DVD From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition:
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DVD From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition
Originally broadcast in April and May of 1998, the epic miniseries From the Earth to the Moon was HBO's most expensive production to date, with a budget of $68 million. Hosted by executive producer Tom Hanks, the miniseries tackles the daunting challenge of chronicling the entire history of NASA's Apollo space program from 1961 to 1972. For the most part, it's a rousing success. Some passages are flatly chronological, awkwardly wedging an abundance of factual detail into a routine dramatic structure. But each episode is devoted to a crucial aspect of the Apollo program. The cumulative effect is a deep and thorough appreciation of NASA's monumental achievement. With the help of a superlative cast, consistent writing, and a stable of talented directors, Hanks has shared his infectious enthusiasm for space exploration and the inspiring power of conquering the final frontier.
NASA's complete participation in the production lends to its total authenticity, right down to the use of NASA equipment, launch locations, and even spacecraft. The re-creation of the lunar landscape is almost as impressive as the real thing and is further enhanced by the use of helium balloons to lighten the actors playing moon-walking astronauts. (These and other backstage details are revealed in the "making of" featurette, along with a wealth of supplemental materials, on a bonus disc in the miniseries' DVD package.) With a fictional, Walter Cronkite-like TV reporter (Lane Smith) serving as the dramatic link for all 12 episodes, this ambitious production may not be a great work of art. But as a generous and definitive example of nonfiction drama, it's full of the same kind of awe, inspiration, and humanity that led to "one giant leap" in the all-too-short history of 20th-century space exploration. --Jeff Shannon
Review(s): DVD From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition
History at its best
Born in 1957, I was as attached to the space race as any young boy could be during the 1960's. It was part of my being and I watch Neil Armstrong put his first boot on the Moon via a well used black and white TV. This series brought all that back for me and told me 'the rest of the story.' It is not a story that can be told in an hour, or two, or five, and it is hard for my children to understand how the Apollo program changed the world technologically, socialogically, and psychologically, but From Earth to the Moon brings the story to life. If anyone but Tom Hanks had done this it wouldn't have been the same. Bravo.
Tom Hanks: Criminal or fool?
First of all, it is important to understand that we never went to the moon. The Apollo project was a hoax.
I won't try to prove anything to you in this review, but I will recommend the documentary film, Astronauts Gone Wild. In the film, the film-maker confronts eight of the living astronauts who claim to have traveled to the moon. It is clear from their reactions (especially Buzz Aldrin's) that they did not go to the moon.
Buzz Aldrin comes very close (in my opinion) to actually admitting that it was a hoax. Judge for yourself.
I am giving this mini-series (From the Earth to the Moon) a five star rating because it confirms without question in my mind that we never went to the moon. So it is a must see for anyone who is looking into the Apollo Hoax. Don't get me wrong. This is a very boring mini-series. So far, I've only watched the first three episodes (disc 1). I literally fell asleep during all three episodes. So it took me about a week to watch them.
But this mini-series is important because it brings up important questions. Here are a few questions that come to mind:
Who in Hollywood knows that the Apollo project was a hoax?
Is Tom Hanks a criminal for making this film, or is he just another person who has been fooled into believing that we really went to the moon?
Is executive producer Ron Howard a criminal?
Who should be investigated? Who should be arrested?
In light of the fact that the Apollo project was a hoax, it is reasonable to guess that the crew of Apollo 1 (Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee) were murdered. They were probably murdered because they knew first-hand how absurd the idea of making it to the moon within the decade was. They were, most likely, being silenced. This is a reasonable theory.
Episode 2 in this mini-series deals with Apollo 1. After watching this episode, I am convinced that those Apollo 1 astronauts were murdered, and this film is intentionally trying to cover up the murders. So the big question (if this theory is correct) is: Who (in the production of this film) needs to be investigated and arrested for trying to cover up the murders of three astronauts?
It's true. It's cropped, not widescreen.
I too have both the original and this 'signature' editions of this great production, so I did the comparison test. There is indeed vertical loss of picture in this "widescreen" version. It's been cropped. The picture quality still remains quite good however. The fact I have both versions should tell you how highly I regard this show. Even though the episode on Apollo 13 is quite lame, this series remains a remarkable achievement, the very best thing to come out of Hollywood in many long years. But if there is indeed a true 16:9 version, this isn't it. More marketing hype.
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As I write this it is the 36th anniversary of Armstrong and Aldrin's moonwalk. In honor of that I thought it would be a good time to review this fine DVD set from the History Channel. This set is really a conglomeration of four separate programs on space, but one of them shines above all the rest. There are programs on Project Orion and the Space Shuttle, which I found to be modestly interesting, a quite good special on Apollo 13 (from the "Modern Marvels" series), and the absolutely thrilling view of the Apollo program through the eyes of Flight Control legend Gene Kranz, "Failure is not an Option." If you haven't read the book of the same title by Kranz, by all means purchase it immediately; your next order of business should then be to watch this documentary.
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