Jackie (2016) - full transcript

(CAR DOOR OPENS)

Mrs. Kennedy?

They told me to come up.

And I'm so sorry
for your loss.

Have you read
what they've been writing?

Krock and Merriman
and all the rest?

Yes, I have.

Merriman is such
a bitter man.

It's been just one week.

Already they're treating him
like some dusty old artifact,

to be shelved away.



That's no way
to be remembered.

And how would you like him remembered,
Mrs. Kennedy?

(STAMMERS) I...

You understand that I will be
editing this conversation?

Just in case I don't say
exactly what I mean.

With all due respect,

that seems very unlikely,
Mrs. Kennedy.

(CHUCKLES) Right.
Okay. Uh...

So, this will be your own
version of what happened?

Exactly.

Come in.

I thought it was
another backfire.

I very nearly didn't go.
What if I'd been here

or out riding
in Virginia somewhere?



Thank God
I was with him.

Why, "Thank God"?

Do you know what
I think of history?

Of history?

I've read a great deal.
More than people realize.

The more I read,
the more I wonder...

When something
is written down,

does that make it true?

It's all that
we have.

Had.

We have television now.

At least people can see
for their own eyes.

That tour of
the White House

that you did a couple
of years ago for CBS,

I always assumed
that you did that for

a purpose? No?
After the fashion magazines?

You even won an Emmy.

I didn't do that
program for me.

I did it for
the American people.

That program was
my first glimpse

into the White House

and, for whatever it's worth,
I thought you were excellent.

Very poised.
Oh, thank you.

You could have had a career
as a broadcaster, I'm sure.

What?

I'm sorry?

What did you say?

I said you could have
a career... (CHUCKLES)

Could have had a career
as a broadcaster.

Are you giving me
professional advice?

I'm

not.

But I am sure that the whole
country would like to know

what you're going to do next.

I can assure you,
not television.

(INHALES DEEPLY)
Welcome to the White House.

Welcome to the White House.

We're so proud
to call it home.

Why don't you try,
"The People's House"?

Make it more personal.

Welcome to
The People's House.

We're so proud
to call it home.

Better?

When will Jack join us?

They want to
hear from you.

They think I'm a fool.

One year in office,
wasting their money.

That's why you need to show
them what you've done.

The President will join
you in the Monroe Room

at the end
of the tour.

You'll be great.

Stay close.
Of course.

You look beautiful. Go.
(CLEARS THROAT)

JACKIE: Hello.
Excuse me.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

COLLINGWOOD:
This is the White House

as seen from its South Lawn.

For the next hour,
Mrs. John F. Kennedy

invites you to visit
the President's House

and see some
of the restorations

she's made in its interior.

Mrs. John F. Kennedy,

third-youngest of the 29 wives
to live in the White House.

Mrs. Kennedy,
I want to thank you

for letting us visit
your official home.

This is obviously
the room

from which much of your
work on it is directed.

Yes, it's attic and cellar
all in one.

Since our work started,

we receive hundreds
of letters every day.

This is where we evaluate
all the finds,

and see if we want
to keep them,

if they'll fit
into our budget.

Mrs. Kennedy,
every First Lady

and every administration since
President Madison's time,

has made changes,

greater or smaller,
in the White House.

Before we look at any
of the changes you've made...

Now, what's
your basic plan?

Well, I really
don't have one.

Because I think this house
will always grow, and should.

It just seemed to me
such a shame

when we came here to find

hardly anything of the past
in the house.

Hardly anything before 1902.

COLLINGWOOD: Now suppose
that you and your committee

were to acquire
some of the things

that are in this room,

what happens when
the next President's wife

comes into
the White House?

(INHALES DEEPLY) Well,
if they don't want it...

In the past, you see,

they could sell it
or throw it out.

And the talk of the taxpayer
money being wasted?

JACKIE: Oh, I raised
every dime privately

that we spent
on that restoration.

I... I loved that house,

and I wanted to share it
with the American people.

To impart a sense
of America's greatness.

(STAMMERS)
Objects and artifacts

last far longer than people,

and they represent
important ideas in history,

identity, beauty.

But I'm sure that, uh,
the readers would like to know

what it's like to be
a member of your family?

Imagine a little boy
surrounded by all of this.

Having his older brother
die in battle,

and then going off
to that same war

and coming home a hero.

People see
that little boy,

born to wealth
and privilege,

willing to sacrifice
everything for his ideals

in service
to his nation.

Royalty. You make him
sound like royalty.

Well, for royalty
you need tradition.

And for tradition,
you need time.

Well, I guess it has
to start somewhere, right?

There has to be a day one.

COLLINGWOOD:
This is the East Room,

pretty much as Americans

have known it now
for 60 years.

Obviously you haven't
felt that

you had to make any
great changes in here.

No, I think it's lovely.

I hate to make
changes really,

so when you find
a room like this,

it's wonderful. This...

COLLINGWOOD:
This piano brings to mind

that, uh, this is the part
of the White House

where you have
the musical affairs.

That's right. This piano was
designed by Franklin Roosevelt

with the eagle support.

And this is
the end of the room

where Pablo Casals
played for us,

where we had
a portable stage built,

when we had
the Shakespeare players.

COLLINGWOOD: Mrs. Kennedy,
this administration

has shown
a particular affinity

for artists, musicians,
writers, poets...

Is this because
you and your husband

just feel that way,

or do you think
that there's a relationship

between the government
and the arts?

That's so complicated.

I... I don't know.

I just think that everything

in the White House
should be the best.

(PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC)

And if it's
an American company

that you can help,
I like to do that.

