Thoroughly engaging documentary that takes a fascinating look at the moon landings using some breathtaking never before seen footage and some remarkably candid interviews with the surviving astronauts.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
Rated: U
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Theatrical Release: 02-11-2007
Synopsis: Between 1968 and 1972, nine American spacecraft voyaged to the Moon, and 12 men walked upon its surface. They remain the only human beings to have stood on another world. IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON brings together for the first, and possibly the last, time surviving crew members from every single... Between 1968 and 1972, nine American spacecraft voyaged to the Moon, and 12 men walked upon its surface. They remain the only human beings to have stood on another world. IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON brings together for the first, and possibly the last, time surviving crew members from every single Apollo mission that flew to the Moon, and allows them to tell their story in their own words. This riveting first-hand testimony is interwoven with visually stunning archival material which has been re-mastered from the original NASA film footage – much of it never used before. The result is an intimate epic that vividly communicates the daring, the danger, the pride, and the promise of this extraordinary era in history when the whole world literally looked up at America. The participating astronauts include Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 and 13), Dave Scott (Apollo 9 and 15), John Young (Apollo 10 and 16), Gene Cernan (Apollo 10 and 17), Mike Collins (Apollo 11), Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11), Alan Bean (Apollo 12), Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14), Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) and Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17). Beautifully shot by Clive North in High Definition video, the astronauts talk directly to camera. They emerge as surprisingly eloquent, witty, emotional and very human. The producers Duncan Copp and Chris Riley spent many weeks in the NASA film library examining cans of film some of which had not been opened for over 30 years. This search uncovered many gems, astonishing space shots which have been re-mastered from the original film rolls to reveal the Apollo program with a visual clarity and impact it has never had before. The mute 16mm rolls shot in Mission Control have been laboriously lip-synced with the 16-track audio recordings of the mission controllers’ voice loop to re-unite the pictures and sound of many historic moments for the first time, lending a striking immediacy to many dramatic scenes. Editor David Fairhead and director David Sington have woven this material together with a beautiful orchestral score from composer Philip Sheppard to create a moving, nostalgic and inspiring cinematic experience. --© THINKFilm [More]
Genre: Education/General Interest
Starring: Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin
DVD Info
Release:
Dec 2, 2008
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Materials:
- Audio Commentary - David Singleton - Director; David Fairhead - Editor; Chris Riley - Archive Producer
- Behind The Scenes - Making Of
- Deleted & Extended Scenes - Over 60 Minutes of Stories from the Astronauts and Never-Before-Seen Footage from Apollo Missions
- Featurettes - 1. "Never Before Seen NASA Footage"
- 2. SCORING APOLLO: A Short Feature with Composer Philip Sheppard
- Introduction - Ron Howard
- Trailer - 1. Theatrical Trailer
- 2. Trailer Gallery
Reviews
Respectful, enthusiastic and occasionally rather touching as the men, now in their seventies, recall how it felt up there. Yet the really important question never gets asked: what was it all for?
The shots of the Moon, even after so many effects-heavy studio films have tried to recreate the look, are uncanny.
Stirring stuff, packed with as many beautiful images as portentous outbursts.
There is something thrilling and moving in this documentary about the great era of the Nasa moon landings.
You probably won’t find a more comprehensive document of space exploration on film.
A solid, engrossing affair intercut with footage from the time, including live coverage of that famous day in July 1969 when Armstrong and Aldrin first walked on the lunar surface.
A timely tribute to the 12 men who landed on the moon during the 1960s and 1970s. The remastered, rediscovered documentary footage is incredible, although the absence of Neil Armstrong is disappointing.
The heart of Sington's film is the dry humour and boundless humility of his interviewees.
A bunch of old guys talking about the old days – but what old days. An absorbing doc from a filmmaker who knows a good story, and a handful of men who’ve lived the best story of all.
David Sington more than makes up for the straightforward nature of his film with the quality of its interviews and plenitude of staggering archive footage.
This wonderful documentary succeeds as a reminder of human endeavour.
It's thoroughly crowd-pleasing, although it's weakened by a relentlessly earnest tone.
It never hurts to be reminded of our potential and our insignicance, and who better to do the reminding than clean-cut American boys who've covered up the entire world with their thumbs.
I wouldn’t have missed this chance to revisit one of earth’s most significant encounters with deep space for anything.
At the heart of the film is the beautifully remastered footage of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing (some previously unseen), interspersed with testimonials from not only two of the men who were there, who describe their innermost thoughts and feelings.
It seems more like a television program one would see on the Discovery Channel than a movie.
Related Forums
by: rikandholly 8/12/07
Pictures
News
posted by Jen Yamato February 11, 2008
One of the best films of last year comes to DVD this week (Gone Baby Gone, written and directed by Ben Affleck, starring...
posted by Joe Utichi November 02, 2007
The helmer of the Certified Fresh space documentary talks Apollo Missions with RT.
posted by Joe Utichi October 28, 2007
It's that time of year when the film world's biggest and brightest descend on London and show some Oscar hopefuls nice...
posted by Gitesh Pandya September 10, 2007
After struggling at the box office over the last few years, Russell Crowe scored his first number one film in more than...


Top Critic