For All Mankind (1989)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Al Reinert

Release Date:

1 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Tagline:

A Film by Al Reinert

Plot:

This movie documents the Apollo missions perhaps the most definitively of any movie under two hours...

Plot Keywords:

Astronaut | Space | Space Program | 1970s | 1960s

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 20

8:15 PM

TCM

Cast

Jim Lovell	...	Narrator (Apollo 8, 13) (voice) (as James A. Lovell Jr.)
Russell Schweickart	...	Narrator (Apollo 9) (voice) (as Russell L. Schweickart)
Eugene Cernan	...	Narrator (Apollo 10, 17) (voice) (as Eugene A. Cernan)
Michael Collins	...	Narrator (Apollo 11) (voice)
Charles Conrad	...	Narrator (Apollo 12) (voice) (as Charles P. Conrad Jr.)
Richard Gordon	...	Narrator (Apollo 12) (voice) (as Richard F. Gordon Jr.)
Alan Bean	...	Narrator (Apollo 12) (voice) (as Alan L. Bean)
Jack Swigert	...	Narrator (Apollo 13) (voice) (as John L. Swigert Jr.)
Stuart Roosa	...	Narrator (Apollo 14) (voice) (as Stuart A. Roosa)
James Irwin	...	Narrator (Apollo 15) (voice) (as James B. Irwin)
Kenneth Mattingly	...	Narrator (Apollo 16) (voice) (as T. Kenneth Mattingly II)
Charles Duke	...	Narrator (Apollo 16) (voice) (as Charles M. Duke Jr.)
Harrison Schmitt	...	Narrator (Apollo 17) (voice) (as Harrison H. Schmitt)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Buzz Aldrin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bill Anders	...	Himself (archive footage)
Neil Armstrong	...	Himself (archive footage)
Stephen Bales	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Steve Bales)
Frank Borman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Walter Cunningham	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ron Evans	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fred Haise	...	Himself (archive footage)
Christopher Kraft	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Chris Kraft)
Gene Kranz	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jim McDivitt	...	Himself (archive footage)
Edgar D. Mitchell	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Ed Mitchell)
Bob Overmyer	...	Himself (archive footage)
Buck Owens	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Wally Schirra	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dave Scott	...	Himself (archive footage)
Alan Shepard	...	Himself (archive footage)
Deke Slayton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Thomas P. Stafford	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Tom Stafford)
Edward H. White II	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Ed White)
John Young	...	Himself (archive footage)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

Company:

Apollo Associates

Trivia:

There is a shot of the moon appearing in the window of the capsule. Director Al Reinert says there was no shot available of the moon showing in the window of the command module, so a film crew went down to the Johnson Space Center, pasted a photo of the moon on a hatch cover at the museum, and filmed it to illustrate astronaut Ken Mattingly's description of what he saw in his flight.

Quotes:

John F.Kennedy: We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained and new rights to be won and they must be won and used for the progress of all mankind.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Drive (1991)

Soundtrack:

Stars

Easily One of the Best Documentaries of the 20th Century

Without repeating all the good comments that have been mentioned by earlier reviewers, I will add what is unique for me.

1. When Reinert wonderfully builds up the tension for the liftoff, it is more than a crescendo of power when those Saturn 5 rocket motors blast to life! I've had the film on VHS tape for about 10 years, and I still enjoy knocking the socks off of first time viewers when the surround sound system is allowed give its all as it shakes the house. If there were ice chunks on the outside of my house, they would surely shatter and fall just as they did from the rocket body as it slowly left the pad. UNBELIEVABLE! I once read that the Apollo rocket, if it all exploded at one time, would equal 80% of the Hiroshima atomic explosion in WW2. Imagine sitting atop that 31 story tall monster awaiting your fate on the launchpad.

2. Eno's music- just can't say enough superlatives about this soundtrack. Like good art, there is plenty there to continue to pique your interest for years. He is a gift to all mankind for his work on this soundtrack, but that is just the beginning. He's been doing that high level of work for decades!

GREAT FILM!!!