If it's not...
Just as long as it's the best.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

(MUSIC ENDS)

Is your faith helping you?

I'd prefer to discuss
my faith with a priest.

You're not a man
of the cloth, are you?

No. No, I'm not.

I'm just trying
to get to the truth.

That's what reporters do.
Oh, the truth.

Well, I've grown accustomed
to a great divide

between what people believe
and what I know to be real.

Fine. I will settle for
a story that's believable.

That's more like it.

You know, I used to be
a reporter myself once.

I know what
you're looking for.

I'm sorry?

A moment-by-moment account.

That's what you came
here for, isn't it?

You want me to describe
the sound the bullet made

when it collided
with my husband's skull.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

I'm very happy

to be in the great State of Texas,

to be with you

and experience

the noble Spanish tradition

that has achieved so much in Dallas.

This tradition

started 100 years

before the colonization
of Massachusetts,

my husband's State.

It is all a tradition

that remains alive and strong.

Is that the sou nd of bi rds?

PRESIDENT KENNEDY:
Uh, not exactly birds.

Must be the ocean.
Hmm.

You ready?
Of course.

(PEOPLE CHEERING)
I love crowds.

(CROWD CHEERING)

You remember Governor
and Mrs. Connally.

Welcome to Dallas,
darling. (LAUGHS)

Thank you so much
for coming.

Very nice to meet you.

My! What a welcome!

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

JACKIE: There'd been the biggest
motorcade from the airport.

Hot, wild,
like Mexico or Vienna.

The sun was strong
in our faces,

but I couldn't wear
my sunglasses.

Jack has his hand out,

and I see a piece
of his skull come off.

And it was flesh-colored,
it wasn't white.

And he slumps in my lap.

(INHALES SHARPLY) His blood
and his brains are in my lap.

(VOICE BREAKING)
And I'm saying, "Jack,

"Jack, can you hear me?

"Jack! I love you, Jack!"

(SNIFFLES)

And his head was so beautiful,

and his mouth was beautiful,
and his eyes were open.

I was trying to keep
the top of his head down.

Keep it all in.

He had the most wonderful
expression on his face,

you know?

Just before
they'd ask him a question,

just before he'd answer,

he looked puzzled.

I knew he was dead.

(WRITING)

(SNIFFLES)

(CLEARS THROAT)
Mrs. Kennedy, uh...

Don't think
for one second

that I'm going to
let you publish that.

You understand?

Yes. Yes, of course.

Yes, I understand.

What did the bullet
sound like?

(GUNSHOT)

(SOBBING)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

(GASPS)

(DOOR OPENING)
O'BRIEN: Mrs. Kennedy?

Are you all right?
It's Larry.

I'll be ready
in a moment.

Take all the time
you need.

(SNIFFLING)

Are they waiting?

"I do solemnly swear..."

PRESIDENT JOHNSON:
I do solemnly swear...

"...that I will
faithfully execute..."

...that I will
faithfully execute...

"...the office of President
of the United States."

...the office of President
of the United States.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

"And will to the best
of my ability..."

PRESIDENT JOHNSON: And will
to the best of my ability...

"...preserve, protect..."
...preserve, protect...

"...and defend..."
...and defend...

"...the Constitution
of the United States."

...the Constitution
of the United States.

"So help me God."

So help me God.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

Mr. President.

PRESIDENT JOHNSON:
Start the engines.

Get some of the heat
off this plane. Thank you.

Can you tell me
what size the bullet was?

(STAMMERING) I don't think
it was a.38, was it?

It seemed...

What's that called,
the caliber?

It seemed bigger.

It seemed like something
soldiers would use,

or maybe what they use
for deer hunting...

O'DONNELL: Mrs. Kennedy,
you don't have to...

O'BRIEN: We don't know yet.

We need to have
the Irish cadets.

I'm sorry?

Yes. The Irish cadets,
for the funeral.

Jack loved them. He saw them
perform in Dublin last summer.

Of course, Mrs. Kennedy.
We'll make sure of it.

JACKIE: And those bagpipers
from Scotland we just had.

What were they
called, Kenny?

The Black Watch.

The Black Watch.
That's right.

The Black Watch Pipers.

HILL: When we arrive,
we'll be exiting the rear of the plane.

You, the President...
President Johnson, that is.

Why the rear?

There's press at Andrews.

Not to mention
the security risk...

Am I supposed
to hide away? Now?

HILL: Not hide.

Oh, I'm sure those people
would love that.

What do they call themselves,
The Birch Society?

No, I will not sneak out
the back door.

I will go out the usual way.
We all will.

HILL: I'll arrange it.

When we land,
Mrs. Kennedy,

we'll need to
proceed directly

to the hospital
for the autopsy.

The autopsy?

Is that necessary?

I'm afraid it's required.

By who?

The law, Mrs. Kennedy.

And what exactly
will they do?

I'm not sure...

What does an autopsy entail?
I want you to explain to me.

I want to hear
all the details.

I'm his wi...
Whatever I am now.

I want all the details.

What, will they
slice him open?

Darling.

Can I send somebody
to help you change

before we land?

All those cameras.

People will be watching.

There were wanted
posters everywhere.

For Jack.

With Jack's face on them.

Let them see
what they've done.

(SEATBELTS UNFASTENING)

(PLANE POWERING DOWN)

Jackie?

Bobby.

AIR FORCE OFFICER: Sir,

there's a car waiting
on the tarmac

to take you and Mrs. Kennedy
to Bethesda.

Mrs. Kennedy and I will ride

with the casket
in the ambulance.

O'BRIEN: Valenti wants to know

how we're going
to handle the exit.

