Synopsis
A testament to NASA's Apollo program of the 1960s and '70s. Composed of actual NASA footage of the missions and astronaut interviews, the documentary offers the viewpoint of the individuals who braved the remarkable journey to the moon and back.
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Cast
- Jim LovellNarrator - Apollo 8, Apollo 13 (voice)
- Russell SchweickartNarrator - Apollo 9 (voice)
- Eugene CernanNarrator - Apollo 10, Apollo 17 (voice)
- Michael CollinsNarrator - Apollo 11 (voice)
- Charles ConradNarrator - Apollo 12 (voice)
- Richard GordonNarrator - Apollo 12 (voice)
- Alan BeanNarrator - Apollo 12 (voice)
- Jack SwigertNarrator - Apollo 13 (voice)
- Stuart RoosaNarrator - Apollo 14 (voice)
- James IrwinNarrator - Apollo 15 (voice)
Recommendations
- 100
Orlando Sentinel
For those of us who will never go to the moon, watching For All Mankind may be as close as we'll come to fulfilling that ancient dream. If what the Hubble eventually sends back is nearly this splendid, it could actually be worth the wait. [17 Aug 1990, p.10] - 91
The A.V. Club
It’s breathtaking on two fronts: Reinert unearths stunning footage—far removed from the fuzzy copies used as B-roll in other documentaries—that captures the full scale of NASA’s accomplishment. But he keeps that footage grounded in the image and voices of the modest men and women who made it happen. - 88
Portland Oregonian
The length and delay of the project is evident from Brian Eno's participation. He composed and produced the subtle, evocative musical score for the film. [31 March 1990, p.C08] - 75
Entertainment Weekly
For All Mankind certainly succeeds at evoking the ironically serene aesthetics of space travel. What it never quite captures is the accompanying human drama. In all likelihood, the film will be shown in classrooms for years to come, but it’s just possible kids will watch it and wonder what all the fuss was about. - 75
Tampa Bay Times
These are minor quibbles with a stunning achievement. For All Mankind rewrites history, creating a single glorious adventure from a generation of giant leaps for all mankind. [20 July 1990, p.7] - 75
Miami Herald
The film sequences of Earth from orbit, of the moon from the lunar lander, then of Earth again are breathtaking. They're disquieting, too -- the feeling of remoteness seems to boil up from the moon's surface as the explorers hop and stumble about in the lunar dust. You get that sense, during these best moments in the film, of the remarkable achievement it was. The thrill is back, in other words. [1 June 1990, p.G9] - 70
The New York Times
What emerges is an amazingly fresh visual immersion in space, and a film that works far better when dealing with inanimate objects than with humans. - 70
Washington Post
For All Mankind is a beatitude of praise, a homesick look at a healthy nation. That's why this history of "all systems go" and "roger that" is Oscar-nominated instead of "Roger and Me." The closest it comes to controversy is when it tackles the question of how astronauts go potty in space.
