Apollo 11 (1996)

Fearful that the Russians would continue their lead in the space race and be the first to put a man on the moon, NASA felt an enormous pressure to push the Apollo Program forward as quickly... See full summary »

Director:

Norberto Barba

Writer:

Phil Penningroth

Stars:

Carmen Argenziano, Tuck Milligan, Dennis Lipscomb

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carmen Argenziano	...	Tom Paine
Tuck Milligan	...	Martin Wells
Dennis Lipscomb	...	George Low
William Mesnik	...	Bob Gilruth
Jack Conley	...	Deke Slayton
Michael Chieffo	...	Dr. Charles Berry
Jeffrey Nordling	...	Neil Armstrong
James Parks	...	Man at Bar
Barbara Whinnery	...	Lola Morrow (as Barbara K. Whinnery)
Wendie Malick	...	Pat Collins
Jim Metzler	...	Mike Collins
Samantha Dapper	...	Annie Collins
Jane Kaczmarek	...	Jan Armstrong
Maureen Mueller	...	Joan Aldrin
Xander Berkeley	...	Buzz Aldrin

Storyline

Fearful that the Russians would continue their lead in the space race and be the first to put a man on the moon, NASA felt an enormous pressure to push the Apollo Program forward as quickly as possible, though they knew that pushing too hard could lead to the ultimate disaster. This film recreates the tensions that were felt not only by the three astronauts, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, but also by their families and by the teams of technicians training to deal with anything that could go wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

nasa | outer space | the star spangled banner | moon landing | based on true story | 

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Taglines:

On July 20, 1969, the whole world stopped. Where were you?

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apollo 11: The Movie

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apollo 11 Productions Inc., Family Channel, The, James Manos Jr. Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

All Apollo landings were done with the sun directly behind the lunar module.

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Soundtracks

No Name Blues
Written by Phil Marshall
Performed by Mersh Bros. Band
Courtesy of Slash Back Music

User Reviews

One enjoyable leap

I watched and taped this movie when the Family Channel originally ran it in 1996. They (the Family Channel) promoted it pretty heavily and had trivia questions during the commercial breaks. It was an event geared for family viewing, something the Family Channel has lost site of lately. I recently viewed my tape to see how I would react to it almost 10 years after its release. My opinion has not changed; It is an enjoyable movie but it is what one would expect from a made for TV movie. I don't think the makers of this film can deny that they were cashing in on the waves created in the wake of the successful Apollo 13 which was released the previous year (1995). There was some good information conveyed in the movie, however, it did borrow a number of snippets from Apollo 13 - the wrist watch being put on over the astronaut's space suit, the close up of the traction belt on the tractor moving the rocket to the launch pad (almost the exact same shots used in Apollo 13) and Gene Kranz stating "Work the problem..." The actor who played Gene Kranz seemed to be trying harder to be Ed Harris than Gene Kranz. I like the scenes that showed the astronauts at home with their wives/families before the flight. I felt they were done very well and added some good contrast to the goings-on at NASA. I also found one scene somewhat out of place - Micheal Collins makes a comment which alludes to receiving a T-shirt that says "My husband went to moon and all I got was a lousy..." I doubt that saying was around in 1969. Despite these factors, I would definitely recommend this film as it is well made and informative. It is also a great story about American triumph, something badly needed in a post-9/11 world. I will point out that I too agree - the song at the end is beautiful.