BOBBY: The exit?

O'BRIEN: He says Johnson
wants to talk to the press.

He can do whatever he wants.
We're leaving now.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

The casket will be closed,
won't it?

At the funeral?

We'll sort that
all out later.

I want it closed
so badly, Bobby.

I'm not sure it can be
for a head of state.

There was blood
everywhere.

There were
so many pieces.

Jackie...

I tried to hold
his head together.

Hey!

Slow down.

(CLEARS THROAT)

NEWS ANCHOR: (ON TV) The President
was lying motionless in the car.

Mrs. Kennedy was
leaning over him.

Governor Connally was
leaning back in his seat,

holding his stomach
with both hands.

Inside the emergency room,

witnesses said the First Lady,
splattered with blood,

waited without a word.

Jackie, Jackie...

Come on.

Make sure they make him
look like himself.

I know.

Where are the children?

They're with Maud.

She's taken them
to the house in Georgetown.

I'd rather them at home.

Their routine
shouldn't be disrupted.

Yes, yes, yes.
Of course. Mary...

I'll see to it.
What do they know?

JOHNSON:
...that cannot be weighed.

For me, it is a deep...

You need some rest.
Oh.

I think she needs water.

(EXHALES SLOWLY)
Thank you, Nancy.

It had to be some
silly little Communist.

If he'd been killed
for civil rights,

then at least it would
have meant something.

You know?

Jack warned me.

Jack said, he said
we were going to nut country,

but I thought
it was going well.

At Fort Worth. In Houston.
I know.

I kept... All the problems
that Adlai had...

(SHUSHING)

Jack was winning him over.
Shh. I know.

They... They handed me
yellow roses.

Yellow roses.
At every stop.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Then in Dallas...
I know.

Here, let's turn this off.

(MUSIC STOPS)
(BOBBY SIGHS)

They want a show of grief.

They're already asking
about funeral arrangements.

(SHUSHING)

(WAILS)

Darling. Come.

NEWS ANCHOR: (ON TV) President Johnson
met with Secretary of State Rusk.

Minutes later,
there was a hastily added

conference with
Secretary of Defense McNamara.

Even at a time of sorrow,

the harsh facts
of the Cold War

do not allow
a pause in overseeing

the affairs of defense
and foreign policy.

There seems little doubt
that McNamara

will stay on under
Mr. Johnson.

A new president...

Lyndon's people
are claiming

I told him to take
the oath in Dallas.

Asshole couldn't wait,

and now they're
blaming me for it.

Excuse me.

Do you know
who James Garfield was?

No, ma'am.

Do you know
who William McKinley was,

what he did?

They were both
U.S. presidents

killed while
they were in office.

And what about
Abraham Lincoln?

Do you know
what he did?

He won the Civil War.

He abolished slavery, ma'am.

JACKIE: That's right.

Thank you.

Bobby, please tell them
I want the books on Lincoln.

About his funeral.

Mmm-hmm.

(SOBBING)

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

You'll have to share something
personal, eventually.

People won't stop asking
until you do.

And if I don't
they'll interpret my silence

however they want?

(JOURNALIST SIGHS)
"Her brow furrows.

"Her lips are drawn.

"She holds back her tears,
but she can't hide her anger."

Most writers
want to be famous.

JACKIE: You want
to be famous?

No, I'm fine as I am,
thank you.

You should
prepare yourself,

this article will bring you
a great deal of attention.

Ah. In that case,
any advice for me?

Yes.

Don't marry the President.

(CHUCKLES) Hmm.

Are you afraid
I'm about to cry again?

No, I'd say you're
more likely to scream.

Scream what?

"My husband
was a great man."

WALTON:
Lincoln's funeral cortege

departed the White House,

progressed along
Pennsylvania Avenue

to the Capitol.

And the next day

returned to
the White House,

then they walked all the way to St.
Matthew's

in a long, grand procession.

It was a sunny spring day.

Only 600 tickets
were allotted,

but thousands,

thousands lined the streets
and rooftops,

citizens, senators,
congressmen,

diplomats, officers,

all in their
full dress uniforms.

Lincoln's mount,
Old Bob,

was draped in a black blanket
with white trim and tassels.

Hooded,
he was led rider-less,

the head of
a miles-long procession

by the Reverend Henry Brown.

I can feel Jack
getting angry with this.

"There you go,
spending all that money

"on those silly
knick-knacks."

The man would spend
whatever it took for votes,

but balked at buying
a beautiful painting.

Huh.

We don't have to worry
about that anymore.

We must get
this right, Bill.

We must get this right.

It has to be beautiful.

Did you tell them we'll need
a horse-drawn carriage?

We have to
march with Jack.

Everyone.

A big, beautiful procession
that people will remember.

Mrs. Kennedy,
you don't have to do this.

Do what?

In fact, I don't think

they'll let you parade
through the streets.

The world's gone mad.

You should take the
children and disappear.

Build a fortress in Boston
and never look back.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

NANCY: Mrs. Kennedy?

(STAMMERS)
Are the children awake?

NANCY: They're playing
in Caroline's room.

How do I do this?

Oh, dear.

It doesn't matter
what you say.

Just hug them and tell
them it will be okay.

CAROLINE: Mommy,
why are you dressed so funny?

(BOTH WHISPERING)

Because something
very sad has happened.

And this is how we dress
when something sad happens.

Mommy, where's Daddy?

Daddy's not coming home.

Why not?

Daddy had to go see
your baby brother Patrick.

In heaven.

CAROLINE: Why?

Because I'm here with you.

We don't want Patrick
to get lonely, do we?

