In the Shadow of the Moon

In the Shadow of the Moon is a fantastic in depth view into the astronauts of the Apollo Program. Very candid interviews and some rare and unusual footage.

In the Shadow of the Moon
is a great movie...is not a documentary...it will make you proud of those thousands and thousands of people that achieved the kennedy`s goal. To put a man on the moon.

In the shadow of the moon is an accomplishment in that it holds one's attention even if one knows the outcome of the story. This always struck me as one of the great attributes of Ron Howard's "Apollo 13" in that we all knew what happened, to varying degrees of specificiality, and yet it was still dramatic and compelling. "In The Shadow of the Moon" accomplishes much the same in more of a documentary way. The film is compelling and captivating and not just because of the story that is and was the Apollo program. A film of this sorts runs the huge risk of being cheesy and over stated. It also runs the risk of telling nothing new other than the facts, most of which those who would see the film would know. Instead "In the Shadow" tells the basic story for those who do not know the history of Apollo, and yet gives Apollophiles something satisfying. For me it was the perspective that comes with distance in time. We are now almost 40 years since "we" went to the moon, and the power the experience had for those who went, magnifying the memories for those of us who watched and remember, speaks of the greatness of the endeavor. All of the astronauts were changed for their going. I remember the crew of Apollo 12, if my memory is correct, speaking about when one "returned from the moon," not physically but emotionally, as being the time when one didnt think about the experience. Judging from "In the Shadow," most or all of the astronauts never fully returned. Even as they traveled, explored, and brought back rocks and soil, they seemed to leave a part of themselves behind. "In the Shadow" opens the window into how the men were changed in the accomplishing of this great feat and in so doing, tells how humanity was changed now that we live in a time when humanity went to the moon.

I really think that this movie is a must see, especially for those of us who grew up in the 60's with the start of the ventures into space. I was amazed at what these men went through. At the time I would have been too young to appreciate their sacrifice and commitment to the space exploration cause and the importance to the US. I think it is so wonderful that all of the men that went to the moon are still living and could provide this insightful information. Please watch this, you won't be disappointed.

"Awesome" and "awe inspiring" have become hackneyed clichés, but they truly apply in the case of this riveting documentary. "In the Shadow of the Moon" chronicles the Apollo space program, which audaciously planned to land a man on the moon within a 7-8 year time frame. We now all know they succeeded but it is easy to forget or take for granted the enormity - and dangers - of the task set before us. America galvanized behind John F. Kennedy's goal to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960's decade.

The film is a blend of "talking heads" from various ex-astronauts, now clearly in the twilight of their lives, and documentary footage from the 1960's. As the Eagle spacecraft lands in July 1969 and Neal Armstrong sets foot on the lunar surface, it's hard not to tear up in pride, in pride for what America was able to accomplish. You see how the entire world rejoiced in this triumph and identified with it, hearkening to time when it seemed that everyone else in the world did not hate or resent Americans.

Another undercurrent is the spiritual epiphany that the moon trips induced in many of the astronauts. The view of the bejeweled earth from outer space gave some of them a new sense of wonder, awe, belief in God and a vision of stewardship over our planet.

A gaping omission is the absence of any comments from Neal Armstrong, who apparently is a committed recluse.

The notion of watching a documentary about the Apollo Space program may sounds as dull as reading transcripts of the Federal Reserve Board, but I assure you, you will NEVER be bored!