From the Earth to the Moon

From the Earth to the Moon

Posted on July 20, 2009 at 8:00 am

A+
Lowest Recommended Age: All Ages
MPAA Rating: NR
Profanity: Some strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Smoking, drinking, substance abuse
Violence/ Scariness: Characters in peril, tense confrontations
Diversity Issues: Traditional depiction of race and gender per the conventions of the era
Date Released to Theaters: 1998
Date Released to DVD: 1998
Amazon.com ASIN: B000A0GYD2

The very best American miniseries I have ever seen is the HBO production from Tom Hanks, From the Earth to the Moon. Instead of a chronological run-down, each episode takes on the space race from a different angle. One gives us the perspective of the wives, another tells us the challenges faced by the contractors, and another is from the perspective of the press. One tells us about the experience of turning astronauts into geologists so that they could be as effective as possible in bringing home the rocks that would help scientists the most. The last episode focuses in part on a man whose only connection to the moon landing was that he made a fanciful silent film (and invented special effects) in France decades earlier. Brilliantly written, acted, and directed, this is outstanding viewing for ages 10 and up, for space nuts and for those who don’t know their Apollos from their Geminis.

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Based on a true story Drama DVD/Blu-Ray Pick of the Week

Tribute: Walter Cronkite

Posted on July 17, 2009 at 9:05 pm

As well as I remember those misty images of Neil Armstrong coming out of the lunar module to put the first footstep on the moon, I remember the look on Walter Cronkite’s face as he reported it.

Cronkite died today at age 92.

No one born after 1980 can understand the influence of Walter Cronkite on the generation that came of age in the 1950’s and 60’s because there is simply no one to compare him to. In those days there were only three choices for network news coverage, and Cronkite, voted “the most trusted man in America,” was on CBS, which prided itself on meeting the highest standard for quality broadcast journalism — and never insisted that the news division make money. In the 1960’s, when we had to wait every night to find out from television news broadcasts what had happened that day, it was Cronkite who explained it all to us — the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Vietnam, Kent State, Watergate.

But there was no story that he loved more than the space program. He was always completely professional but it was easy to see he was as excited and proud as we were. His integrity and curiosity inspired us all and his legacy should be a powerful reminder of the importance of the quality of journalism he pioneered and exemplified.

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