But what about us?

Caroline, I need you
to be a big girl.

You can be brave, right?
You can be a soldier?

A very bad man hurt Daddy.

Daddy would come home
if he could.

But he can't.

He has to go to heaven.

Can I say goodbye?

Yes, of course you can,
my love.

FATHER KUHN:
Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord,
kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you
there is forgiveness,

therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits,

and in his word
I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait
for the morning.

O Israel,
put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord
is unfailing love.

BOBBY: That was
a beautiful mass.

Excuse me, Mother. Jackie.

Have you started on
the guest list for the burial?

The what?

You'll need to
pare it down, dear.

We can't possibly accommodate
all these people at Brookline.

VALENTI: (SOFTLY) Mr. Kennedy,
we need to discuss the funeral, sir.

We all want
to follow her lead,

but we still don't know
much about this Oswald.

There may be
co-conspirators.

I'll talk to her,
but she makes the call.

There's also the matter
of the Oval.

What do you want me
to do first?

Hmm? Plan the funeral
or pack the furniture?

I know this is
all delicate.

That's why
I'm approaching you.

But a procession is insane.

Brookline?

The family plot.

Well, I assume Jack will be
buried with the rest of us.

A crowd full of people,
given what's happened,

I just can't have
my President walking.

Your President?
My President.

(SIGHS)

Well, regardless
of what happens,

my brother is going
to be carried in a box.

And I am
sorry, sir.

Fuck off, Jack.

JANET: Averell Harriman owns

at least four properties
in Georgetown.

I'm sure he could
loan out one of them.

NANCY: I'll have Sarge
look into it.

I'm sure we have time.

They can't expect us to
move immediately, can they?

JANET: Of course not.
Don't be silly.

Lincoln's widow
died destitute.

She moved back to Illinois,

had to sell
all her furniture.

And the Van Burens
and the Tylers, too.

She auctioned it off,
piece by piece,

just to keep a roof
over her head.

NANCY: But that
won't happen to you.

And the collectors
we bought it from...

Remember? Bill and I,

we had to haggle
over every sofa, every chair.

If I sell some of it
back now,

maybe I can put John
and Caroline through school.

COLLINGWOOD: This staircase
goes up to the second floor,

which I know are reserved

for the private living of
the President and his family.

I don't think
any television cameras

or motion picture cameras
have ever gone up there,

'cause that's where you live.

That's right.

Here is what the White House
did to President Lincoln.

Here is how he changed.

1861.

The strong man
with the arched eyebrow.

1865.

One week before
his assassination.

Mrs. Kennedy, do you spend
a great deal of time

in the Lincoln Room?

JACKIE: It was where we lived
when we first came here,

when our rooms
at the other end of the hall

were being painted.

COLLINGWOOD:
It's a nice room.

Was this a bedroom
during Lincoln's time?

JACKIE: No, it was,
uh, Lincoln's Cabinet Room.

COLLINGWOOD:
Are all the pieces

from Lincoln's time?

JACKIE: Uh, yes, they are.

The most famous one,
of course, is the Lincoln bed.

It was bought by Mrs. Lincoln,

along with
the dressing bureaus

and chair, and this table.

Um, she bought a lot
of furniture for this house,

which made her husband
rather cross

because he thought
she spent too much money.

And on the table
is the Gettysburg Address.

This is probably the greatest
treasure in this room.

And this sofa
and these two chairs,

they were sold
in that Lincoln sale

I was telling you about,

that Mrs. Lincoln sold.

And they went to England,

and then through
the descendants

of the man
who brought them there.

MAN: (ON TV)
Here he comes, here he comes.

Bobby?

Here he comes out
and down the hall again.

I really don't know
what this situation is about.

Nobody has told me anything,
except that I'm accused of...

I don't mean
to upset your mother,

but Brookline is no place
to bury a President.

(BOBBY SIGHS)

REPORTER: Did you
kill the President?

OSWALD: No, I've not
been charged with that.

In fact, nobody has
said that to me yet.

First thing I heard
about it was when

the newspaper reporters
in the hall...

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

METZLER: Welcome to Arlington,
Mrs. Kennedy.

JACKIE: Thank you.

METZLER: The third option
is just over there,

at the base of that hill.

That's too low.

What do you think, Ken?

I did like Dewey Circle,

if we could get rid
of the leaves in time.

METZLER: Well, the problem
there isn't just the leaves.

It's the access roads.

O'BRIEN: There's gonna be
10,000 people here.

METZLER: Well,
that's what I'm saying.

BOBBY: Jackie?

Jackie.

Hey.

Where are we going?

He can't just be
buried anywhere.

He deserves more.

(JACKIE BREATHING HEAVILY)

Watch your step.

You all right?

My shoes are sticking
in the mud.

I think maybe you should
talk to a priest.

Maybe.

Bobby, I want to
talk to the press.

No.

No. You let
Dave handle that.

You know, that first night
Bob McNamara said

he'd buy back our house
for us in Georgetown.

I don't even
have things. I...

I don't have things.

I don't even have a home.

And what about this house?

This? It's awfully cold.

Well, you could light a fire,
invite people over.

The parties that you threw
at the White House,

nobody had ever
seen anything like that.

Private concerts with artists,
friends, drinking champagne

and singing...

Are you suggesting
I throw a party?

No, not now, obviously.
But, no. Uh...

I'm only suggesting
that you've, uh...

That you've brought life
to a cold house before.

That house was not mine.

Neither is this one.
Nothing is ever mine.

Not to keep, anyway.

Leaving that house
must have been very difficult.

A First Lady must always be
ready to pack her suitcases.

