to connect with, but actually without a frame of ‘what you are seeing here…’ your eyes are your own.
…

A million delicate moments of the minutiae of human nature are captured alongside three of the most poignant happenings of the 60s.  What loss, what tragedy, and what mystery beset this nation with the assassination of these three men…

So yeah… I liked it.

Read the whole review

Simon Clement-Davies, Producer

I was deeply impressed by KINGKENNEDY and believe that it has very strong critical and commercial potential.

This was the first time that I have seen the dramatic and moving footage of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King interwoven into one powerful narrative framework that vividly and eloquently portrays the idealism those leaders symbolised as well as the tragedy of the triple slaying.

Once you have been able to add a haunting musical soundtrack, I am sure that KINGKENNEDY will represent a unique window into the heady spirit of the 1960s, its bright dawn and its dark, violent end.

Lucy A

KINGKENNEDY is such an action and information packed film that it redefines genres. It is more exciting than a typical documentary, and much more enlightening and thought provoking than a simple action packed movie. I loved it and cannot wait to see it again on the big screen.

Bill S

The first time I saw KINGKENNEDY on a big screen I knew it would make a fantastic documentary feature for the cinema. But even more importantly, it is a historic document with an evergreen quality beyond measure. It’s a film that will sell over and over again through the years on television, cable and DVD and…….on whatever new media is invented over the next so many years!
I have been in film marketing and sales since 1971 and to see something so readily marketable in all media is always a mouth watering prospect.

Ray W

Once again many thanks for the opportunity to see KINGKENNEDY again.

The impact was as great the second time around this is a remarkable film. If the reaction of last night’s audience is a guide then it will be the hit it deserves to be.

Tara G

After watching KINGKENNEDY at Sony Preview Theatre, I concluded that even as a rough cut it is a huge accomplishment, which has the potential to be extremely successful.

The film has been made by assembling selected edits taken from over 800 hours of actual footage recorded at the time, and arranged in such a way that a narrative is created, with a sense of plot, suspense and drama. Even though the film is ostensibly a documentary, there is no dead-pan voice over or objective explanation, and therefore no sense of emotional distancing.

…

The film progresses in waves of crescendo and descent as the dramatic narrative unfolds, and this sense of pace contributes to the excitement and emotional impact of certain key moments. Images from events that transpired simultaneously are arranged and layered in such a way, that the themes and political implications of this momentous period in history are compared and contrasted, and are thereby deeply resonant, moving and thought provoking. I found myself holding back tears on a number of occasions.

…

Like good characterisation in a novel or movie, I got a real sense of the personalities of these men. I think this sense of identification with the characters and their political motivation and ideals is one of the reasons why the film is so compelling and emotionally intense

…

Read the whole review

Rob R

Phenomenal.

This film is going to connect with all who see it, especially Americans.  Americans who lived through it will reconnect with the horror of those times, while the younger generations will be introduced to men of peace who were silenced in their prime.

…

There are many reasons for tears in this film. I wanted to simultaneously cry for John, Bobby, Jackie, Martin, the soldiers dying and just generally weep for the helplessness that such horror brought to our nation. When I heard John F. Kennedy speak, I was a believer; I wanted more than anything for him to be our President now. I feel like the movie showed JFK at the dawn of a new era. JFK represented hope and a new liberal vision for the world. And then the assassinations sent the country into dark times and war.

Being a documentary, this movie still contains a strong feeling of storyline, a strong representation of beginning, middle and end. It is well arranged. It is also extremely informative. I felt that the placement of facts such as troop numbers, arms dealers’ earnings along with the presentation of dates and timelines was very tactful. It feels like a history lesson with a pulse and an entertaining and sad look into the Kennedys. It was an emotional experience to watch it.

…Loved it overall.

Read the whole review

Jackie R

I would also like to applaud you and your team for putting together a smart piece of documentary/drama.

I am just 40 yrs old and always knew of the historical facts, but not in the order of when they occurred.   This was both a learning and emotional ride, even when we were witnessing the horrors of the civil rights atrocities and the Vietnam war, I was thinking this should be left in the archives, but by the end of film I appreciated that it needed to shown to convey the message that these leaders were trying determine.

I wish you every success in funding the final process and very much look forward to it being shown on the big screen.

Nicola F

Just a quick thank you for allowing me to watch KINGKENNEDY yesterday – and an even bigger thank you for keeping me awake until about 3am wishing the Kennedy’s and MLK were still alive!

I’ve managed to bend every ear within shouting distance about the importance of this film and that the financing must be found to complete the project.  How to win friends and influence people doesn’t come into it in this case. It’s more a case of how to mug and threaten people into parting with
chunks of money.

Once again – thank you for letting me watch the film. It’s a fantastic project, an important one. The music will be phenomenal of course and will aid in setting a time line for the ’story’.

Mike S

The first time I saw KINGKENNEDY on a big screen I knew it would make a fantastic documentary feature for the cinema. But even more importantly, it is a historic document with an evergreen quality beyond measure. It’s a film that will sell over and over again through the years on television, cable and DVD and…….on whatever new media is invented over the next so many years!

I have been in film marketing and sales since 1971 and to see something so readily marketable in all media is always a mouth watering prospect.

Nix F

Well………. in my humble opinion this film is a vitally informative political STATEMENT that will, if not change the audiences opinion of American politics and the meaning of the word DEMOCRACY, it will certainly make the audience question the system that we have all blindly believed in for decades. If we wish to continue living as free thinking people then this film must be seen. In the current climate with conspiracy theories rife in the public domain and within politics itself, it is crucial that the political ’shenanigans’ be given a stage. This is compulsive viewing. This is not your standard documentary. This is a political thriller made all the more chilling by the fact that it actually happened. KINGKENNEDY does not rely on the narrative from a ‘last heard on a Whale documentary’ guest speaker, placing the film in a new genre. Think for yourself. Draw your own conclusions. Use your intellect. Your freedom depends on it.

Tine W

I was very moved by your film and am convinced that a global audience will receive the soulful messages with equal enthusiasm.

…

Good luck with this legendary project.

Paul S

It was better than I could have imagined and thank you for letting me see it!

Belinda H

I was so busy yesterday I didn’t have a moment to let you know how much I enjoyed and was moved by the film. It was riveting and has left me thinking about it a lot. I think you have done a magnificent job, especially so in the second half when it all weaves together. At the end I was exhausted emotionally and could only come out with ‘WOW!’ I must go down to the bookshop and find some books on the period. I am now hooked.