In July 1969, the space race ended when Apollo 11 fulfilled President Kennedy's challenge of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth". No one who witnessed the lunar landing will ever forget it. Al Reinert's documentary For All Mankind is the story of the twenty-four men who traveled to the moon, told in their words, in their voices, using the images of their experiences. Forty years after the first moon landing, it remains the most radical, visually dazzling work of cinema yet made about this earthshaking event.
The heroic, historic Apollo moon missions that put human beings on the moon are boiled down, expertly capsulated, and presented as one in Al Reinert's "For All Mankind". By editing together bits and pieces from the nine Apollo missions that were launched between 1968 and 1972 (as well as a few shots from later Gemini missions), director Al Reinert has fabricated a stirring and ultimately poignant saga of passion, perseverance, and power and remains one of the most engrossing documentaries of human endeavor and achievement ever committed to film. Criterion released the film years ago (it's #54 in their series), but this is a brand new high definition transfer. It is not to be missed.
Much of the footage in this compelling documentary has never before been seen, previous network television and film documentary seeming to dwell on the same few pieces of historic footage only. Thus, from the very start there is a freshness and vivacity to the imagery that's immediately captivating. To keep concentration fully focused on the images, there are no subtitles identifying the various astronauts or missions (though the Criterion disc does has a switch that the viewer can turn on to identify the persons on-screen if he wishes). And thus, the mission with its breathtakingly powerful launch, the fun in space, the snafus, the moon escapades (including some mishaps there as well which could have been life threatening), and the return trip are a