In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)

Director:

David Sington

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Remember when the whole world looked up

Plot:

The surviving crew members from NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.

Plot Keywords:

Astronaut | 1960s | NASA | Moon | Earth

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Buzz Aldrin	...	Himself
Neil Armstrong	...	Himself (archive footage)
Stephen Armstrong	...	Himself (archive footage)
Viola Armstrong	...	Herself (archive footage)
Alan Bean	...	Himself
Eugene Cernan	...	Himself
Michael Collins	...	Himself
Charles Duke	...	Himself (as Charlie Duke)
John F. Kennedy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jim Lovell	...	Himself (as James Lovell)
Edgar D. Mitchell	...	Himself (as Edgar Mitchell)
Garry Moore	...	Himself (archive footage)
Harrison Schmitt	...	Himself
Dave Scott	...	Himself (as David Scott)
John Young	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language, brief violent images and incidental smoking.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French | Japanese

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Ireland:G | Australia:G

Company:

Discovery Films

Trivia:

Of all the astronauts who appeared in the film, only Buzz Aldrin demanded to be paid.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Gene Cernan talks about the Apollo 1 crew (Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee) being buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Only Grissom and Chaffee are buried there. White is buried at West Point.

Quotes:

Michael Collins: I think we were very aware of the situation in Vietnam, because a lot of our friends were flying airplanes in combat in Vietnam. And there would we have been, had we not been in the space program.
Eugene Cernan: I guess I can sort of admit it now, I've admitted it a little bit to a few friends, I've always had a guilt complex, to some degree. That was my war, good or bad, whether it was a good war or a bad war, we're not discussing it, but that was my war, to fight for my country...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-09-08)" (2007)

Out of this world

From 1969 to 1972, America put 12 men on the moon in nine missions. Eight of the surviving crew members (notably absent is the reclusive Neil Armstrong) talk about their adventures in the documentary In the Shadow of the Moon with less of the engineering and more of the philosophy, a bit different from the dramatic renditions of The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, and HBO'S From Earth to the Moon.

The excellence of this version is the articulate, close up, talking heads of the astronauts, who are more handsome in their late 70's than they were in their late 20's, a testimony to space athletes who keep themselves fit forever. Besides their reflective narrations (for instance, Mike Collins is full of insights and glamorous details, Jim Lovell could do color commentary for any network), the photography, some of it never seen from NASA archives, is memorable. The earth as blue bubble is beautiful.

The documentary strays somewhat from the reality base by peppering the denouement with sappy, semi-religious contemplations from the narrators about "God's work" and the "fragility" motif. But all in all, this Ron Howard production is a first-rate retrospective about an era for which Americans should be proud—the contrast between the visionary Kennedy and the current blind Bush is painful. Maybe we should send him to the moon?