In the Shadow of the Moon

I don't often watch or recommend documentaries. But this one was well-reviewed, and well-received at Sundance - so I thought I'd give it a try. And on my heavens (!) it is wonderful!

"In the Shadow of the Moon" is an oral history of the Apollo moon program, told by the men who flew the missions. Imagine, there are only 24 men who have stood on the surface of an alien planet, and these are the men. Here, they narrate their story - from being chosen as astronauts to the actual experience of standing on the lunar surface. You can't imagine that, can you? Standing on that desolate rock, looking up and seeing our planet. The experience of being one of only 2 people who are outside of our atmosphere. Wow.

The men are all articulate and humble. Of course, Neil Armstrong is not to be seen - he has been fairly reclusive since returning to Earth. But we do meet Michael Collins (who is at times philosophical and hysterically funny) and Buzz Aldrin (who says that as he paused before stepping onto the lunar surface, he filled his urine bag - "we all have our firsts")

As a piece of history and as truly wonderful film (I was crying as they recounted the worldwide reaction to the first lunar landing), I highly recommend this documentary!