Apollo 11 - Men on the Moon

Starring:Spacecraft Films-Apollo 11
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Mankind's greatest adventure is remembered for the digital age. The DVD format changed the way we look at movies and especially TV series, with massive complete-season sets. That concept is spectacularly taken one-step further with Spacecraft Films' definitive collections of the Gemini and Apollo space missions, stuffing in nearly every scrap of TV transmissions and on-board footage. The three- to six-disc sets use the full functions of the DVD format; see a liftoff in six different angles (some remixed with 5.1 sound) or listen to a mixture of air-to-ground communications, official NASA narration, or post-flight debriefings, most often carefully synched to the exact moment of footage seen. Like any good research paper, every bit of footage may not be interesting, but taken as a chronicle of history, it's irreplaceable.

NASA's most monumental mission was Apollo 11, placing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon. Unfortunately, it's one of the least stunningly photographed missions, with grainy black-and-white TV footage for the two-hour moon walk. However it's so rare that hardly anyone has seen more than a few seconds of this broadcast since 1969. Watch the broadcast as it was (alas, no Walter Cronkite, but this is the NASA feed--not a network), or watch the 16mm color footage shot by a stationary camera inside the lunar module, or watch a composition of both that also displays the famous photographs at the moment they were taken (how cool is that?). The moon walk is only one of three discs and there's another eight hours of footage, including all the onboard film and TV transmissions, pre-and post flight news conferences, and 15 views of the launch. Plus there's plenty of behind-the-scenes footage--the assembly of the giant Saturn 5 spacecraft, moon-walk rehearsals, and capsule recovery. For space junkies, it's the ultimate visual treasure trove. Any kid who has primed himself watching Ron Howard's majestic Apollo 13 (which featured no real space footage) will probably be disappointed in the lack of "cool" footage (oddly, the earlier Gemini missions have more "whoa" photography), but anybody interested in the moon mission finally has a complete chronicle of what it looked like when it happened. --Doug Thomas
Description
Own a piece of history! The most complete record ever available of this historic mission. This 3-disc set - over 10 hours in all - chronicles America's "one giant leap for mankind" from launch to landing with comprehensive footage from the film and videotape records of Apollo 11, the landmark event of man's achievement in the 20th Century. Features all TV transmissions, all 16mm on-board film, multi-angle views of the launch and lunar landing, and multiple audio tracks. Bonus features include the launch vehicle build, crew suit-up, recovery, and extra TV feeds including on-board audio.

Apollo 11: Men on the Moon
Average customer rating:

Walking on the MOON!

Some get it... some don't...

An independent review

For all mankind.

Apollo 11: Men on the Moon
Starring: Neil ArmstrongBuzz AldrinMichael CollinsThousands of others who worked to put them there.
Director: Mark Gray
Manufacturer: Spacecraft Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HOJ3IE
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Product Description

Own a piece of history! The most complete record ever available of this historic mission. This 3-disc set - over 10 hours in all - chronicles America's "one giant leap for mankind" from launch to landing with comprehensive footage from the film and videotape records of Apollo 11, the landmark event of man's achievement in the 20th Century. Features all TV transmissions, all 16mm on-board film, multi-angle views of the launch and lunar landing, and multiple audio tracks. Bonus features include the launch vehicle build, crew suit-up, recovery, and extra TV feeds including on-board audio.

Customer Reviews:

Walking on the MOON!.......2007-06-07

Can't believe in conspiracies after watching this amazing footage.
Nope. The Apollo 11 Moon Expedition was not staged in the Yuha Desert.

Educational experience!
An insight into Apollo 11 research, preparation, development, training, the launch, the flight, moon approach & landing, Armstrong's one small step & one giant leap, the work & experiments the men did up there, the placing of the American Flag, the return voyage back to mother, etc. etc.
Do it again NASA!

Be patient, perhaps watch it in steps.

You can see non-human alien off in the distance in a couple of frames, when the guys are bouncing around up there. Amazing!

Some get it... some don't..........2007-06-04

This is a note from the producer, and despite what the last reviewer asserts, anytime we post something about one of our products we do it in the clear, so you can see the source, any other reviews posted are from other independent customers.

Spacecraft Films set out with our series to provide those who have a deep interest in U.S. space exploration with access to the primary source material, in as good a quality as we could achieve. Because of this we do not filter the product in the manner of documentaries or live media. We do this on purpose, so that you have a chance to view the primary source material the way it really happened. The material is kept in many places and is in various states of preservation. We make new transfers and go through extensive editing just to bring the material all back together in one place.

