Smile UK Store - In The Shadow Of The Moon [2007]

List Price: £19.99
Our Price: £9.98
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: Channel 4 DVD

Average Customer Rating:

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Audience Rating: Parental Guidance
Binding: DVD
EAN: 6867449010595
Format: PAL
Label: Channel 4 DVD
Manufacturer: Channel 4 DVD
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Channel 4 DVD
Region Code: 2
Release Date: 2008-03-31
Running Time: 100
Studio: Channel 4 DVD
Theatrical Release Date: 2007

Related Items

Editorial Reviews:

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Profoundly Beautiful
Comment: I found this feature documentary to be an amazing compilation of mans journey of all journeys - to travel to the moon. For those who know little about the Apollo missions this is a great overview, beautifully put together with an easy pace. More importantly are the words from the astronauts themselves. They truly convey their experiences to the audience with deep conviction and passion. The political climate in the sixties and Kennedys astounding vision lay the foundations for this incredible feat to be realised within a decade. This is simply and profoundly awe inspiring.

Customer Rating:

Summary: I wanted to learn more!
Comment: Unfortunately, the feature-length format is insufficient to cover this topic in any depth. The film whizzes us through the background of the space race in the 60s, then dips in and out of the various key Apollo missions - lessening a sense of the timeline of events. The footage and interviews are all good, but if, like myself, you've read a decent book/seen other documentaries on the same subject, you won't really gain much insight. The film has re-kindled my interest, however, so I'm now going to check out the [12 hour] From The Earth To The Moon series.

Customer Rating:

Summary: An Important Historical Document
Comment: In the Shadow of the Moon contains original footage and interviews with the surviving Apollo astronauts. Its juxtaposition of the film from the 60s and early 70s with a bunch of bright, engaging men in their seventies talking about when they went to the moon is a fantastic way of telling the story of when the world was still full of optimism about the future.

The film loses something from being on the small screen. I own this DVD but saw it at the cinema too and the cinema is the best way to see it. Saying all that, its still worth buying and the bonus with the DVD is you get another hour of interviews which are full of more entertaining and insightful anecdotes.

This is an important historical document and should be part of your DVD collection.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Great documentary - a change from the norm
Comment: I am not a space nut - in fact, as I was not alive/very old for the missions, they are not anything I have particularly thought about before. However, this is such a beautifully produced and directed documentary that it does not matter - and I certainly know a lot more now!

The character of all those involved (Neil Armstrong notable by his absence) shone through - their down to earth nature and "all in a days work" attitude was humbling. They make it easy to forget how dangerous such pioneering work was.

All in all, a lovely film that makes a real change from fiction blockbusters. The film, like its stars, is both understated and awe-inspiring. Enjoy! (And if you are also an Apollo enthusiast, you would love it even more!).

Customer Rating:

Summary: Our Finest Moment fondly revisited
Comment: In a world of war and financial crises look back at a better time when America focussed on more noble goals and carried the hopes of the whole human race with them. This film is a nostalgic and at times emotional view of the Apollo missions as told by the astronauts themselves.

I remember being sent to my next door neighbour's to watch the landings live as we didn't have a TV, the whole street was deserted, you could here a pin drop as everybody waited and watched. Seeing the grainy shots of Armstrong walking down the ladder and uttering the single most important sentence of any human being in History brought all that back and now I'm old enough to understand its significance.

The photography is fantastic but the score of this film is what truly elevates it. There are many standout scenes, the launch sequence, the tension as the crowds of people watch, the global interviews after the landing and Walter Cronkite getting emotional to name a few. However I found listening to the Kennedy speech and watching the faces of the astronauts and understanding the allegiance that they have for their slain president very poignant.

There have been many space documentary films and indeed some of this photography can be seen in "For all Mankind" which is even more beautifully scored by Brian Eno. There is also "Apollo 13", however that film celebrates a triumph born of disaster, this Film celebrates the greatest of all triumphs and should in my opinion be the one you focus your efforts on, it's the real deal after all!

The DVD has a reasonable bunch of special features but if a little predictable. The Film itself is worth the money alone. Its nearly 40 years since it happened many of us who saw it live have forgotten, so many of you will not have been born, celebrate this moment, take the time to re-live all of it in its magnificence time and time again .....

More Reviews