Zapruder film

The Zapruder film is a silent 8mm color motion picture sequence shot by Abraham Zapruder with a Bell & Howell home movie camera, as the United States, President John F. Kennedy's motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Unexpectedly, it ended up capturing the President's assassination.

Background
On November 22, 1963, a man named Abraham Zapruder with a Bell & Howell 8mm home movie camera was filming a parade when John F. Kennedy passes through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, but when Oswald begins to shoot Kennedy two times, blowing his head off and killing him instantly while they filmed him passing by, it ended up capturing the President's assassination.

Reception and Cultural effect
Despite the shocking and unexpected events that were captured, the Zapruder film, kept from public viewing for years, has evolved into one of the most viewed films in history, now available on the Internet for public access.

In 1994, the Zapruder film footage was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for permanent preservation in the National Film Registry.

Some critics have stated that the violence and shock of this home movie led to a new way of representing violence in 1970s American cinema, both in mainstream films, and particularly in indie and underground horror movies.