Anyone's opinion is just fine with us, but I must clarify some items mentioned below.

The "audio and video taken from totally different events" was done on purpose, they aren't "errors." The reasoning behind this is that nearly all of the filmed portions that we have provided were shot silent. Rather than leave them silent or provide an obvious commentary, we elected to use that audio space to provide you with more primary audio-only material surrounding the mission. In order to do this, and because we often provide multiple camera angles of an event, for some tracks you get footage and audio that are from separate events, increasing the amount of material we're able to present.

Two of the television transmissions are presented on disc 3, because of the size limitations of the first DVD. I suppose this might be considered "out of chronological order," but the chapter booklet clearly states that the two transmissions are "on the way" to the moon. This isn't a mistake. It was done to allow the EVA to be kept all on one disc, and is noted correctly.

As for some tracks being boring... it all depends upon your level of interest and what portions of the mission your interests focus.

The Saturn V countdown was presented uncut because of the charm it holds for many of those who remember the countdowns. We've received numerous notes from folks who consider this one of the best tracks on the disc set.

Our sets aren't for those looking for a packaged, slick version of the mission. They are for those with a deep interest in being able to examine the record of the mission as it happened, without the errors introduced by the media filter and sensationalism.

An independent review.......2007-05-30

To be blunt, this set of disks was disappointing. While it has some high points (see below), it is largely a collection of NASA-created movie segments, with no narrative, no cohesive presentation, and, to a large extent,poor editing.

There are some notable highlights, however. The Apollo 11 lunar excursion is included in its entirety (likely one of the few disks that will ever show the whole thing). The producers put work into this particular segment, providing the viewer the option of viewing the slow-scan (1 frame/sec) 16 mm movie shot from the static position of Buzz Aldrin's LEM window (in color) or the black/white video image that the world saw back in July of 1969. The lead-up to the excursion, the lunar landing, is also of considerable merit.

I recall such TV coverage; America was swept up by Apollo (at least in 1968/1969). Gas stations gave out free LEM kits that kids could build and TV news reporting was good back then and gave generous treatment.

Here are the problems with this disk set:

- In several instances, the audio and video are taken from totally different events. For example, video showing the shirt-sleeved Apollo 11 crew is accompanied by pre-launch (!) audio. Similarly, footage of the crew suiting up is accompanied by unrelated audio. These errors are awful in that they deprive the viewer of context and can only confuse those less familiar with the events. The producers could have provided 2nd audio narrative or even closed captions to provide context, but they did not. They could have provided some written guidance in the form of a booklet, but did not. One is left with the impression that significant parts of the video was hurriedly thrown together. Such segments will only confuse new viewers.

- Filmed events are not presented in chronological order of the mission (for example, preparations to move into the LEM from the CSM follow the landing footage!). As noted before, there is no voice or text narative (that could have been easily provided) to help the viewer sort out this jumble).

- Some segments are very boring...and I say this as an Apollo fan and as a research scientist who is acquainted with boring things! The worst is the endless Saturn 5 count-down video. It doesn't do justice to the mission. Helpful audio could have provided context (basic historical facts). But none was provided.

Having said that, there is one thing that this DVD set does NOT engage in, for which I am very grateful: they do not sensationalize the procedings. Several higher-budget documentaries (see on the History Channel and Discovery) play loose with the Apollo program, inserting annoying graphics, inane fast-cut edits, and misleading drama. This disk set is low key. Too low in some cases, but, thankfully, it is not frenetic.

Please note that not all reviews that may appear subsequent to mine may be independent, but may have been penned by those associated with this DVD. Beware glowing reviews!

Recommendation: If you love the Apollo-era history, this may be of significant interest to you, particularly for the historic landing and EVA footage. However, do not expect this disk set to educate those not familar with Apollo or even provide a coherent narrative of events.

For all mankind........2007-05-26

It was like watching the mission all over agian. Apart form having a interest in manned space flight and that I had grown up in the 60's, now
I can show my children the wounder of June 1969. Apollo 11's achievement of landing on the moon was the start of the lunar missions. A total of six landings where conpleted between 1969 to 1972. I hope we are going back soon as Eugene Cernan stated at the end of Apollo Seventeen "As we leave the Moon and Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and God willing we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. As I take these last steps from the surface for some time to come, I'd just like to record that America's challenge of today has forged man's dsetiny of tomorrow, God speed to the crew of Apollo Seventeen." .