It's inevitable.

We've found beds for
almost all the family.

The Trumans at Blair House.

There was a brief crisis about
him not having a driver,

but Ike offered his.

We're running
a bed-and-breakfast.

Lyndon just wants to
move into the Oval.

He wants to
address Congress.

I'll hold him off
as long as I can,

but it has to happen
sooner or later.

They're worried
about an outdoor procession.

They think
it's a security risk.

Jackie.

They think
it's a security risk.

Everyone's spooked.

Apparently even
State's discouraging

foreign dignitaries
from attending.

It's eight city blocks
to St. Matthew's.

That's a long way to be
strolling through crowds.

All those rooftops.
All those windows.

Bobby,
it's our last chance.

We have to march with him.

MAN: (SINGING)
It's true, it's true

The crown has made it clear

The climate must be perfect

All the year

A law was made
a distant moon ago here

July and August
cannot be too hot

And there's a legal limit
to the snow here

In Camelot

The winter is forbidden
till December

And exits March the second
on the dot

By order, summer lingers
through September

In Camelot

Camelot, Camelot

I know it
sounds a bit bizarre

But in Camelot

Camelot

That's how conditions are

The rain may never fall
till after sundown

By 8:00, the morning fog
must disappear

In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot

For happy-ever-aftering
(GROANS)

Than here in Camelot

(MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING)

Camelot, Camelot

I know it
gives a person pause

But in Camelot

Camelot

Those are the legal laws

The snow may never slush
upon the hillside

By 9:00 p.m.
the moonlight must appear

In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot

For happy-ever-aftering

Than here in Camelot

(MUSIC ENDS)

How would you write that?

"She lights yet
another cigarette

"and explains
through her soft sobs

"that Jack wasn't perfect,

"but he was perfect
for our country.

"And I ask about his flaws,

"and she explains..."

Perfect people
can't change.

Jack was always
getting better,

stronger.

Sometimes he would
walk into the desert alone,

just to let himself
be tempted by the devil.

But he'd always
come back to us,

his beloved family.

(EXHALES)

And I don't smoke.

JACKIE: I shouldn't
say these things.

PRIEST: That's why
we're here, isn't it?

To talk about
what happened?

Is this a confession?

Only if there's
something you regret.

Everyone knows my story.

God isn't interested
in stories.

He's interested
in the truth.

I came here looking
for sympathy, Father.

Of course.

Father, are you listening?

I'm listening.

Yes, I think so.

I think God is cruel.

Well, now you're
getting into trouble.

God is love.

And God is everywhere.

Was he in the bullet
that killed Jack?

Absolutely.

Is he inside me now?

Yes, of course.
Of course he is.

Well, that's a funny
game he plays,

hiding all the time.

(CHUCKLING) The fact that
we don't understand him

isn't funny at all.

If there's a heaven,
then there's your God,

with all his empty promises.

What kind of God
takes a father

from his
two little children?

Thy Lord sacrificed
his only son...

And my two babies.

Arabella in the womb.

And Patrick.
Thirty-nine hours on Earth.

Just long enough
to fall in love with him.

What did I do
to deserve that?

Nothing.

Jack and I hardly ever
spent the night together.

Not even that last night
in Fort Worth.

Your husband loved you,
Mrs. Kennedy. I'm sure of it.

I seem to remember
there being more to our vows.

Don't look at me like that.

I was First Lady
of the United States.

Women have endured
far worse for far less.

There are two kinds of women.

Those who want power
in the world,

and those who
want power in bed.

(CHUCKLES) Of course,
now what am I left with?

When men see me now,
what do you think they feel?

Sadness.

Compassion.

Desire, maybe.

You're still a young woman,
Mrs. Kennedy.

I used to make them smile.

No one understands
the pain he was in

and how loyal he was.

Just some of his friends
were so crude.

Jack wasn't, of course.

But he could get
caught up in it.

Still, he was
a great father.

I picture him on that
rocking chair in his office,

Caroline and John
at his feet.

How could I hate him?

Take comfort
in those memories.

I can't.

They're mixed up
with all the others.

Do you have the latest list
from the State Department?

The dignitaries planning
to attend the funeral.

NANCY: Oh, yes.
I have it right here.

General de Gaulle.

Prince Phillip.

Even the Soviet
Foreign Minister.

More than we were expecting?

Oh, yes.

There's dozens of names.

Good.

Will you read them to me?

Yes.

Um, from the United Nations,

there's Paul Hoffman,
Managing Director,

David B. Vaughan.

The King of Belgium.

Denmark,
the Crown Prince George.

Bulgaria, the Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Canada,
it's the Prime Minister,

Lester B. Pearson.

Austria, the Chancellor.

I don't know.

I think you should just
try it without it.

(SIGHS)

We've been together
a long time,

haven't we, Nancy?

Mmm-hmm. Yeah.

I used to worry that
you might be jealous of me.

Oh, stop it.

No, you never did anything
to make me feel that way.

But I worried.
After I married Jack.

After he won the election.

Now that seems ridiculous,

anyone...
Anyone being jealous of me.

I've buried two children,

and now I'm burying
my husband.

You know, I was jealous.

Of that dress
you wore in Vienna.

(LAUGHS WEAKLY)

I know that it's hard
to see it right now,

but you have your whole
life ahead of you.

That's a terrible
thing to say.

You do!

That's a terrible,
terrible thing to say.

But you do.

(JACKIE BREATHING HEAVILY)

NANCY: I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

What will you do now?

Oh, I'll stay with you.

You won't go anywhere?

No, I'm not
going anywhere.

