The Zapruder film is one of the most analyzed pieces of evidence in American history.
It is a home movie that captured the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.
Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Filmmaker: Abraham Zapruder, a 58-year-old clothing manufacturer.
Camera: Bell & Howell 8mm Model 414 PD Zoomatic movie camera.
Film type: Kodachrome II 8mm color film, running at 18.3 frames per second.
Location: Zapruder was standing on a concrete pedestal along Elm Street in Dealey Plaza, giving him a clear view of the presidential motorcade as it passed by.
Sequence of Events
The film runs 26.6 seconds, covering 486 frames (numbered 001–486).
Here’s a frame-by-frame timeline of key moments:
Frame Description
~133 The motorcade comes into full view.
210–225 President Kennedy is first struck (neck wound).
255–313 Jackie Kennedy reacts, Governor Connally shows distress.
Frame 313 The fatal headshot—Kennedy’s head moves sharply backward.
340–350 Jackie climbs onto the trunk, Secret Service agent Clint Hill runs to the car.
487 The limousine exits the frame, heading toward the underpass.
Handling and Ownership
Right after filming, Zapruder handed the film to Secret Service agent Forrest Sorrels, who helped process it.
Three first-generation copies were made by Eastman Kodak in Dallas:
- For the Secret Service.
- For the FBI.
- For Zapruder himself.
Zapruder sold the original to Life magazine the next day for $150,000 (paid over time). Life published select frames but withheld the full motion footage.
The first $25,000 payment was donated to the wife of slain patrol officer Tippet.
Public Release and Analysis
The public did not see the full film until March 6, 1975, when it aired on ABC’s “Good Night America” hosted by Geraldo Rivera.
Its release fueled renewed interest in the Warren Commission findings and supported skepticism about the “single bullet theory.”
The film has since been digitally stabilized, enhanced, and studied by:
• The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) (1976–79).
• Independent researchers and forensic video analysts.
• The National Archives, which officially owns it today.
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Since I was barely over seven at the time, I didn’t hear the single-bullet theory. Was that the initial version set out by the government?
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Yes. I was 8.
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Since the government’s single-bullet theory obviously gets contradicted by:
This just goes to show what you can get away with when you control the narrative.
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EXPLOSIVE HISTORICAL INTERVIEW with the grassy knoll JFK shooter
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Interesting!
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We can’t stop rehearsing it, needing to find out, can we? I can’t. We need to know. Even tonight I was watching a film on JFK’s trip to Ireland.
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The most disturbing and iconic film ever made. It captures the downfall of America, one frame at a time. We will never know the truth, nor will we ever forget. I was 14 at the time and remember it all too well.
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