With humor, humanity, and staggering images, In the Shadow of the Moon brings home the sheer guts it must have taken to ride a rocket to a barren rock in the sky.
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
The documentary would play well in a double feature with something on the four food groups.
I wouldn’t have missed this chance to revisit one of earth’s most significant encounters with deep space for anything.
The story (even more so if you weren't around in July of 1969) is gripping, eloquent, and powerful stuff, the right stuff right down to its pioneering heart, taking manifest destiny to the stars themselves.
These are old stories told with minimal artistry, and the film lacks the vision that might separate it from a crowded field.
In our own time of war and discord, this movie offers the rousing gallantry of peaceful risk and sacrifice -- and hope.
The heart of Sington's film is the dry humour and boundless humility of his interviewees.
That human touch is what distinguishes In the Shadow of the Moon from run-of-the-mill documentaries and is a timely reminder, in these dark days, that mankind is capable of much that is good.
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.
A researcher for this production spent years screening NASA footage that was still, in many cases, in its original film cans and had never been seen. The film was cleaned up and restored, the color refreshed, and the result is beautiful and moving.
It has the air of an officially sanctioned tribute rather than a probing study, but it's stirring all the same.
This magnificent documentary about the Apollo missions to the moon contains oodles of original, beautifully remastered NASA footage that has never been seen before.
An awe-inspiring film suffused with reverence and wonder . . . with the power to coax tears and goosebumps from even the most jaded viewer.
The real selling point is an astonishing wealth of footage from the NASA warehouses.
A gorgeous, powerful and moving film ... not only the best documentary of the year, but possibly one of the best films period.
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