New Documentary "Virtual JFK" Takes A Look At How Vietnam Would Have Fared Had Kennedy Lived

October 29, 2008 8:34 p.m. EST

Ft. Lauderdale, FL (CNS) -- Virtual JFK, a new documentary from first-time director Koji Masutani, asks the question: what would President John F. Kennedy have done in the Vietnam war if he was not assassinated in 1963 and instead was re-elected in 1964? By combining resources such as newly declassified documents, archival footage, and testimony from administration officials in the Kennedy and Johnson era, Virtual JFK ponders what America would have been like if the 35th President lived to see another term.

Koji Masutani, who studied not filmmaking but international relations at Brown University, makes his first non-student directorial debut with the documentary. The film came about when he was looking to make a film and he came across two professors researching Kennedy's policies towards Vietnam. "What they do is that they put together something called Critical Oral History where they combine documents and scholars in a conference setting," Masutani said. "But they also bring together former decision-makers from the administration like Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense during Kennedy's presidency. So based on their research, I wanted to make the film."

The documentary has been called "controversial" and "provocative" in its early reviews. "The most interesting thing is the reactions that I've getting to the film," Masutani said. "Kennedy is such a strong part of American history and any glorification of Kennedy or any hint of tarnishing his reputation is met with strong reaction which I did not anticipate. That's been an interesting experience."

The "controversial" topic is also a new book, "Virtual JFK", co-authored by Brown professor James G. Blight, author of the book "The Fog of War", who also appears in the film. The book, which is expected to hit stores in January, is said to be complimentary to the film and coincides with its release in various cities.

The documentary never explicitly identifies any kind of parallel in John F. Kennedy and Democratic candidate Barack Obama but reviews and viewers have noted the echo. "At the end of the day, we want the viewer to connect the dots themselves. The film doesn't make any specific connections between today and then," Masutani says."Kennedy had come in to office when one of the oldest presidents was in office and he was a fresh, new president. He was also controversial because he was so young and offered a fresh perspective and perhaps that's what people see in Obama today."

But audience reactions to the film Hong Kong-native Masutani's will have to be his only contribution at the voting booth. "I can't vote, so you'll have to do it for me," he said laughing.