Con’s Score: 4 Starry Stars
The problem with hoarders is they’re good at keeping things but not knowing where they are when they want them. When director Tom Douglas Miller worked with NASA and the National Archives to put together footage for the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, they found a shed load of 70mm footage and 11,000 hours of audio recordings.
They must have yelled ‘Gold’ when they discovered it, because Miller has edited together a compelling documentary.
From the close-up of the caterpillar tracks carrying the 9.3million pound spacecraft to the launching pad, you’re hooked. You instantly get an idea of the scale – it’s over 320 feet tall. And the one million people who lined the shores to watch it take off are almost as entertaining as the explosion of gas. (Hello Johnny Carson and Isaac Ustinov!). It was 16 July 1969 after all.
The NASA audio provides the commentary, apart from Walter Cronkite, the newsreader. There is no added voice over. Apart from some dramatic music it’s very straightforward and factual. There was a minor hydrogen leak before liftoff which they fixed, but it all went relatively smoothly, apart from some concern it went early when timing its landing on the moon. Armstrong rated it the most difficult part of the trip. (He gave it a 13, which is more than the Spinal Tap metre.)
When an ad for this documentary was posted on my Facebook page, many people recollected where they were when they watched the moon landing as kids. It still evokes strong emotions. I was too young, but the famous line still brought a lump to my throat.
(There were also many who still think it was faked. If you have any doubts about it, watch this. It’s a better investment than donating to the Flat Earth Society or Izzy Falau’s court action.)
There was still enough new information to dazzle me. The incredible speed to leave our atmosphere (26,000 mph); the manoeuvres after they left our atmosphere; Micheal Collins having to orbit the moon 30 times on his own and the delicate manoeuvre to reconnect.
It’s all captured in grainy close-up, and that’s the beauty of this documentary. Not much of the footage is new. But as they found it in the original 70mm format, they were able to digitise it and re-present it for a big screen, and then synch it with all the new audio they discovered of chats between the various controllers and the astronauts.
Being a cinema verite treatment of the event, there isn’t a true explanation of the political context of this event. Nixon talks to the astronauts on the moon and tells them how “it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to Earth,” while Vietnam entered its fifth week. It was all about the Cold War. It finishes with an excerpt from John F Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the moon” speech. (Apparently JFK wasn’t that keen, but his assassination made it a legacy.) It still reminded me how far a visionary can take us, and how far we’ve failed to come. For now, enjoy these vivid memories.
Con Nats – On The Screen
