For All Mankind

I won't reiterate all of the praise of this film except to say that if I had just few more spare dollars when it was released on laserdisc, I would have bought a laserdisc player just for this title (and 2001). Fortunately years later I've already purchased a DVD player and For All Mankind has finally been released on that format.

To me the defining moment of this film is the lunar lander slowly returning to the command module. At first we only see the cratered surface of the Moon moving below at incredible speed. Then we see a tiny motionless speck above it. Was it a defect in the lens? Of course not. It's the lunar lander slowly returning from the surface. It seems to take much longer than it really does because there are no cuts and no narrator explaining what we already know we're seeing. There's only a dot turning into a space ship. What more could you add to this amazing sight?

This film is a retelling of arguably one of the greatest achievements of the human race. In summer 1969, on a bright sunny morning, a group of astronauts led by commander Neil Armstrong climbed into the Saturn V rocket ready for its first flight. Not even 70 years had passed since planes had been invented. About 1 million people had gathered at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the once in a lifetime event, and millions more watched the entire thing on television. This film attempts to recapture some of that excitement that must have been everywhere on that day. It features interviews with the people who were brave enough to leave Earth in order to visit a place that has always watched over humanity, quite literally. At some points, it feels almost like a horror movie because nobody in the rocket or back on Earth knew if the thing would just blow up in flight for no reason, and the inside of the rocket module looks incredibly small. One of the astronauts says how strange of an experience it was and how going to the moon isn't like travelling to any other place, because when you travel somewhere, you have various landmarks to tell how far you got. On the moon mission, he says you leave Earth, pass an unimaginably large area of absolutely nothing for a few days, and suddenly, you're at the moon. There is nothing in between. The fact that the moon is only about a quarter of a million miles from Earth while stars are so far away you couldn't reach them even if you travelled your whole life makes it even more daunting. After the module lands on the surface, Neil says his famous line, and we see more very impressive shots of what the surface of the moon looks like. It has a depressing feel to it because the only colors are gray and black, but at the same time, it has a triumphant feel. The moon has been waiting thousands of years for people to go there, and the men reflect this by saying even though they knew they might not come back, they felt at home there. The soundtrack for this movie also gives it a sad feel that makes you realize how vast and empty space is. They show many things that seem unbelievable, even to experienced astronauts, such as small dots of light on the African continent (they're actually fires started by tribes), and having their food float in zero gravity when they're trying to eat. This is something that everyone should see at least once, because it discusses one of humanity's biggest accomplishments. To this day it's strange to think it was done in the 60s. Not many people have been to space, so you will be amazed watching this.

I saw this film at a very, very young age and I suspect that it is the reason I developed a heavy interest in space exploration. I recently saw this again for the first time in many years since all I had was a vague recollection of it. And after watching many times since then I have no problem saying that this is one of the best documentaries ever made.

One must give the film's director, Al Reinert, at a ton of credit for his work. Who else could have come up with the brilliant notion behind this film? Who would have thought of taking footage from all of the Apollo missions (and a couple of the Gemini missions) and combining them with the words of the men who went where no one had (or has since) gone before? (Apologies for paraphrasing Star Trek) The genius of this film is that it shuns away from traditional documentary styling. Instead of compiling facts on one mission and having a well known actor/actress do the narration, the film lets those who went tell the story. Who else is better qualified? They might not be professional actors, but the astronauts don't need to be. It is the power of the events they describe that is the main reason for their presence. They are a powerful voice in this story.

In many reviews I have read, I have seen complaints about the mixing of footage or the use of footage out of its context (a Gemini reentry used for the TLI burn for example). Yes the mixing is nowhere near subtle and is, thus, blatantly obvious. But it is my feeling that this mixing was necessary. The only way to get across the story of Apollo's achievement to the average person was to mix the footage. Does it really matter in the end? I mean by that this: the film isn't about a single mission to the Moon. No, the power of Apollo lies not in each mission, but in the overall effect of the Apollo program. This film is about the journey of Apollo, the effect in had on the astronauts, and the effect it had on us all.

If there is one element of this film that really stayed with men it was the music. It is among the most beautiful and haunting things you will ever here. Brian Eno does a marvelous job of conveying the mystery and majesty of both space and the Moon. This is one of those scores who really have to hear to believe.

For All Mankind, perhaps better then anything else out there, demonstrates the power of humanity in space. For one to really appreciate this film it needs to be seen on a large screen in surround sound. Only then can one appreciate both the film and the power of the Apollo legacy. This is the first film I've seen that I recommend to everyone. This is a film that is truly "For All Mankind".

Most of this NASA footage is not what you've been able to see on the news but footage that shows more of the humanity and introspective moments that happen in the midst of the spectacular. Extended moments of them approaching the moon before the Eagle lands and the astronauts describing what it's like walking on the moon and as they explore and try to take a moment stop and simply ponder being on the Moon. A must see for any space fan.

Great footage, but the missions are all over the place without really telling us. If you don't have a little knowledge beforhand, like Apollo 13, you're pretty much left in the dark which mission is which and may think it was just 1 mission to the moon (and back obviously). Started to really dawn on me when Apollo 13 had that breathing problem (which was solved in a jiffy in this documentary) and then a crew was going for a moonlanding ( which obviously Appolo 13 never did. But hey when you hear the name Neil Armstrong you are pretty much back on course. Ah okay great i am seeings Apollo 11 and the first moonlanding at the moment : )

Footage: 8.5 Overall Docu : 6.