In this in-depth conversation, acclaimed filmmaker, author, and historian Joseph McBride joins Ciphered Past for a wide-ranging discussion that bridges classic Hollywood, political truth, and the unresolved legacy of the John F. Kennedy assassination.We begin with McBride’s latest book, I Love Movies, But…, a deeply personal reflection on a lifetime spent inside cinema — loving it, questioning it, and ultimately telling the truth about how power operates both on and off the screen. From there, the conversation expands into McBride’s extraordinary career and first-hand experiences with some of the most influential filmmakers in history.McBride reflects on his time with Frank Capra, Orson Welles, John Ford, and Steven Spielberg, offering rare insight into their personalities, creative processes, and contradictions — and how mythmaking in Hollywood often mirrors mythmaking in politics.The discussion also explores McBride’s work as a screenwriter, including Rock ’n’ Roll High School, which he co-wrote and which became a cult classic that captured the rebellious spirit of its era.From cinema, the conversation turns darker — and more personal — as McBride recounts interviewing J.D. Tippit’s father and how that experience shaped his understanding of the JFK assassination. We examine the timing after the assassination, the immediate shaping of the official narrative, and how early media framing helped cement a version of events that still dominates public perception.McBride also discusses his groundbreaking investigative works, including Political Truth and Into the Nightmare, which confront the assassination head-on and challenge decades of institutional obfuscation, intimidation, and silence.This episode is a rare intersection of film history and historical truth, revealing how storytelling — whether on screen or in government — can be used to enlighten or deceive.📚 Books Discussed by Joseph McBride• I Love Movies, But…• Political Truth: The Media and the Assassination of President Kennedy• Into the Nightmare: My Search for the Killers of President John F. Kennedy and Officer J.D. Tippit(Available through major booksellers and independent bookstores)🎙️ About Joseph McBrideJoseph McBride is an author, historian, screenwriter, and professor whose work spans classic Hollywood, political investigation, and media criticism. He has written extensively on Orson Welles, Frank Capra, John Ford, Steven Spielberg, and the Kennedy assassination, and is widely respected for combining scholarly rigor with personal experience and moral clarity.