In the Shadow of the Moon
Saturday, December 1st, 2007
I like documentaries and having grown up during the age of space exploration, I was completely charmed at the recollections of those astronauts who were the first to venture into space and, ultimately, to walk upon the moon. While watching this with my 30-something BF, I realized he was born after the initial moon landing of which I still have very vivid memories. The documentary had many amazing shots I had not previously seen and while there is the question of the absence of Neil Armstrong’s recollection is this film, in Roger Ebert’s review of the film, he mentions Armstrong saying that he didn’t like taking part in projects of this sort because he feels he tends to overshadow all the other astronauts and staff who deserve just as much credit for the Apollo program.
What the film brought back to me was something the BF didn’t understand; when 9/11 occurred, America (and much of the world) had a collective experience of despair. During the first moon landing, the entire world experienced a collective joy in the possibility that we — as humans — could do anything. As a child, it was this pervading sense of hope and unconquerability that shaped and framed my upbringing. And it was this feeling of invincibility that I had all but forgot which this film brought back to me.