10 Oscar Winning Films With Huge Historical Inaccuracies

7. JFK (1991) - Did Lyndon B. Johnson Really Orchestrate A Coup D'Etat? No.

Kevin Costner Jfk 1991
Warner Bros.

One of the numerous depictions of President John F. Kennedy, this film received two Academy Awards in 1992 for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. Yet this film offers a completely sensationalised theory behind JFK's assassination - heavily implying that Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson effectively instigated a coup d'etat in the USA in order to assume office.

Oliver Stone's depiction of the reasons behind Kennedy's assassination - one of a whole host of conspiracy theories that exist - caused controversy because not only did they implicate Johnson, but they also accused the FBI, the CIA and the US military of being complicit in the murder and its subsequent "cover-up".

Supposed "confessions" portrayed in the film are also wholly inaccurate, with David Farrie - one of the prime suspects - apparently admitting to his guilt yet in reality he vehemently denied being complicit in the murder. David Belin and Gerald Ford, two members of the Warren Commission who determined Lee Harvey Oswald to be JFK's lone assassin, even declared the film to be a "desecration to the memory of President Kennedy" due to its "fraudulent misrepresentation of the truth".

Ouch... few films have been so harshly condemned for their inaccuracies as JFK.

Contributor
Contributor

NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.