I don't have
anywhere to go.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Those kids are so lucky
to have you.

No, they're
not lucky at all.

They're not lucky.

(SNIFFLES) I'm scared, Nancy,
I'm scared, I'm scared...

I know.

I know.

NEWS ANCHOR: At the Capitol,

where the President's body
will lie in state

throughout the remainder
of the day

after it has been removed
from the White House,

there will be
three short speeches or...

MARY: She'll be right down.
I'm told any moment.

...is allowed to start
viewing the body.

To Dallas, Texas,
and Tom Pettit.

PETTIT: There's the prisoner.

There is Lee Oswald.

(GUNSHOT)
(OSWALD GROANS)

He's been shot.
He's been shot.

Lee Oswald has been shot.

There's a man with a gun.
(SOFTLY) Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to go?

Yeah.

Will you look at me?

Mommy,
is it my birthday?

Not yet, dear.

But why am I wearing
my party clothes?

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Special Agent Hill.

Whenever Mrs. Kennedy
is ready.

Oh, Clint.

We're nearly done here.

It's the strangest thing.

I hardly remember
anything after.

But I read about
what you did in the papers,

and I just wanted
to thank you.

We got to get a handle
on this thing.

We got to get involved.
Yes, sir.

This is making us look like
a bunch of goddamn barbarians.

Mrs. Kennedy is on her
way down with the children.

Turn the television off!

You're not to speak
a word of this.

Understood? I'll tell Jackie
when the time is right.

Sit down.

Excuse me?

Sit down.

LADY BIRD: Darling?

What do you remember?
Will you tell me everything?

I need to hear.

Mrs. Kennedy...

I was ten yards back
when I heard the first shot.

And as my eyes crossed
the President's car...

(SIGHS DEEPLY)
Mrs. Kennedy...

Keep going.

I had to get to you,
put myself between you,

the President,
and the shooter.

JACKIE: Who was it?

Was it that Oswald?

(SIGHS) They think so.

I need to talk to him.

Uh...

I need to talk to him.

I don't... I don't know
about that, Mrs. Kennedy.

NANCY: The children
are ready.

Shall I take them downstairs
to ride with Maud?

I would like them
to come with me.

But the press
is out front...

Their father is leaving
this house for the last time.

They should be there
to say goodbye to him.

But the cameras.

Those pictures
are being broadcast

to every corner
of the world.

Those pictures
should record the truth.

Two heartbroken,

fatherless children
are part of that.

You can tell them
I'm ready to leave,

with Caroline and John.

Yes, Mrs. Kennedy.

Nancy?
Yes?

I'm not
the First Lady anymore.

You can call me Jackie.

I will.

Caroline, are you ready,
sweetheart?

My brave girl.

(JOHN JR. CRYING)

Oh, John, John, John.

Let me take you, son.

JACKIE: I value my privacy.

I always have.

And yet,
in the days after,

directly after,
something seemed to change.

In what way?

Before the funeral,

the day you moved
the casket to the Capitol,

well, your children
were on full display

for the whole world to see.

Well, what
are you insinuating,

that I exploited them?

Oh, no, of course not.
I just, um...

OFFICER: Present arms!

JOURNALIST:
I'm only wondering if you ever

considered to do more
to shield them.

I think that most people
would have...

We aren't most people.

Most people don't have to
make decisions like that,

hours after watching
their husband get murdered

next to them.

Oh, Lyndon.

What an awful way
to begin your presidency.

Are you saying
it was a mistake?

No, of course not.

JACKIE: How dare you?

They murdered him
inside the jail.

These people
can get to anyone.

How dare you
keep that from me?

You had no right!
The children?

The ceremony
at the Capitol...

I took them
out the front door.

Are you...
This is all insanity!

You and your brother.

All these years,
all your goddamn secrets!

That's not fair... Caroline
and John are all I have left,

and I put them in danger
because of you.

I would never
put you at risk.

You can't know that!

You think you all
control everything,

that you have the world
on puppet strings.

And you're ridiculous.
And I let myself believe it.

And this parade?
Who is it really for?

For Jack?

One more campaign stop
along the way to the grave?

Lyndon's people are right.

It's not worth it.

It's not worth
risking people's lives.

You tell them
we're calling it off.

We'll motorcade
to the Cathedral.

The back way.

And then we'll bury him,
and we put an end to all this.

I don't give
a damn anymore.

I don't.

I would never put you
and the children in danger.

I know you think I'm some
silly little debutante.

Listen to me. You don't
protect me anymore.

I would never put you
and the children in danger.

You don't know anything.

I lie awake at night,
and all I can think is

I should have been
a shop girl

or a stenographer.

I should have married
an ordinary, lazy, ugly man.

Let me share
with you a parable.

Jesus

once passed a blind
beggar on the road,

and his disciples asked,
"Who sinned,

"this man or his parents,
that he should be born blind?"

And Jesus said,

"Neither this man
nor his parents sinned.

"He was made blind

"so that the works of God
could be revealed in him."

And with that,
he placed mud on his eyes

and told him to wash
in the Pool of Siloam.

And the man did,
and he came back seeing.

Right now you are blind.

Not because you've sinned,

but because
you've been chosen.

So that the works of God
can be revealed in you.

It's perfect.

We installed it
while you were away.

I thought
it'd be a nice surprise

for you and the President.

It changes everything.

And the Treaty Room?

Hunter green.

Exactly as you imagined it.

I wish Jack...

Who knows
if he would have cared?

I lost track,
somewhere...

What was real.

What was performance.

Well, he was a president.

You were right earlier.

I'm not going to
march tomorrow.