Average customer rating:

THE DVD of the millenium !
I love this DVD
a great peice
Splendid Archival Material.
Greatest Engineering Feat of 20th Century

Apollo 11: Men on the Moon
Starring: Spacecraft Films
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Space Exploration | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

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Liftoff! Success and Failure on the Launch Pad

ASIN: B00009XYYF
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Amazon.com

Mankind's greatest adventure is remembered for the digital age. The DVD format changed the way we look at movies and especially TV series, with massive complete-season sets. That concept is spectacularly taken one-step further with Spacecraft Films' definitive collections of the Gemini and Apollo space missions, stuffing in nearly every scrap of TV transmissions and on-board footage. The three- to six-disc sets use the full functions of the DVD format; see a liftoff in six different angles (some remixed with 5.1 sound) or listen to a mixture of air-to-ground communications, official NASA narration, or post-flight debriefings, most often carefully synched to the exact moment of footage seen. Like any good research paper, every bit of footage may not be interesting, but taken as a chronicle of history, it's irreplaceable.

Description

Customer Reviews:

THE DVD of the millenium !.......2007-06-30

without any comment
it is "THE" DVD you must keep if you are dropped above a desert island !

I love this DVD.......2007-01-27

I am a space nut, and watch it all. This is great, good, crisp footage, and the entire moonwalk tv transmission. This is worth the price if you are into this stuff.

a great peice.......2006-09-09

i thought that this was great peice and i watched it 3 times over the past 5 weeks i dont think that it was a hoax when neil armstrong walked on the moon but there are a few thing that cant be explained which is a bit odd but things do go wrong and i think that everyone should just leave it alone, it has been how many years now since it happened and people are still carring on about one of the biggest things to happen in history and a thing that was dam well true and nobody should have ever doubted it. i though that it was an awsome movie and congrads to Neil Armstrong and all the other men that have ever landed on the moon. great work guys. and i dont like kennedy he was a bad president and he only wanted the space race for himself and his popularity and not for the nation. as a women i would also like to see more women put up their hand to go to the moon it would be a great thing even if it is the last thing that you ever do.

have fun hope everyone else enjoyed the movie as much as i did.
:-) :-)

Splendid Archival Material........2006-07-16

As an Apollo enthusiast, I was excited to view all the material contained on the Apollo 11 DVD's. I allready had the Saturn V and B Series disks so I am allready convinced That Spacecraft Films have been in the trenches at NASA going through the hours and hours of 18mm footage and video transfers.

The set is excellent. I allowed myself to drift back to 1969 by watching the complete TV Coverage, then moved onto the all archival footage of the Saturn mating, and rolling out from the VAB. Regarding the video inside the Command Module, I didn't realize there was so much footage I never seen. Also it was excellent that various shots including liftoff, and moon excursion footage was meticulously syncronized with the additional other cameras. While Neal pulled the cord that started the LM Camera pointed to the foot of the LM, Buzz was also filming at the same time Im sure for redundancy purposes. I can't help but wonder what the detail of today's technology would bring had we had it available in 1969.

Greatest Engineering Feat of 20th Century.......2006-05-13

In addition to what other reviewers have said, I found the Cape Kennedy launch pad blastoff multiangle coverage feature and 5.1 channel sound to be worth the price alone!

In a full out home theater surround audio system, with max'd out volume, it will blow your mind to see and ***HEAR*** the awesome power of 7.5 million pounds of thrust of the mighty Saturn V rocket in all its glory. INCREDIBLE!!!

The Apollo 11 lunar landing sight fly over (from the far Eastern approach at Smyth's Sea to Western edge of the Sea of Tranquillity) from 100+ mile high orbit in the Command Module, with all three Astronauts' real time commentary, is also particularly interesting and unique about this DVD, which all Astronomer's will love.

Lastly the "Probe and Drogue" segment (over two hours in length) is perhaps the best in-flight TV coverage yet to be recorded on any of the six Moon mission flights. Although highly technical in scope, showing exquisite details of the Lunar Module's' flight and various control systems, it is well worth the time to watch.

If nothing else, watching this DVD, you'll come to learn and appreciate the meticulous planning, followed by nearly a decade of development and testing that went into the Apollo program; a monumental project that consumed ~10 billion dollars in NASA funding throughout the 1960s; all to finally realize the almost unimaginable vision of JFK and the will of American taxpayers.

The story of Apollo 11 told in this DVD's many hours of raw, unedited film footage, taken in large part by the Astronauts themselves, is of simply the most significant engineering feat in human history and fascinating from start to finish.

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