Apollo 11 documentary

If you’re at all interested in the space program, go see this. It’s gorgeous. It’s beautifully put together, and it tells a familiar story in a new way with new footage, and sidestepping all the footage you’ve seen over and over. Well worth seeing on a big screen. It’s even funny in places, giving you a feel for the relationship between the astronauts and the ground as well as the people who were watching. 

Man, I wish I could be involved in something like that. Too bad I don’t have any skills that SpaceX could use. 

I am exactly the right age to be very interested in this.  Theatrical release? Imax?

It's a pretty limited theatrical release.  Look at the more "artsy" theaters.  I would be nice to see on a very large screen.

BTW - I know a guy who helped design the Lunar Module (a product of Grumman).  Specifically the base plate the accent engine was attached to.  It was fun to watch a doc on the development of the LM and he recognized a lot of people.

My uncle worked for NASA at the time. He gave me a series of large photos taken on Apollo 11. I remember bringing them to school for show and tell. I should probably get some of them properly framed and protected better than they are in my desk drawer.

I'll have to watch for it in my area.  Many years ago I worked at a company that was a NASA subcontractor, and I spent a lot of time at several of their facilities.  I still have my NASA name badge here in my desk drawer.    Several of the people I interacted with had worked there since the pre-NASA days (when the agency was known as the NACA) and had been involved in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.  They had some great stories.

aircooled said:

It's a pretty limited theatrical release.  Look at the more "artsy" theaters.  I would be nice to see on a very large screen.

BTW - I know a guy who helped design the Lunar Module (a product of Grumman).  Specifically the base plate the accent engine was attached to.  It was fun to watch a doc on the development of the LM and he recognized a lot of people.

Spider is my favorite episode of HBO's From the Earth to the Moon mini-series.

We, too, saw it over the weekend- it's really well edited.  Which is really what it is- hours and hours of film taken back in 1969 was put together for this film.   Based on the clarity of the scenes, much of it had to be original.

Go see it.  It's amazing how on the edge of your set you get, even though you know what happens, and it was 50 years ago.

Keith- I was thinking the same thing about doing something like that.  And as much as I have contempt for Musk, what Space X is doing is really cool- I watched launch, docking, and landing/recovery of the recent Space X capsule- and the excitement you hear in the background of the SpaceX people is really neat.  Fun times for them!

Some of the footage is actually being seen for the first time - a stillborn documentary was uncovered. And it was large format and shot with a cinematographer’s eye. The shots of the Saturn V on the launch pad are stunning, and the presentation of various moments like takeoff and the moon descent are really well done. I expect I’m going to go see this again. 

I think Musk is driving great things at SpaceX. You have to separate that from his more uneven work at Tesla. 

Scott Manley posted this review after he saw it and after watching that I bought tickets to see it the following night at our local IMAX theatre, it was worth it to see it on the big screen with big sound. Scott is my go to Youtuber to keep up with what's happening in space currently and Vintage Space is great if you are interested in the earlier stuff.

Time to re-watch From the Earth to the Moon.

Adam 

I need to find where this is playing and see it. My earliest clear memory is watching the landing on our Zenith TV on the gold-tone TV stand when I was 3.

Thank you guys for bringing this to my attention!  I'm so far out of the loop that I missed this, but I think I'll be making a movie night with the kids this week!

Streetwiseguy said:

I am exactly the right age to be very interested in this.  Theatrical release? Imax?

Sadly only its first week release was shown in Imax theaters.  The week after was the opening of Captain Marvel and all the Imax theaters switched over to that movie. There are no more Imax showings that I could find.

I wish I knew about its release earlier, there was little info about it and I thought it was another movie retelling like First Man so I didn't pay attention.  My brother got to see it at the largest Imax screen in the US in NYC. The highlight of the big screen presentation was the launch and the roll out to the pad. I am still extremely jealous. 

I love learning about the Apollo missions, I still can't believe what they accomplished 50 years ago! My grandfather actually knew Jack Swigert, the last minute replacement who was on Apollo 13. He was a test pilot at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, CT and my grandfather was his go-to guy for alignments. He drove a Corvette in the Apollo 13 movie, but in reality I think it was a Fiat.

shuttlepilot said:

Streetwiseguy said:

I am exactly the right age to be very interested in this.  Theatrical release? Imax?

Sadly only its first week release was shown in Imax theaters.  The week after was the opening of Captain Marvel and all the Imax theaters switched over to that movie. There are no more Imax showings that I could find.

I wish I knew about its release earlier, there was little info about it and I thought it was another movie retelling like First Man so I didn't pay attention.  My brother got to see it at the largest Imax screen in the US in NYC. The highlight of the big screen presentation was the launch and the roll out to the pad. I am still extremely jealous. 

Its playing at the Edmonton science center Imax this week...Only six hours away for me.

Do also check you local art house.  For instance, the moving is currently being shown at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.  And even on the smaller screening room screen, it's really awesome to see.  

I'm kind of surprised that it's not scheduled at The Henry Ford Imax- this is a perfect film for that museum and theater.

alfadriver said:

I'm kind of surprised that it's not scheduled at The Henry Ford Imax- this is a perfect film for that museum and theater.

That was the first place I checked. Looks like Ade and I are going to see it tomorrow at the AMC in Livonia.

This one is high on my list to go see.

My dad was heavily involved in the Apollo missions as a young engineer, and did a ton of work on the booster separations and heat shields.  He later went on to design work in the shuttle program, and some work on jets and submarines.  His roommate at the time designed one of the lunar rovers.  

The man that owns our business was an original member of Wernher Von Braun's team.  He gives a great tour of the space center as he worked on almost everything in the place is some form or fashion.  

Fascinating stuff.

In reply to alfadriver :

I read somewhere that it will be released to museum and such theaters this fall.

Saw it on IMAX, it was incredible.

jde said:

In reply to alfadriver :

I read somewhere that it will be released to museum and such theaters this fall.

Saw it on IMAX, it was incredible.

They are releasing it to museums, but with half the runtime to be field trip friendly. Hopefully some of these space movies will be re-released periodically. Gravity in Imax 3d was amazing. Interstellar was spectacular in imax.  

Phenomenal doc. See it on the biggest screen with the best sound system you can. Even though you know how it all turns out, you'll still hold your breath at some points.

I didn't get to see it in imax but it was still beautiful. Gorgeous. The TV footage from the Moon is as fuzzy as I recall but the stills are just breathtaking. And yes, the scenes on the pad, and on the way to the pad are fantastic. I love that it was narrated by the voices that were there, and the use of titles and text was limited to where it was most needed. That 3rd stage burn built up speed in a GIANT HURRY. And watching the altimeter and fuel remaining info was... well it was dramatic. This is a must see, y'all.