Thirteen Days (2000) Directed by Robert Donaldson
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Thirteen Days (2000)
Directed by Robert Donaldson
“Good evening my fellow citizensThis Government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet Military buildup on the island of Cuba. Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned island. The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere.” These are the exact words spoken by John F. Kennedy in his address to the nation on October 22, 1962. The president had finally told the American people what was happening with the crisis in Cuba and what that government was determined to do about it. Bruce Greenwood, the actor who started as JFK in “Thirteen Days”, could not have been better in delivering this speech. It was as if you were witnessing that day in 1962. The entire film was brilliant written by David Self, working tirelessly with primary sources from Ernest May and Phillip Zelikows book The Kennedy Tapes – Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis. While it seems at times that Self forces Kevin Costners character, Ken ODonnell, onto the audience, the entire film flows very well, a near-perfect recreation of the dramatic thirteen days.
The entire crisis began following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, following which some called for President Kennedys resignation. When Castro appealed to the USSR for kelp, Khrushchev delivered missiles with the capability of launching a nuclear strike against the US. Thinking that Kennedy would take no action, Khrushchev began helping Cuba with the missile supply. These buildups were caught on film by the U2 spy planes flying reconnaissance missions over the area. When the photos were shown to the President the crisis began. While the background of the crisis is not black and white, it is referred to during the film using simple remarks, but used by Self to help the audience understand what exactly was taking place.
The film takes the audience through the entire thirteen days of the crisis, moving in and out of different meetings and conferences. The plot is very true to reality as so are many of the character. Both Greenwood and Stephen Culp, the actor who played Robert Kennedy, studied their characters voices and defining characteristics very closely, at times almost resembling the two brothers. Most of the dialogue that took place during the EXCOM and other meetings is taken more or less word for word from the documents. The story was so intriguing in real life that not much needed to be changed.
There are many interesting scenes during the film that had many exact words from documents released after the fact. One amazing scene takes place in the oval office where the president is still contemplating an air strike and prepares to address congress regarding his actions. While this scene is very short in the film, the director did a great job of picking certain important parts of the speeches. In reality, most of the meeting deals with different men nitpicking parts of the speeches, something an audience would not love to see, but Donaldson chose some poignant lines General Lemay states that the air strike would be able to destroy 90% of the missiles in Cuba, but the President shrugs it off and goes ahead with his original decision. The director emphasizes JFKs determination to stay with his own original plan, something that allowed him to lead the country trough this troubled time.
I would like to discuss one interpretation that Donaldson used in the film, dealing with Costners character. I wish that Donaldson would have downplayed Kevin Costners character because he tries to steal the show, when in reality his character was not that influential in Kennedys decision making. There a few times when he takes control of the movie in places that are better left with him in the background. For example, in one scene when President Kennedy is preparing to give his address to the nation, Costners character takes the stage and leads JFK into a private room to give him a sort of pep talk. It was interesting how the director decided to let the presidents assistant try to calm down the president, instead of giving Greenwood the floor with a monologue or something. One historical thing that was inaccurate or at least exaggerated was ODonnells influence over the president. In David Brinkleys book, The Kennedy Circle, he mentions that indeed ODonnell was a part of the Kennedy circle, even playing football with Bobby at Harvard. However, in the movie where he is often shown with just the brothers, as if they were the “big three” making executive decisions for the country. This was completely exaggerated by the filmmakers because ODonnell was just a sidekick of the President, helping him with matters, but not ones that dealt with national security. It is understandable that Costner was given the lead role so his character needed to be prominent, but the filmmakers might have taken his presence too far.
One other part of the film that struck me was Donaldsons portrayal of the military personal, particularly the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the meetings the army officials are depicted as warmongerers who will everything in their power to convince the president and even the public that an air strike is necessary. The two prominent chiefs, Gen. Curtis LeMay, Air Force Chief of Staff and Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff take commanding roles in the film. In the film Lemay is even shown saying, “The big red dog is digging in our backyard and we are justified in shooting it down.” Actually, during the first EXCOMM meeting it was General Taylor who questioned the validity of the missile buildup, trying to convince the others to look at the facts,