Apollo 13 (1995)

NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Jim Lovell (book), Jeffrey Kluger (book)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon

Won 2 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 59 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Jim Lovell
Bill Paxton	...	Fred Haise
Kevin Bacon	...	Jack Swigert
Gary Sinise	...	Ken Mattingly
Ed Harris	...	Gene Kranz
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Marilyn Lovell
Mary Kate Schellhardt	...	Barbara Lovell
Emily Ann Lloyd	...	Susan Lovell
Miko Hughes	...	Jeffrey Lovell
Max Elliott Slade	...	Jay Lovell
Jean Speegle Howard	...	Blanch Lovell
Tracy Reiner	...	Mary Haise
David Andrews	...	Pete Conrad
Michele Little	...	Jane Conrad (as Michelle Little)
Chris Ellis	...	Deke Slayton

Storyline

Based on the true story of the ill-fated 13th Apollo mission bound for the moon. Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert were scheduled to fly Apollo 14, but are moved up to 13. It's 1970, and The US has already achieved their lunar landing goal, so there's little interest in this "routine" flight.. until that is, things go very wrong, and prospects of a safe return fade.

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Plot Keywords:

1970s | survival | astronaut | space mission | rescue | 

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Taglines:

Failure is not an option.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and emotional intensity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jim Lovell's line "I vonder vere Guenter vent" was made popular by the crew of Apollo 7. Guenter Wendt was NASA's "pad leader" during the Apollo program and was the last man seen by crews before liftoff. After Wendt closed Apollo 7's hatch and his face disappeared from the window, CSM pilot Donn Eisele said, "I wonder where Guenter went." Commander Wally Schirra claims to have stolen the line and made it famous among astronaut crews.

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Goofs

The orientation of the spacecraft during the mid-course correction burn is not consistent to what the crew was seeing out of the Lunar Module's windows.

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Quotes

Ken Mattingly: [taken off the crew for a viral infection] Well, I... damn. Medical guys. I had a feeling when they started doing all the blood tests that I... I mean I know it's their asses if I get sick up there, but I mean, JESUS!

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Alternate Versions

The film's IMAX 70mm release presented the film open-matte, at an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, meaning there was more picture information visible in the top and bottom of the frame than in normal theaters, during its initial run and on earlier home video releases, before the 10th Anniversary DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Penn & Teller: Bullshit!: NASA (2008)

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Soundtracks

Purple Haze
Written by Jimi Hendrix
Performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Courtesy of Are You Experienced? Ltd.

User Reviews

This is really some movie

I can watch this film over and over. Not only because I am so terribly interested in the exploration of space and the historical events that have taken place - but because it's a great film with excellent performances and a truth-telling style. Heck, even Lovell's wife dropping the wedding ring in the shower the day of the launch is true!

Just the fact that this film is true makes it even more enjoyable. It's hard to understand how in the hell one can make it back to Earth and survive with a fatally crippled space-craft. It's even harder to appreciate just how close they actually got to dying out there.

The performances are astounding. Ed Harris is just stupendous as Gene Krantz, and Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Garty Sinise and Bill Paxton (who seems to always get the role as the whiner...) are also great.

As Hanks put it: this story is one of the greatest ever. The question is, how do you get home? That question is as old as humanity itself.

You can tell he put his heart and soul into this one. And the fact that this happened to the American space explorers is hardly noticeable. Good job.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Lankershim Boulevard & Hesby Street - North Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,353,380, 2 July 1995

Gross USA:

$173,837,933

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$355,237,933

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min 106 min (IMAX Version)

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS IMAX 6-Track (IMAX version) Dolby SR DTS (DTS: X)

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1