3D’s Need to See: Special Moon-landing Edition
Today is the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11′s historic moon landing. In honor of that, BAM has asked me to recommend a few things related to the space program that you need to see.
The first movie is not about the moon landing, but rather the failed mission that came after it. I’m talking, of course, about “Apollo 13.” “Apollo 13″ features an amazing cast, was nominated for nine OSCARS including Best Picture, and did very well at the box office too. If you haven’t seen it, this is one movie about the space program you NEED to see.
If you are interested in a movie about the early space program, I can’t recommend anything more highly than the 1983 adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s fabulous book, “The Right Stuff.” Another Best Picture nominee featuring a wonderful cast (some of them very early in their careers), this movie was responsible for making me interested in the space program when I was a kid.
If you want something more directly related to the moon-landing, why not try this award-winning documentary. It features the surviving Apollo crew members telling their own stories.
Or if you prefer a more dramatized approach to the moon landings (and you have an awful lot of time free), you could try Tom Hanks’ Emmy-award winning mini-series chronicling the Apollo missions.
There are of course many other TV shows that were done about the space program that are worth watching, but might be more difficult to find. NASA and Discovery collaborated on “When We Left Earth” last year. The engineers got their due in The History Channel’s “Failure is Not an Option” and its sequel.
Also, back in 1994, The History Channel produced one of my favorites, a mini-series based on Deke Slayton and Alan Shepard’s book “Moonshot.” Unfortunately, it is not available on DVD.
If none of these appeal to you, maybe you’d like to mark the occasion by watching one of the movies whose popularity undoubtedly was spurred by the space program’s heydey, such as “2001″ or “Star Wars.” Whatever you choose, at least try to take a moment today to recognize one of mankind’s greatest achievements. It was the kind of triumph of brilliant minds and brave souls that I’m afraid we hardly ever see any more.
—3D
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