Product: For All Mankind [VHS] (1989)
Rating: 5.0
Informative, Beautiful, Fun, and Moving
I don't want to repeat the positive comments of others with which I agree, and couldn't state any better, so here are a few more things about this movie and disc which make it a worthy thing to own.One of the most memorable things about the Apollo astronauts that you learn from this presentation is that when they weren't fully occupied with their tasks, which was rarely, they felt like playing, a lot like kids, in the zero and low-g environments. I found this really cool, coming from serious men committed to doing something very difficult and dangerous. The other unexpected common experience was that even the most red-blooded military-raised task-oriented Astronauts with their rustic accents had profoundly spiritual experiences during the missions, which changed them in ways that they're grateful for. The viewer shares these alternately childlike and deep feelings of discovery and exploration, so what's ostensibly an interesting documentary also becomes much more of an experience. You have the sense that this wasn't intended, necessarily, by the director at the outset, so it comes across very sincerely, not at all saccherine. As a film nut, I regard "For All Mankind" as a masterpiece of editing and documentary. As an appreciator of history, I see it as a both a national and world treasure.Criterion's digital restoration work and added features, as always, are beautiful and appropriate. Brian Eno fans should know that there's much of his music here that isn't available on the "Apollo" album.