2019 - APOLLO 11, interesting documentary about the first moon landing

 Probably the high point for NASA and the race to beat the Russians to be the first to land on the moon, Apollo 11 is a very well made film about an amazing technical triumph that is now almost 60 years old.

The director Todd Douglas Miller had access to lots of footage of the Apollo 11 mission.  NASA was obsessive about filming every single aspect of the mission.  Miller and his team had the footage converted and enhanced to the digital format which gave the old film a really sharp look.  The decision was also made not to have a narrator droning away throughout the film.  This allowed the original film footage to let the story speak for itself.

What can you say about the Apollo 11 astronauts?  The leader of the team Neil Armstrong was very smart but not exactly a guy you would want to spend a weekend partying in Las Vegas with.  Apparently he was not a warm and cuddly kind of husband, his marriage fell apart after 38 years.  Buzz Aldrin the lunar module pilot was married four times and struggled with depression and alcoholism.  Command module pilot Michael Collins seemed to have been the most well adjusted of the team.  He went on to have a life after the moon mission advocating for the space program and working for the government in various roles.  Real life is kind of messy, especially after you've had the achievement of a lifetime.

 

Probably one of the biggest takeaways from this film besides the stunning pictures is of a program that literally employed thousands of people to achieve the goal to land on the moon which started in 1961 and took eight years to finish.  

 

This an interesting film about an event that was an exciting time in American history which is probably now starting to fade into the past.

No credited writer on this film, the pictures tell the story.  The running time is 93 minutes.