This isn't Ron Howard's Hollywood version of Apollo 13, so there are only glimpses of the personalities of the Apollo 11 crew, but it's interesting: watching Neil Armstrong on the ground, he seems to have a slight smirk on his face, a slight cockiness. But hey, if I was a hotshot former X-15 test pilot and Gemini astronaut who was about to become the most famous explorer since Christopher Columbus, I'd probably be a little cocky too. It's also an amazing contrast watching the crew in both their white spacesuits, and their off-duty togs: Buzz Aldrin's powder blue turtleneck and cardigan, and the Ban-Lon short-sleeve sportshirts worn by the other two men are just too much. (It reminds me that in a way, the future--our future--is in the past: the space program should be decades ahead of where it is now. We've wasted so much time piddling around with the Space Shuttle.) The DVD also contains the crew's postflight debriefing, and it's interesting to compare their no-nonsense tone talking among fellow NASA personal with their much more jovial attitude when they knew their statements were being beamed back to Earth for live, worldwide consumption.
After posing for PR photos, the three men then hop into their space capsule atop the Saturn V, and the whole shebang is launched into orbit.
Which is covered by 15 synchronized cameras.
That you can click through and choose with your DVD player's remote control.
(Excuse while I pick up my jaw from the floor.)
The multi-angle function of DVDs is rarely taken advantage of, and this is a tour-de-force of what it can do. Of course, the whole package is a tour-de-force of what DVD can do. As I said, I'm only through the first disc, but God, I'm loving what I see so far.
If you're a casual fan of the Apollo missions, this in-depth, full immersion treatment may be a bit overwhelming. I'd suggest watching Apollo 13, From The Earth To The Moon, or Criterion's painfully underrated documentary DVD, For All Mankind. But if want to feel like you're actually onboard with Neil, Buzz and Michael, this is your DVD.
(This post originally appeared, in a slightly altered form, on my Weblog.)
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