Countdown

19671967
PGPG
1h 41m

Desperate to land a man on the moon before Russia does, NASA hastily preps a would-be spaceman for a mission that would leave him alone in a lunar shelter for a year.Desperate to land a man on the moon before Russia does, NASA hastily preps a would-be spaceman for a mission that would leave him alone in a lunar shelter for a year.Desperate to land a man on the moon before Russia does, NASA hastily preps a would-be spaceman for a mission that would leave him alone in a lunar shelter for a year.

5.9/10

2.3K

Director
- Robert Altman
Writers
- Loring Mandel(screenplay)
- Hank Searls(novel "The Pilgrim Project")
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Charles Aidman and Joanna Moore in Countdown (1967)

James Caan and Michael Murphy in Countdown (1967)

Director
- Robert Altman
Writers
- Loring Mandel(screenplay)
- Hank Searls(novel "The Pilgrim Project")
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

When the U.S. learns the Soviets are about to launch a manned mission to the moon, they feel it imperative that they get there first. The moon program isn't ready to launch yet so they decide to send one man in a modified Gemini capsule that will be able to land on the moon. The astronaut will have to stay there for up to a year - in a special built shelter that will be sent ahead of time - until an Apollo mission can rescue him. The obvious choice for the mission is Chiz, who knows the Gemini inside out but the Soviets are sending civilians, not military men, so geologist Lee Stegler is asked to go. He has only three weeks however to learn about the intricacies of the spacecraft and no one is sure if he will make it. —garykmcd

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Taglines
- The motion picture that puts a man on the moon ... and you will follow him every terrifying second of the way ...
Genres
- Sci-Fi
- Thriller
Certificate
- PG
Parents guide

Trivia
N.A.S.A. co-operated fully with the film, lending the producers its facilities, including Cape Canaveral as a location.

Goofs
After landing on the moon, astronaut Lee Stegler normally walks on the moon surface, just like walking on Earth.Moving in the lunar gravity, one-sixth of Earth's gravity, is a process of loping, including two-footed kangaroo hops. The fine moon soil is quite slippery and the real-life astronauts who actually walked on the moon reported that they needed to plan their movements six or seven steps ahead.

Quotes
Lee Stegler: Okay, the secret word was Pilgrim. I, eh, I figured that out.
Rick: What's the deal, Chiz?
Chiz: We're going to send a man to the moon.
Rick: You're kidding?
Lee Stegler: A man?
Chiz: One man all the way. It's called Pilgrim.

Connections
Featured in Altman (2014)

Top review

6/10

Good actors in an enjoyable film

Although this movie was made back in the 1960's, tonight was the first time that I ever saw it. My wife and I found it to be an enjoyable Friday night offering. This movie was not about special effects, meteors hurling through space, etc. Rather, it was about the people who comprise the team that organizes and develops the US Space program. As always, Robert Duvall was excellent, this time as an Astronaut who, because of political considerations, was removed as the person who was scheduled to become the first to land on the moon. Duvall played his character with just the right amount of anger and disappointment before becoming the instructor and motivator to the man who replaced him, also well played by James Caan. I wish the ending had been a bit longer but that is a mere quibble with what I feel is a fine movie

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