In the Shadow of the Moon

Director David Sington pays tribute to the Apollo Program, focusing on the landing of Apollo 11 in 1969, but including the flights leading up to it (plus the fire that killed three Apollo 1 astronauts) and those that followed, through Apollo 17 in 1972. Sington presents original NASA footage, much of it never seen before, and some amusing surprises (such as Neil Armstrong’s parents appearing on the quiz show I’ve Got a Secret in 1962). The film is a moving reminder of an impressive achievement, and Sington attains the sublime by the simple expedient of letting the surviving astronauts narrate the film in their own words—Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, James Lovell and Eugene Cernan are particularly eloquent, but nearly all of them are represented. (Conspicuous by his absence is Neil Armstrong himself.)