Movie spotlight
Television Assassination
TELEVISION ASSASSINATION is one of two major works that Bruce Conner began in the days immediately following the Kennedy assassination and the artist's own thirtieth birthday, in the fall of 1963. While REPORT utilized montage and a strongly articulated structure to analyze the forces at work in the killing of a President (including our own complicity), TELEVISION ASSASSINATION is a complex, synthesizing work that weaves together fragments from the flux and flow of that history as it was in the process of being constructed and displayed daily to a nation of spectators. A monument to the enduring potency of the Kennedy myth and to the marketers who created it, the installation brings Conner's critique full-circle into the very medium that formalized it. In so doing, the work seems to suggest that the final resting place for the slain President was neither Brookline nor Arlington National Cemetery, but rather in the box, on the tube, held suspended forever on the television screen.
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Plot Summary
A controversial television executive decides to stage a fictional assassination of a prominent politician on a live broadcast, aiming to spark national debate. However, the stunt quickly spirals out of control, drawing the attention of law enforcement and blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
Critical Reception
Television Assassination was a provocative and daring made-for-television film that generated significant discussion upon its release, praised for its timely themes and suspenseful execution, though some found its premise shocking and potentially irresponsible.
What Reviewers Say
Praised for its suspenseful thriller elements and bold exploration of media's influence.
Criticized by some for its controversial and potentially inflammatory subject matter.
Acknowledged for its strong performances, particularly from Robert Conrad.
Google audience: Audience reception appears mixed, with some appreciating the film's audacity and commentary on television's power, while others found the premise too disturbing or unrealistic for a fictionalized account.
Fun Fact
The film's premise was so controversial that it was initially shelved by ABC before eventually being aired, reflecting the network's apprehension about its subject matter.
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