In The Shadow Of The Moon

Director: David Sington
Rating: PG
Runtime: 100 minutes
Trailer: Click here to view
Release Date: September 7, 2007 (limited)
The Reel Man: 5 reels
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***MINOR SPOILER ALERT***
If humankind has a purpose, it is to explore and discover. From Magellan to Lewis and Clark, humans are driven as a species to, as one fictional Starfleet captain once said, "boldly go where no one has gone before." And there is no more awe-inspiring example of man’s quest for answers than NASA's Apollo space program. While the motivation to land a man (after all it was a boys' club back then) on the moon had very little to do with exploration, it is a triumph that also exists outside the politics of the Cold War.
With new interviews of the surviving Apollo astronauts, In The Shadow of the Moon relates through first-person accounts, the stakes, fears and discoveries of humankind's greatest achievement, peppered throughout with stunning archival footage. Looking back on their missions of the late 60's and early 70's, the astronauts are surprisingly animated, eloquent and even humorous - especially Alan Bean (Apollo 12) and Michael Collins (Apollo 11). Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) also delivers a big laugh when he recounts what he was first to do on the moon (hint: it rhymes with "kiss.") While one astronaut invokes the son of God (I'd like to see Jesus try and pilot the lunar module), I much prefer the presence of the more nondenominational, spiritual insights the journey impressed upon these men.
To the delight of conspiracy theorists who see it as a silent confirmation of the “truth,” first-man-on-the-moon, Neil Armstrong, turned down the opportunity to be interviewed for the film. His absence is a shame as it would be interesting to hear more from the Apollo 11 commander whose words (missing article forgiven) so perfectly encapsulated the real meaning of the mission. Perhaps it is just his reclusive nature or maybe he simply recognizes that the first lunar landing was not the accomplishment of one astronaut, but rather hundreds of thousands of scientists, engineers and other contractors behind the scenes, every bit as, and in many ways more, important than his contribution.
Our lives can be traced by the footprints we leave behind, and those footprints in the lunar dust left by a jury's worth of astronauts are profound ones to be sure. My father was there to watch the launch of Apollo 11, and I hope I am able to witness liftoff of the first manned (or wo-manned) mission to Mars.