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Reviewed on 2008-01-02

A Fine Documentary on the Apollo 8 Circumlunar Flight in 1968
The master narrative of the Apollo program has been well established in public consciousness and "Race to the Moon: The Daring Adventure of Apollo 8" is a superb restatement of this story. Undertaken in December 1968, this was the first circumlunar flight, and astronauts Frank Borman, William Anders, and James Lovell are center stage in the story. Using historic footage and interviews with the astronauts and their wives, Christopher Kraft, and aerospace writer Andrew Chaikin, the film offers a tight, well-executed account of the mission's origins and execution. Drawing information from a broad set of researchers, including myself, it emphasizes the "gutsy" decision-making that prompted NASA to reconfigure Apollo 8 fly to the Moon, a decision that Kraft estimated had a 50-50 chance of success. Its goal: recovering from the Apollo 1 accident that killed three astronauts in January 1967 and returning Apollo to a schedule that would allow a Moon landing by the end of the decade.

Very little contained in this documentary is path-breaking; it notes the unrest of 1968--especially the crisis over Vietnam, race relations, and urban problems--and then the year's end with Apollo 8. It highlights the mission's Christmas Eve television broadcast, beaming images of Earth from lunar orbit while reading the first part of the Bible--"God created the heavens and the Earth, and the Earth was without form and void"--before offering good wishes to humanity. It offers the facile anecdote of Frank Borman receiving a telegram after the mission with only four words: "Thanks, you saved 1968." The film misses an opportunity to analyze this affirmation of traditional values in the midst of 1968's social transformation, but the place of NASA in buttressing the status quo offers tantalizing possibilities for future investigation.

The film also discusses one of the most striking images to emerge from the Apollo program, "Earthrise," with the Earth about five degrees above the horizon and the Moon directly below. It gave humanity a new view of a fragile, lonely blue-green-white sphere suspended in the vastness of space and brought a realization of the fragility of Earth. Many believe the modern environmental movement coalesced in part through this new perception of the planet, another subject for future study.

Race to the Moon is essentially what Duke University history professor Alex Roland calls a restatement of "tribal rituals, meant to comfort the old and indoctrinate the young" (Alex Roland, "How We Won the Moon," "New York Times Book Review," July 17, 1994, p. 1). But it is a very capable restatement and provides an important perspective on a dramatic subject.

Reviewed on 2007-03-21

Michael Smith
Race To The Moon takes the viewer inside the emotions and thoughts of those who rode with Apollo 8 on its epic voyage to the moon. Accompanying the crew's story are the fresh insights from the wives, which adds a human dimension that astronauts usually struggle to convey. The wives portray the drama of this flight across the unknown with an honest and raw account of what it was like for them to live through the emotionally draining journey. This documentary captures the full scope of an Apollo mission - from the crews perspective and from those the left behind.

Apollo 8 was a political gamble that produced an engineering triumphant and the unexpected stirring of the human spirit. The documentary deals with the spiritual and human aspects of witnessing the first earth rise above the lunar horizon. Race To The Moon tells the story Apollo 8 from the political, technical, emotional and spiritual perspectives, capturing the drama of the most significant event of human exploration - the first journey from the earth to the moon.

Reviewed on 2006-09-15

There really is a Santa Claus
An interesting documentary with excellent coverage specifically of Apollo 8, the first and overwhelmingly successful manned mission to orbit the Moon. This DVD runs slightly under 60 minutes, however there are about another 30 minutes or so of deleted scenes provided as extra features on the disc.

For a home entertainment DVD version of the original broadcast on TV, as a part of the ongoing PBS series, the American Experience, I do not understand why the publisher did not simply include all the scenes (uneditted) and make this a 90 minute feature. All deleted scenes are completely relevant to the storyline and likely be of keen interest to the average viewer.

I particularly liked the deleted scene with Astronaut Bill Anders explaining his first sighting of the Moon (closeup, just prior to going into orbit) while it was still in total darkness (Double Umbra).

The many additional interviews with the other Astronauts, Jim Lovell, the Command Module Pilot, and Frank Borman, Mission Commander, their wives and Mission Controllers, TV commentators (Walter Cronkite) and space historians, and their reflections of the event, were also very interesting.

There was an interview with Frank Borman's wife, Susan, that reveals at one point during the mission while her husband was already orbiting the Moon, she insisted on knowing what the astronauts' chances were for a successful return to Earth. Kris Craft, head of Houston Mission Control, gave her his honest opinion, as no better than 50-50.

The pictures of the Earth from a quarter million miles away are breathtaking, as is true of most other movies about the Apollo program. My favorite is of the "crescent" Earth as scene from outer space, as opposed to a fully illuminated sphere. I find such photos to be absolutely stunning; truly awe inspiring.

In summary this DVD is well worth viewing and the successful mission of Apollo 8 is still quite remarkable and truly inspiring. Forget about the political motives that encouraged the space race with the Russians, a course set for the nation by President Kennedy. This event was truly risk taking in its finest form, and a spectacular historical accomplishment for all mankind, particularly NASA on behalf of the American flag.

This and subsequent U.S. manned space flights to the Moon, notably Apollo 11, the first lunar surface landing, will forever be imbedding in any proud to be an Americans' mind who lived through that unforgettable era. This DVD will surely bring back those fond memories, and renew your faith in American pride.

Reviewed on 2006-02-23

Educational and Extremely Interesting
A well-told, informative film that captures the essence of the Space Program. Using the perspectives of the astronauts, their wives, cosmonauts as well as engineers and journalists, this documentary tells how the Apollo team accomplished the aggressive goal of reaching the moon and how this historical mission touched their lives.

Those interested in the space program, history and quality films will find this is a must watch.

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