I won't put people in danger
on account of my vanity.

I was scared for you.
I still am.

But I never thought
it was vanity.

You know, that's what
Jack called all this.

When he saw what we
were spending, he said,

"Your little vanity project

"is going to bankrupt
the federal government."

(SCOFFS)

People need their history.

It gives them strength.

They need to know that
real men actually lived here.

Not ghosts
and storybook legends,

people who faced adversity
and overcame it.

What you've done
in this house matters.

That's kind of you, Bill.

Even I'm starting
to lose him.

Pretty soon

he'll just be
another oil portrait

lining these hallways.

(CHILDREN CHATTERING)

(SINGING)
Happy birthday to you

ALL: (SINGING)
Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, dear John

BOBBY: I spoke to Johnson.

Tomorrow...

It's being handled.

Everyone will ride.

No procession.

I'm sorry, Bobby.

Do you think
Lincoln's widow knew?

What?

That we'd build a monument
to her husband?

Why is this room
so peaceful?

"Peaceful"? I don't know.

Every time I walk
by this room,

I'm reminded that
on January 1st, 1863,

an ordinary man
signed a document

that freed four million people
from slavery.

So,

I don't think of it
so much as peaceful

as a place
of profound legacy.

And it's too bad that ours
is totally fucking wasted.

Bobby!

What?

Bobby, watch your mouth.

What did we accomplish, huh?

We're just... We're just
the beautiful people?

Right? Isn't that
what we are?

Bobby.
Because what did we...

What did we truly accomplish?

Maybe Jack will be remembered

for the way he handled
the missile crisis,

or maybe he'll be remembered

for having created a crisis

that he was then
forced to solve.

(SIGHS)

We could have
done so much.

Civil rights,
the space program.

Vietnam. Now, Johnson
gets to handle Vietnam.

We teed it up for him.

He gets to knock it down.

I shouldn't have pushed him
so hard on Castro.

You can't
do that, Bobby.

What's wrong with you?

What's wrong with me?

History is harsh.

There's no time.

We're ridiculous.
Look at you.

I'm sorry.

(GRUNTS IN ANNOYANCE)

How do you like
your new office?

VALENTI: Mrs. Kennedy.

Come in.

Sorry, I'm just
doing my job, ma'am.

Of course you are.

I remember
when we won the election.

It was so overwhelming.

We're doing just fine.

Everyone's thoughts
are with you right now.

Oh, that's
very kind of you.

I've come
to discuss tomorrow.

The Attorney General
relayed to me your desire

for a more modest ceremony.

I've changed my mind.

I'm sorry?

I said I've changed my mind.

We will have a procession,

and I will walk
to the Cathedral

with the casket.

Well, even if we could resume
the arrangements,

I'm sure you can understand

the Secret Service
still has their concerns.

And President Johnson?

President Johnson
would like nothing more

than to fulfill your wishes,

but I have to take
into account his safety.

The country couldn't
endure another blow

should anything...

It's not the same.

If it were up to him,

he'd do anything that
might bring you comfort.

Then who is it up to,
Mr. Valenti?

Well, as I'm sure
you know,

tomorrow we're expecting
close to 100 Heads of State.

One-hundred three.

Yes, I'm sure that's right.

And I suspect they'll make
all their own decisions.

Based on what?

There's a great deal
of classified intelligence

that I just can't get into.

We've intercepted a threat
against General de Gaulle

from our assets in Geneva.

I'm afraid if he refuses
to march, others may follow.

I understand.

As I said, Mrs. Kennedy,

I wish there were
more we could do

to accommodate
your wishes.

I'm terribly sorry.

Don't be.

You and the Johnsons
have already done so much.

Good day, Mrs. Kennedy.

Um, Mr. Valenti.

Would you mind
getting a message

to all our funeral guests
when they land?

Of course.

Inform them that I will walk
with Jack tomorrow.

Alone, if necessary.

And tell General de Gaulle

that if he wishes to ride
in an armored car

or in a tank
for that matter,

I won't blame him.

And I'm sure
the tens of millions of people

watching won't either.

Why are you doing this,
Mrs. Kennedy?

Oh, I'm just doing my job.

Would you like
to write this down?

Do you think I should?
I...

I do.

We all live on
far after our deaths.

Presidents will
come and go,

and every one of them

will look up to Jack
for guidance,

for inspiration.

What do you say to those
who say he didn't deserve it?

The scale of it. I mean,
he was a great president,

but he didn't win
the Civil War, for instance.

It was a funeral for

the President
of the United States.

Your husband drove cars,
he didn't ride horses.

Yes, and there should
have been more of them.

There should
be more horses,

more soldiers,
more crying, more cameras!

I'm guessing you won't
allow me to write any of that.

No,

because I never
said that.

Perhaps Jack didn't have time
to defeat Communism,

but I do seem to recall...

With all due respect,

you were at the center
of it all, Mrs. Kennedy,

and I'd imagine
it's impossible

to have any perspective
from that vantage point.

But I can assure you that
it was a spectacle.

JACKIE: Nancy said
they wanted to share my grief,

so I let them.

But after, I realized
that all the pageantry,

all the demands
I made to honor him,

it wasn't for Jack
or his legacy.

It was for me.

(INAUDIBLE)

JACKIE: I wrote him a letter.

That night, before we moved
the casket to the Capitol.

Do you know what I wrote?

That I wanted to die.

I understand.
Do you?

I do.

Unless you are
asking my permission.

No, only crass,

self-indulgent people
kill themselves.

No, I was just hoping
that if I walked

down the street
next to Jack's body,

maybe someone would be
kind enough to do it for me.

