For All Mankind (Masters of Cinema) [Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD] [1989]

While it may not have the same impact today as it did back in 1989, For All Mankind remains an important piece of work that laid the foundation for many documentaries after.It took many years to produce, and one has to remember that during this period home video was scarce, TV was absolutely not 'on-demand', and there were no digital restoration or transfer techniques. Everything seen and heard in this movie was produced painstakingly through print after print, and sifting through hours of audio tape recordings. Over 6,000,000 feet of it to be exact. Editing it together without modern conveniences must have been exhausting - but no doubt a treat for theatre-goers.The movie focuses on the humanity of this program, rather than going in-depth into the specific data for each mission. It therefore goes without saying that the edits are not typical of what you will experience on National Geographic or et al' ; there is almost an abstract nature to how the astronauts commentaries play into a varied soundtrack and many pieces of footage. Each scene, small or large, feels like a small moment in time, out there in space.At only 80-minutes long, it would be easy to suggest that this work just isn't long enough. We drift between various missions without ever going into too much depth for any one - and while we get the obvious callbacks to the first moon landing itself, the science experiments and Apollo 13's near-disaster, this feels more like a compilation of snapshots, rather than classic storytelling.But it is the interviews that are perhaps the jewel in the crown here, because everyone was alive at the time of recording. We hear very honest thoughts of what it was like to be participating in the programme and the various aspects of space-life. The film and video footage has, for the most part, become a deep part of many viewers consciousness, so while today there is little you won't have already seen, it's good to experience it in a greater definition and quality than before.In fact, some instances show higher quality footage than that of the recent 'Apollo 11' film, which may be due to movie's reliance on making prints from original negatives, which were available during the 1980s. Conversely, other elements are tired-looking and simply a product of photochemical printing.This release by 'Eureka' is apparently a new transfer (Criterion's didn't receive the best reviews), and the quality does show. It's wonderfully filmic and although restored, always remains true to its source. The soundtrack by Brian Eno is hauntingly beautiful, weaving it's way effortlessly into the footage.A treasure for any space fan's collection.

The original feature of For All Mankind features a beautiful, haunting score by Brian Eno.The version sold here has had most of it ripped out and replaced with other tracks which lack the same emotion gravitas.This version of the movie simply isn’t the movie I watched years ago. Beware if you too were looking forward to Stars, Always Returning etc. They’re not here.Regret the purchase. My old copy will have to do.

It was great to reacquaint myself with this film, which I enjoyed immensely when I first saw it back in around 1989. However, I am very disappointed in the sound, particularly the music, which largely comes from Brian Eno's wonderful "Apollo Atmospheres & Soundtracks". It just doesn't sound right and most of the time it sounds like it was recorded from a completely different room and you are hearing it from the end of a corridor. I don't know what it is but it just doesn't come across the way I remember it. I've tried different sound settings on my TV and it makes a little difference but not much. It sounds slightly better on the DVD rather than the blu-ray, but it's a little disappointing to be honest as the music for me is a large part of what is enjoyable about this film.

This is effectively a brand new transfer of the previously hard to find Criterion film of the same name, with it's haunting soundtrack in 5.1 from Brian Eno perfectly catching the mood of the time. What an experience these few, privileged men had - the chance to walk on a world not of their birth - and it seems to have changed them all in often profound ways when you get into the massive amount of bonus footage containing interview sections unused in the main film. From Buzz Aldrin's openly apparent feeling of awe to the first paintings made by one of the men who walked the surface - Alan Bean (who is still the only person ever to paint Lunar Landscapes from memory) - the men who returned from Apollo were truly not the same ones who had set off on their historic flights.Beautifully restored and utterly captivating - if I have to find a nit to pick it would be why, given the space still available on the disc, were we not given the isolated 5.1 score by Eno as an extra. That would have been the icing on an already very tasty cake for me. I cannot find enough superlatives to carry on much longer - just click the "add to basket" button right away & buy this now.

I enjoyed this but slightly disappointed after all the 5 star reviews. I was annoyed by the splicing together of many different missions - so that it for example EVAs and Apollo 13 problems are inserted into journey of Apollo 11. There was no footage of re-entry - it goes from Moon orbit straight to splash down. The footage was of variable quality and included lots of TV footage which was interesting but very low quality. I liked the fact that astronaut interviews are played over the footage rather than including talking heads which breaks the spell. However, that said, In the Shadow of the moon is a better film and includes all of the good quality film footage that this one has.