With John F. Kennedy, glitz and glamour moved into the White House in 1961. The 35th president and his wife Jacqueline are rich, good-looking and promise the dawn of a new era. Kennedy embodies the good America. He has a charismatic aura that secures him votes. Election rigging, affairs with other women, connections to the Mafia - the negative is faded out. His early death means that he remains the eternally young president. The still unexplained circumstances of his murder make him a myth.
What was the real John F. Kennedy like? What private secrets did he want to hide throughout his life? BROADVIEW TV explores this exciting and topical question in a 45-minute primetime documentary commissioned by ZDF and delves deep into the private world of the Kennedys. Close friends and companions describe for the first time their private memories of the dark sides of a president who is still revered as a "figure of light". The film tells the story behind the story of the legendary statesman. Recently revealed documents and film footage are presented for the first time, including material from the holdings of the Kennedy family and their closest friends. The private films provide insights into family life from the mid-1930s until shortly before his death. In the last footage, John F. can be seen at a last weekend together with his wife and children two weeks before his death. The 8mm reels allow an intimate keyhole perspective on the man who is still revered as a figure of light by most Americans today, and reveal the truth behind the myth on the picture plane for the first time.
First broadcast: Tue, 13 September 2011, 20:15, ZDF.
The Secrets of John F. Kennedy
With John F. Kennedy, glitz and glamour moved into the White House in 1961. The 35th president and his wife Jacqueline are rich, good-looking and promise the dawn of a new era. Kennedy embodies the good America. He has a charismatic aura that secures him votes. Election rigging, affairs with other women, connections to the Mafia - the negative is faded out. His early death means that he remains the eternally young president. The still unexplained circumstances of his murder make him a myth.
