CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 09/07/07

Rocket Men

By Peter clines

In the Shadow of the Moon

Directed by David Sington
Based on the accounts of the surviving Apollo astronauts

From 1961 to 1975, the Apollo program sent almost three-dozen men into space, following the impromptu edict of President Kennedy. Eighteen of those men are the only humans in history who can honestly say they spent part of their lives somewhere besides the Earth, an experience that changed all of their lives. While In the Shadow of the Moon is not a scripted film, like any solid documentary it does tell a story—in this case through the words of the men who lived it. Assembled by Nova veteran David Sington, the interviews with Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and many others recount those adventures with far more power than any manipulated biopic, intercut with actual footage of their training and missions. While the absence of noted recluse Neil Armstrong is a bit disheartening, he's such an integral part of the story (and spoken of so well by his fellow officers) that it's hardly noticeable until well into the story of Apollo 11. This is what documentary making is all about, and stands as a prime example that events do not have to be fictionalized to be worthy of the big screen.

In the Shadow of the Moon
ThinkFilm
Rated PG; 100 min.

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Peter Clines has had a lifelong love affair with the movies. He grew up in New England, where he studied English literature and education, and now lives and writes somewhere in Southern California. If anyone knows exactly where, he would appreciate a few hints.

In the Shadow of the Moon courtesy ThinkFilm

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