In the Shadow of the Moon is a documentary film chronicling the American manned space missions that took place during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was made by the British company Discovery Films and shows the greatest achievement of humankind through the eyes of those that participated in it. In doing so it brings together 10 of the 24 men that have been to the moon.
In the Shadow of the Moon is a very well assembled documentary, it utilizes archive NASA and media footage and interlaces them with talking head footage of the astronauts. The manner in which the interviews are constructed purvey an endearing quality rarely captured during such routine methods, all of these old men have an air of modesty and graciousness to them that resonates with the viewer and a sense of soulfulness is also felt, as the documentary makers act with benignity and care. In speaking so freely the astronauts invite respect through their profound words of wisdom and invaluable insights into our world. They candidly speak of the beauty of our landscapes, the insignificance of territorial disputes and their experience of being able to blot the Earth out with only their thumb. How the astronauts talk of their trips to the moon is charming and this mere fact becomes enough to command any audience member into hanging onto their every word, trying to gain an insight, or even a taste of their experiences which is ultimately something that only you or I can dream of.
Although the film brings together only 10 of the 24 men, there is unfortunately one noticeable absentee Neil Armstrong. The fact that the first man to step on the moon has failed to contribute to this film, especially given that it concentrates heavily on the 1969 Apollo 11 flight and those first footsteps, is incredibly disappointing. This disappointment is also reiterated when witnessing those footsteps on the big screen as one can't help but wish for him to talk us through it. The disappointment is, however, short-lived because those images still draw tingles and awe and the fellow astronauts that take part in the film more than make up for his absence.
A cliché often associated with documentaries is that there is, somewhere along route, a distortion of the facts and In the Shadow of the Moon is no exception. A little bit of research reveals that some of Buzz Aldrin's renditions of events is inaccurate with NASA logs - something the documentary ignores. To counter this though the film does serve up some new interesting facts, such as the un-broadcast presidential speech (incase the crew failed to return) and that there had been three other planned attempts to the moon during 1969 had Apollo 11 failed.
Some of the world may view this documentary as propaganda, and that it's drumming up feelings of pro-Americanism. This couldn't be further from the truth, despite Americans being notorious for their patriotism and constant self promotion, the film tries very hard at avoiding turning the greatest accomplishment by humankind into a political achievement (as it was originally believed to be back in the early 1960s). This is perhaps due to the fact that it has a British film company at the helm, and the sole belief of the rest of planet is that it was a human endeavour. Hinted to during the film by Mike Collins, who states that everywhere he went, subsequent to the 1969 moon landing, people spoke of how "we had done it". The film has a constant an underlying theme of both our significance (humankind) and our insignificance.
The film will not quell conspiracy theorists that are, of course, adamant the moon landings never took place and the cleverly arranged snippets of the astronauts during the final reels can't help but elicit a smile from even the most die-hard of conspirators. Finally, the film is very well edited and very well made. It brings together wonderful people and tells their plight with beautiful footage and candor storytelling. To listen to these men speak and hear of their ups and downs during their time in the space program is a lovely experience and an experience I would thoroughly recommend.
In the Shadow of the Moon is a very well assembled documentary, it utilizes archive NASA and media footage and interlaces them with talking head footage of the astronauts. The manner in which the interviews are constructed purvey an endearing quality rarely captured during such routine methods, all of these old men have an air of modesty and graciousness to them that resonates with the viewer and a sense of soulfulness is also felt, as the documentary makers act with benignity and care. In speaking so freely the astronauts invite respect through their profound words of wisdom and invaluable insights into our world. They candidly speak of the beauty of our landscapes, the insignificance of territorial disputes and their experience of being able to blot the Earth out with only their thumb. How the astronauts talk of their trips to the moon is charming and this mere fact becomes enough to command any audience member into hanging onto their every word, trying to gain an insight, or even a taste of their experiences which is ultimately something that only you or I can dream of.
Although the film brings together only 10 of the 24 men, there is unfortunately one noticeable absentee Neil Armstrong. The fact that the first man to step on the moon has failed to contribute to this film, especially given that it concentrates heavily on the 1969 Apollo 11 flight and those first footsteps, is incredibly disappointing. This disappointment is also reiterated when witnessing those footsteps on the big screen as one can't help but wish for him to talk us through it. The disappointment is, however, short-lived because those images still draw tingles and awe and the fellow astronauts that take part in the film more than make up for his absence.
A cliché often associated with documentaries is that there is, somewhere along route, a distortion of the facts and In the Shadow of the Moon is no exception. A little bit of research reveals that some of Buzz Aldrin's renditions of events is inaccurate with NASA logs - something the documentary ignores. To counter this though the film does serve up some new interesting facts, such as the un-broadcast presidential speech (incase the crew failed to return) and that there had been three other planned attempts to the moon during 1969 had Apollo 11 failed.
Some of the world may view this documentary as propaganda, and that it's drumming up feelings of pro-Americanism. This couldn't be further from the truth, despite Americans being notorious for their patriotism and constant self promotion, the film tries very hard at avoiding turning the greatest accomplishment by humankind into a political achievement (as it was originally believed to be back in the early 1960s). This is perhaps due to the fact that it has a British film company at the helm, and the sole belief of the rest of planet is that it was a human endeavour. Hinted to during the film by Mike Collins, who states that everywhere he went, subsequent to the 1969 moon landing, people spoke of how "we had done it". The film has a constant an underlying theme of both our significance (humankind) and our insignificance.
The film will not quell conspiracy theorists that are, of course, adamant the moon landings never took place and the cleverly arranged snippets of the astronauts during the final reels can't help but elicit a smile from even the most die-hard of conspirators. Finally, the film is very well edited and very well made. It brings together wonderful people and tells their plight with beautiful footage and candor storytelling. To listen to these men speak and hear of their ups and downs during their time in the space program is a lovely experience and an experience I would thoroughly recommend.