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In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
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Reviews Counted:107
Fresh:101
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: Director David Sington poetically interwove 20th Century's cosmonautic history with its effect on the public's view of their country, their heroes and their future.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] mild language, brief violent images and incidental smoking.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Theatrical Release:Sep 7, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $941,775
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... 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]
Starring: Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin
Starring: Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin
Director: David Sington
Director: David Sington
Producer: Duncan Copp
Composer: Philip Sheppard
Studio: ThinkFilm
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Reviews for In the Shadow of the Moon
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?
might also be called In the Shadow of Neil Armstrong because the absence of his towering presence in the film is a big, gaping hole in the narrative
The documentary would play well in a double feature with something on the four food groups.
Ten astronauts try to tell it like it was, but weighted down by the heaviness of the politics that created the lunar exploration program, the best stories will have to wait for later
These are old stories told with minimal artistry, and the film lacks the vision that might separate it from a crowded field.
The crowd-pleaser has enough ambition to pitch a one-size-fits-all philosophy based on the Apollo crew's revelation that looking down from space, our problems seem trivial.
David Sington’s In the Shadow of the Moon moved me to the extremes of nostalgia, regret and outright admiration as no other movie has moved me this year, even though -- or perhaps because -- it is a mere documentary.
At a time when our space program is mostly distinguished by its tragedies, we may need this more than we know. For 90 minutes, at least, the gee-whiz pioneer spirit proves alive and well.
I sat riveted watching David Sington's "In the Shadow of the Moon," a documentary where 10 astronauts recall a time and era that made America, and the world, proud.
It has taken a British director, David Sington, to do what nobody has done before: sit down with surviving Apollo astronauts and get them to talk us through what was, in retrospect, the happiest public event of an unhappy century.
An awe-inspiring film suffused with reverence and wonder . . . with the power to coax tears and goosebumps from even the most jaded viewer.
Moon is a deeply respectful motion picture, clearly endeavoring to shift the moon landings back to cultural regality, away from all the naysayers and cruel conspiracy theorists.
Though Shadow could use a bit more confessionals and a bit less history, it still succeeds as a reminder of America's can-do spirit at its best.
One small documentary for a filmmaker and one giant leap in inspiration for audiences.
For all its swelling soundtrack and magnificent imagery, it leaves its most compelling story unexplored.
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