Apollo 11

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

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“Apollo 11” by Todd Douglas Miller is a documentary detailing the 1969 moon landing that took eight days to complete. It is no exaggeration to say that it captivated the country and still enthralls.

The documentary is a very singular experience—captivating, reflective and anxious.

We are put directly at the scene. There is a huge crowd at Cape Canaveral on the morning of July 16, 1969. Many are wearing striped shirts, white hats and paper visors printed with the name of the historic mission on them. Sunglasses are out in force. Onlookers laugh nervously, wait and worry.

Suddenly, the rocket ignites under a huge cloud of fire and the mission is born. The zooming projectile has transformed from science fiction into science fact. To see the ignition juxtaposed with intent, delighted and concerned faces is tear-jerking.

The documentary is composed of recorded footage on site and in the craft. There is no narration or voice-over. Especially evocative are the microphone remarks of Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins.

Aside from a valve leak before the launch, events go smoothly and there is innocence in the wonderment of Armstrong as he sees the stamp of his boot on the moon, coupled with the flag he plants on the surface. They also left a sticker saying in effect “we come in peace.”

Even President Nixon appears overcome with joy, awaiting the return of the travelers: Neil, Buzz and Michael, The Beatles of Space.

For eight days, these human beings in their puffy ultra-white suits were aloft and vulnerable and this film justly gives them a Warholian Superstar glare. The documentary is frequently shown in splitscreen giving the life of these men the intensity of a Brian De Palma suspense story.

When the the astronauts re-entered earth’s orbit, they were quarantined for 21 days to make sure they carried no alien contaminants. The three were put in a capsule with a window, to communicate with family.

This is a striking and emotional documentary. It is innocent, transparent, quaint and oddly free of cynicism. Nothing shown in the film seems pained, awkward or sinister. There are no cell phones, typewriters are electric and cigars are hallmarks of celebration.

“Apollo 11” is a time capsule of 1969 showing our space-obsessed society infused with a complete wonder and possibility, no matter what the future held.

Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins demonstrated that it was possible to travel to the moon and back, a trip that is analogous to the wonder of a human birth in its indescribable detail and importance.

In watching the moon landing, human sight was born anew, never to be repeated except for certain after-images seen in the cinema and our own vertiginous dreams.

Write Ian at ianfree11@yahoo.com