In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)

The crew members of NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.

Director:

David Sington

Stars:

Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Stephen Armstrong

6 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Buzz Aldrin	...	Himself
Neil Armstrong	...	Himself (archive footage)
Stephen Armstrong	...	Himself (archive footage)
Viola Armstrong	...	Herself (archive footage)
Alan Bean	...	Himself
Eugene Cernan	...	Himself
Michael Collins	...	Himself
Charles Duke	...	Himself (as Charlie Duke)
John F. Kennedy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jim Lovell	...	Himself (as James Lovell)
Edgar D. Mitchell	...	Himself (as Edgar Mitchell)
Garry Moore	...	Himself (archive footage)
Harrison Schmitt	...	Himself
Dave Scott	...	Himself (as David Scott)
John Young	...	Himself

Storyline

In the 1960s, US President John F Kennedy proposed landing a man on the moon before the decade was finished. This film has interviews with most of the surviving astronauts of the Apollo program who were making ready to make that great voyage with an army of experts determined to make the endeavor possible. Through training, tragedy and triumph, we follow the greatest moments of one of Humanity's great achievements.

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Plot Keywords:

moon | 1960s | nasa | astronaut | spacecraft accident | 

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Taglines:

Remember when the whole world looked up

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language, brief violent images and incidental smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French Japanese

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Dans l'ombre de la lune

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$38,281, 9 September 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,134,049, 23 December 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Discovery Films, FilmFour, Passion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of all the astronauts who appeared in the film, only Buzz Aldrin demanded to be paid.

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Goofs

In the opening shot of the Moon as seen from the Earth (with clouds passing in front of the Moon) the film/video is flipped, i.e., we see a mirror image of the Moon.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Michael Collins: I kind of have two moons in my head, I guess, whereas most people just have one moon. I look at the moon just like everybody else who's never been there, and you know, there it is, and I've always thought it was interesting. Whether it's full or a sliver, or what have you. But every once in a while, I do think of a second moon, you know, the one that I recall from up close. And yeah, it is kind of hard to believe that I was actually up there.

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Connections

Features I've Got a Secret (1952)

User Reviews

Film = same old stuff; DVD Extras = gold!

This documentary covers the conquest of space, focusing on the U.S.A.'s Apollo missions. Squeaky clean, and straightforward by-the-numbers, chronological retelling of the lunar missions featuring interviews with some of the astronauts (Neil Armstrong is notably absent), and some great NASA film footage. Unfortunately, for anyone familiar with the space program, this is all pretty much familiar information, well-worn and well documented in the past. It would make a nice presentation at aerospace museums.

However, the special features on the DVD are what's really worth seeing! The interviews that didn't make the final cut. These are fascinating, and sometimes dark moments that include the astronauts' ruminations on the Cold War, Korea, the Russian space program, and other topics such as the death of astronauts in the line of duty, all the broken marriages and strained relationships, alcoholism, equipment failures, a more in depth look at the events of Apollo 13, pilot errors, profanity over com radios, the disappointments, practical jokes, difficulty adjusting to civilian life, and the general hopes, fears, and dreams of these first space pioneers.