Celebrated seagoing archaeologist Bob Ballard and his consultants believe that they have established the location of the hull of JFK's motor torpedo boat that sank in the waters of the South Pacific during World War II. This excellent documentary is for anybody who wants to learn more about the celebrated exploits of our 35th president. Of course, the filmmakers generate a modicum of suspense about the search for the plywood hull. Surely, you'd think that this is a foregone conclusion. Of course, they are going to find it. Ballard's first objective was to chart the route that the Japanese 'Tokyo Express' plied. Ballard suspected if he found the 'Tokyo Express' that he would have a better chance finding PT-109. Eventually, after he discovers a sunken Imperial Japanese destroyer, Ballard comes across the grave of PT-109. Unfortunately, the U.S. Navy didn't want the site of the wreckage disturbed so on the basis of nothing more than a torpedo tube launcher to support their findings, Ballard and his experts--a naval historian--declare their positive findings. Happily, "The Search for PT-109" is more than a straightforward potboiler. We meet the natives who located Kennedy. Kennedy promised to meet them again, but Lee Harvey Oswald kept this reunion from occurring. They interview one of the surviving PT skippers. He tries to explain that everybody figured Kennedy had his crew had perished when the PT-boat exploded. They re-enacted the disaster, and you get a real feeling about what Kennedy did when he swam out into the sea to attract help. The underwater photography of the Kennedy re-enactor being buffeted by the waves is cool. Memorable!
