The Dish (2000)

A remote Australian community, populated by quirky characters, plays a key role in the first Apollo moon landing.

Director:

Rob Sitch

Writers:

Santo Cilauro (conceived and written by), Tom Gleisner (conceived and written by)

Stars:

Sam Neill, Billy Mitchell, Roz Hammond

3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Neill	...	Cliff Buxton
Billy Mitchell	...	Cameron
Roz Hammond	...	Miss Nolan
Christopher-Robin Street	...	Damien
Luke Keltie	...	Graeme
Naomi Wright	...	Melanie
Ben Wright-Smith	...	Nicholas
Beverley Dunn	...	Secretary (voice)
Grant Thompson	...	Mr. Callen
Bille Brown	...	Prime Minister
Bernard Curry	...	Newspaper Reporter
Kevin Harrington	...	Ross 'Mitch' Mitchell
Tom Long	...	Glenn Latham
Patrick Warburton	...	Al Burnett
Roy Billing	...	Mayor Robert 'Bob' McIntyre

Storyline

In the days before the July 19, 1969 space mission that marked humankind's first steps on the moon, NASA was working with a group of Australian technicians who had agreed to rig up a satellite interface. That the Aussies placed the satellite dish smack dab in the middle of an Australian sheep farm in the boondocks town of Parkes was just one of the reasons that NASA was concerned. Based on a true story, The Dish takes a smart, witty, comical look at the differing cultural attitudes between Australia and the U.S. while revisiting one of the greatest events in history.

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Plot Keywords:

cricket the sport | nasa | moon walk | satellite dish | australia | 

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Taglines:

Man's first step on the moon nearly stumbled on earth

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The moon phase during the Apollo 11 landing was first quarter, the full moon shots shown in the film wouldn't have been what anyone saw day. Also, being a first quarter, at the time of the landings (almost 10 pm Houston time) the moon was invisible from North America. Australia was the only place that could receive the pictures of the first steps on the moon.

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Goofs

On the blackboard showing calculations for finding where Apollo 11 is the word parallax is spelled "parrallax".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Cameron: Excuse me sir, I'm afraid you've come in the wrong way.
Cliff Buxton: I'm sorry...
Cameron: Yeah, this is the old entrance. The visitors' center's back out and around to the left.
Cliff Buxton: Right well, I'll wander over then.
Cameron: Well worth it. Been through some amazing times.

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Crazy Credits

The producers acknowledge the valuable assistance of the staff at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory and Visitors Centre, the Council and people of Parkes, New South Wales, and the Council and people of Forbes, New South Wales.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Episode #9.1 (2012)

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Soundtracks

Lorsque Vous N'Aurez Rien A Faire
from "Cherubin"
Written by Jules Massenet
Performed by Dawn Upshaw, soprano
Münchner Rundfunkorchester, conducted by Pinchas Steinberg
Under license from BMG Australia Limited

User Reviews

Wonderfully Pleasant Movie

I am a die-hard movie buff and I had never heard of this movie until my brother brought it to Thanksgiving. After watching it I was very pleased. A very fun movie with a great story and a delightfully quirky cast. The movie is worth watching just for Rudi, the security guard. Enjoy.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. (Flash version)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dish

Filming Locations:

Crawford Productions, Box Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$70,612, 18 March 2001

Gross USA:

$2,552,992

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,575,074

Company Credits

Production Co:

Working Dog, Distant Horizon, Dish Film Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 97 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1