Certainly, the accomplishments of the space program make Americans very proud. But a TV mini-series devoted to the subject didn't need endless flag-waving and a soundtrack that sounds like a slanted World War II movie from the 1950's and early 1960's to make its point. (One episode actually uses the theme music from "The Great Escape"!) "From the Earth to the Moon" is a bit over-the-top in the patriotic department and a little under-done in the real behind-the-scenes drama department. The United States' project to send a man to the moon and return him to the earth, which was originally proposed by John F. Kennedy, was full of glitches, setbacks, wrong-turns, conflicts, and clashes. A few these behind-the-scenes darker aspects were portrayed but not nearly as many as actually occurred. Unfortunately, the filmmakers glossed up the positive aspects and left out a lot of the darker albeit more interesting aspects of this incredible venture.
The made-for-television mini-series comes off more like a NASA press conference or a tour for fifth-graders at a museum than a stark honest depiction of the actual events leading up to the first moon missions. "From the Earth to the Moon" depicted very little conflict between any of the personalities, the technological setbacks, the political controversies, and the many mishaps that are inevitable from such an undertaking. Some were hinted at, such as the decision concerning who would be the first man to walk on the moon but I wanted to see more of the arguments, the setbacks, the conflicts. These more negative aspects were part of the history of the missions but a lot of this was glossed over in favor of how wonderful the resulting accomplishments were and how great everyone got along with each other. The film "The Right Stuff" did a far superior job of showing the craziness, the absurdity, and some of the foolishness that comes along with these kinds of projects that involve millions of dollars and 1000's of people.
Probably the strongest and most informative episodes were the following: "Spider", the episode that chronicles the design of the LEM, aka the lunar module, "Galileo Was Right" which depicts one of the later missions in which the astronauts train to become like geologists, and "Le Voyage dans la Lune" concerning the early 20th-century silent film of a voyage to the moon, which was made in France.
The most disappointing of the series has to be the first landing, "Mare Tranquilitatis". Apparently, there were many unexpected hurdles and unforeseen setbacks that almost prevented the first landing and the famous moon walk of Neil Armstrong from taking place. Many of these twists and turns were absent in favor of a patriotic outcome replete with glorious brass choirs. An issue about who would be the first man to walk on the moon and when Armstrong missed the intended landing target were the only stumbling blocks that were developed during the episode. I caught the tail end of a documentary about the subject in which Armstrong related many of the hurdles that had to be overcome to accomplish the mission which were glaringly absent from the television portrayal.
Patrotism is not born of flag-waving or music. It's born from admiring the struggles of our American heroes. Only when we see how much these people had to fight and struggle can we truly admire them. But if their struggles are softened, the true point of their heroism becomes lost, and I think that's what was missing from this series. If I had seen more of the "tear your hair out" hurdles that had to be overcome, I probably would have felt more patriotic towards these people and what they did. Instead I think I came away feeling like it was no big deal.
The made-for-television mini-series comes off more like a NASA press conference or a tour for fifth-graders at a museum than a stark honest depiction of the actual events leading up to the first moon missions. "From the Earth to the Moon" depicted very little conflict between any of the personalities, the technological setbacks, the political controversies, and the many mishaps that are inevitable from such an undertaking. Some were hinted at, such as the decision concerning who would be the first man to walk on the moon but I wanted to see more of the arguments, the setbacks, the conflicts. These more negative aspects were part of the history of the missions but a lot of this was glossed over in favor of how wonderful the resulting accomplishments were and how great everyone got along with each other. The film "The Right Stuff" did a far superior job of showing the craziness, the absurdity, and some of the foolishness that comes along with these kinds of projects that involve millions of dollars and 1000's of people.
Probably the strongest and most informative episodes were the following: "Spider", the episode that chronicles the design of the LEM, aka the lunar module, "Galileo Was Right" which depicts one of the later missions in which the astronauts train to become like geologists, and "Le Voyage dans la Lune" concerning the early 20th-century silent film of a voyage to the moon, which was made in France.
The most disappointing of the series has to be the first landing, "Mare Tranquilitatis". Apparently, there were many unexpected hurdles and unforeseen setbacks that almost prevented the first landing and the famous moon walk of Neil Armstrong from taking place. Many of these twists and turns were absent in favor of a patriotic outcome replete with glorious brass choirs. An issue about who would be the first man to walk on the moon and when Armstrong missed the intended landing target were the only stumbling blocks that were developed during the episode. I caught the tail end of a documentary about the subject in which Armstrong related many of the hurdles that had to be overcome to accomplish the mission which were glaringly absent from the television portrayal.
Patrotism is not born of flag-waving or music. It's born from admiring the struggles of our American heroes. Only when we see how much these people had to fight and struggle can we truly admire them. But if their struggles are softened, the true point of their heroism becomes lost, and I think that's what was missing from this series. If I had seen more of the "tear your hair out" hurdles that had to be overcome, I probably would have felt more patriotic towards these people and what they did. Instead I think I came away feeling like it was no big deal.