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	...	Self
Neil Armstrong	...	Self (archive footage)
Stephen Armstrong	...	Self (archive footage)
Viola Armstrong	...	Self (archive footage)
Alan Bean	...	Self
Eugene Cernan	...	Self
Michael Collins	...	Self
Charles Duke	...	Self (as Charlie Duke)
John F. Kennedy	...	Self (archive footage)
Jim Lovell	...	Self (as James Lovell)
Edgar D. Mitchell	...	Self (as Edgar Mitchell)
Garry Moore	...	Self (archive footage)
Richard Nixon	...	Self / US President (archive footage) (as Richard M. Nixon)
Harrison Schmitt	...	Self
Dave Scott	...	Self (as David Scott)

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 landing | moon | 1960s | nasa | astronaut | 

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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

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

Reveals the Heart of the Astronauts

Saw this film at Sundance, the screening reserved for the Grand Jury World Documentary Award Winner. Wow! I have seen many of the preceding documentaries on the history of the American space program, the Apollo program in particular. Where this documentary exceeds all previous efforts was in revealing the humanity of the astronauts. Most other documentaries focus on the politics which motivated and technical hurdles overcome in the American space program. David Sington brilliantly uses only the astronauts voices for narration of facts and more with newly released footage from NASA, as well as a lot of footage we've all seen before. Because of the free rein given to the astronauts in the interviews, you see many sides of each revealed. For instance, Mike Collins (who has heretofore rarely been interviewed) reveals wonderful humor and joy in his accomplishments. You find out more about their worries and fears, how they look back on their work and what they were thinking at the time. They are all revealed as nice guys with whom you would want to spend an afternoon.

Strangely absent, but it works well in the end, was Armstrong. He gives virtually no interviews. In a way, having everyone else talk about him is maybe better than him talking.

And, the various conspiracy theories are dealt with in the end credits. This is a great place to do it. In films we sometimes see the end credits used for humorous out-takes, epilogue commentary, and so forth. By dealing with the conspiracy theories in an appended manner during the credits, the film refuses to elevate them to the level of legitimacy that the remainder of the facts and biographical material, yet still dismisses them. The single best dismissal is this: If it was all faked, why did they fake it so many times? Wouldn't once have been enough?

See this film when it comes to your neighborhood theater, as it has been announced as having a distribution deal. It is worth seeing on the big screen for its amazing visuals.

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

Gross USA:

$1,134,358

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,161,369

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