In front of
the whole world?

Famous life, famous death.

I never wanted fame.

I just became a Kennedy.

JACKIE: I told everyone
that I can't remember.

It's not true.

I can remember.

I can remember everything.

The first bullet. Boom.

(BREATHING HEAVILY) Then boom.

(GUNSHOT)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

I could have saved him.

I should have known
it was a gunshot.

I should have shielded him.

(BAGPIPES PLAYING)

I tried to stop the bleeding,

but when we got
to the hospital, it was...

That night,
and every night since,

I pray to die.

Won't God let me be
with my husband?

(PRIEST SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

(WAILING)

Can I look?

It's just the...
It hasn't...

You don't write
very legibly, do you?

You left your mark on this
country, Mrs. Kennedy.

These past few days,
that's the story.

Losing a president is like...
It's like losing a father.

And you were a mother
to all of us,

and that's
a very good story.

The entire country
watched the funeral

from beginning to end.

Decades from now,

people will remember
your dignity and the majesty.

They'll remember you.

JACKIE: It will serve
a definite purpose.

My husband has
so many meetings up here,

in this part of the house.

All the men who wait to
see him now sit in the hall,

with baby carriages
going by them.

So they can sit in here

and have a conference around
this table, waiting for him.

COLLINGWOOD: Well,
he's going to come in, uh...

Mr. President.

Well, Mrs., uh...

Mr. Collingwood.

Mrs. Kennedy
has been showing us

about the White House

and all the changes
that she's made therein.

What do you think of
the changes that she's made?

Well, I think
the great effort

that she's made
has been to, uh,

bring us much more
intimately in contact

with all the men
who lived here.

Of course,
I think anyone who comes

to the White House
as a President, uh,

desires the best
for his country.

But I think he does receive
a stimulus from the knowledge

of living in close proximity
to the people

who are legendary,

but who actually were alive
and were in these rooms.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

NANCY: Thank you.

Everything will be
held in storage

until you decide
where to settle.

(CAR ENGINE STARTS)

JACKIE: There's one last thing.

It's more important
than all the rest.

You know,
every night before bed,

we had this old Victrola.

We'd listen
to a couple records.

His favorite was Camelot.

The musical?

Oh, I'm so
ashamed of myself.

Every quote
out of Jack's mouth

was either Greek or Roman.

And that last song,
that last side of Camelot,

is all that keeps running
through my mind.

"Don't let it be forgot,

"that for one brief,

"shining moment
there was a Camelot."

(INAUDIBLE)

Jack loved history.

It's what made him
what he was.

Just imagine,
he was a little boy

with scarlet fever in bed,

reading history.

King Arthur and the Knights
of the Round Table.

That's what Camelot is about.

Ordinary men banding together
to fight for a better world.

Don't misunderstand me.

Jack wasn't naive.

But he had ideals.

Ideals he could rally
others to believe in.

Will those ideals
live on?

Sure they will.

Of course, there will
be great progress.

There will be
other great presidents.

The Johnsons have been
so generous to me.

But there won't be
another Camelot.

Not another Camelot.

Why are you really here?

'Cause I needed to talk.

You say that you pray
every night to die.

That your children
have no use for you.

You wish only to be
with your husband.

And yet, I'm not
burying you today.

There comes a time
in man's search for meaning,

when one realizes

that there are no answers.

And when you come
to that horrible,

unavoidable
realization,

you accept it
or you kill yourself.

Or you simply stop searching.

I have lived
a blessed life.

And yet, every night,
when I climb into bed,

turn off the lights,
and stare into the dark,

I wonder...

Is this all there is?

You wonder?

Every soul
on this planet does.

But then,
when morning comes,

we all wake up
and make a pot of coffee.

JACKIE: Why do we bother?

PRIEST: Because we do.

You did this morning.
You will again tomorrow.

But God,
in his infinite wisdom,

has made sure

it is just enough for us.

Once more. Mrs. Kennedy
has expressed her desire

to re-inter the bodies
of the two children they lost

to rest alongside
their father.

You got that part, right?

She wants them
to always remember,

for one brief,
shining moment,

there was a...

Yeah, Camelot. Yeah.

(HANGS UP)

I hope you have a good night,
Mrs. Kennedy.

JACKIE:
He wrote down every word.

Did it help heal you?

It's been reprinted
all over the world.

Maybe that's what they'll
all believe now. Camelot.

People like to believe
in fairy tales.

And you?

Do you believe
you did him justice?

I believe that the characters
we read about on the page

end up being more real than
the men who stand beside us.

I should have guessed

it was too much to ask
that we grow old together,

see our children
grow up.

The darkness
may never go away,

but it won't always
be this heavy.

Come.

They're waiting for us
at Arlington.

In the name of the Father,

the Son,
and the Holy Spirit...

In the name of the Father,

the Son,
and the Holy Spirit...

MAN: (SINGING) Each evening,
from December to December

Before you drift
to sleep upon your cot

Think back on all the tales
that you remember

Of Camelot

Ask every person
if he's heard the story

And tell it strong...

JACKIE: I was just so happy
that he could be proud.

Because then
I was having a baby,

and I couldn't campaign,

and then we got
in the White House,

and all of the things
I'd always done,

suddenly they
became wonderful.

Because anything
the First Lady does

that is different
everyone seizes on.

And I was just
so happy for Jack

that he could be proud of me.

Those were our happiest years.

(SINGING) Where once it never
rained till after sundown

By 8:00 a.m.,
the morning fog had flown

Don't let it be forgot

That once there was a spot

For one brief,
shining moment

That was known

As Camelot