In The Shadow Of The Moon [DVD]

It makes such a refreshing change to see a documentary that is not out to make a scandal, reveal a conspiracy, or trick people into making fools of themselves.
This is a real treat, to watch a straightforward telling of the conquest of the moon, not from the technical perspective but from a very human perspective, using a combination of NASA photography, period newsreels, and most crucially, interviews with the surviving Apollo astronauts, with the exception of the notoriously reclusive Neil Armstrong.
There are no tricks being used here in the telling of the tales - just fantastic lingering shots of the moon as seen by the astronauts, and their very personal memories, told with candour and warmth. We learn how human they felt - the `right stuff' persona is taken off for a moment, and we see just how in awe they were - and still are- of what they were part of. This is all put in perspective of not just the space race of the 60's, but the Vietnam war which some felt guilty to be exempted from.
On a lighter note, we learn who was the first astronaut to pee on the moon, and the nervous moment when the moon land speed record was broken in the lunar buggy - at a breakneck speed of 18 kmh...
It's hard not to be a little moved by the stories being told, and the iconic shots of earthrise and the surface of the moon will blow you away, as the unhurried pace draws you through the events leading up to and during the landings.
Highly recommended.

This is a fantastic documentary, and possibly the most intriguing angle on the Apollo missions to the moon. Most films on this matter usually focus on all the technical aspects and acheivements but the real trick here is having the astronauts themselves explaining their part and their experiences for something that will never occur to all but the most fortunate of people. Although when read here the most menial of details, such as the astronauts being driven to a desserted launchpad in a van by a lone driver, seem so uninteresting at first they quite surprisingly add richly to the personal experiences of the astronauts and pull the viewer much closer to the story. Moments like these follow points of complete bravado with the almost cocky Gene Cernan telling how he dared the automatic flight controls of the Saturn V rocket to fail so that he could fly it manually.
One of the real treats of this film is how the experiences of the astronauts are complimented by it's visual flair. The detail of the footage is incredible with glorious views of the spacecraft, earth and moon. But what I found really pleasing is how they give some shots the time that they require in order to really demonstrate the richnesss of the exercise. The narration was at times put on hold to allow you to just feast on the visuals. An example being of the camera mounted on the discarded second stage when it broke away from the remaining rocket. By being patient, the director lets the command module fly slowly off in to deep space, with the bright blue of the earth eventually coming in to view. Coupled with the excellent musical score this image was quite spectacular. Another example is a pan back from a range of mountains on the moon have come in to view an atronaut some distance away standing alone.
But the real star of the show is Michael Collins, command module pilot on Apollo 11. He adds the most human element, explaining how he felt to not be down there on the moon and to be orbiting the earth alone further than any human had ever been from anyone else. Very warm, very interesting, and at times very amusing.

Thoroughly recommended.

Picture and sound are at times stunning. Obviously the flight footage can look dated, but that's only due to the technology used at the time.

This is the definitive space travel documentary. It has pace, drama, action, some very moving moments and takes you on a spellbinding journey through the Apollo missions from the crew and flight director, Gene Crantz's point of view.

I own Nasa's greatest missions: When we left the Earth and feel that the Shadow of the Moon is far superior and more paletable. It has much more of a human quality to it and draws you into the action. It has huge re-watch value and every second adds drama to the story.

I wish I was alive when the Apollo 11 launched. It gives me chills to watch this oustanding Blu Ray.

I can't believe, 40 years later on, we haven't been back to the Moon!