Moonwalk One (1970)

If you are interested in any part of U.S. history, then you will probably want to check out the collection FedFlix. It is a huge selection of films produced by the U.S. government, in many different genres. I have previously reviewed a number of them, not least the Why We Fight series.

This week I take a look at a documentary that was made after the Apollo 11 moon landing, Moonwalk One, a slow-moving, almost meditational, film that may have been the first feature-length documentary about the event.

Moonwalk One covers selected aspects of development and preparation before the flight. It also features some interesting historical background to the space race, including clips from the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers movie serieals. But the focus of the film is, of course, on the mission itself. The lift-off, the landing, and the trip back. In order to explain things, there are some simple, but adequate, pedagogical animations.

The film is, in many ways, similar to The History of Apollo series of short documentaries that I have previously written about. That series covers the entire Apollo program, whereas Moonwalk One goes more in depth about one single mission. Both are good, and which one you choose is a matter of preference.

This film is best enjoyed as a reflection of its time. I was born in the same year that this documentary was released, yet I can almost understand the immense feeling of accomplishment and belief in the future that the moon landing nurtured. It is definitely a good documentary if you happen to be interested in the space race, in particular the scenes depicting the impressive Saturn V lift-off. But it lacks the perspective that a few decades tend to lend to historical events.

Moonwalk One
Download link
Year: 1970
Running time: 1 h 35 min
Director: Theo Kamecke
Image quality: Good
Resolution: Medium (720×540)
Sound quality: Good
Best file format: MPEG2 (4.2 G)

The History of Apollo (1968 – 1973)

The United States’ moon program, the Apollo program, has often been mentioned as the peak of the big Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union. While the program was still going on, NASA produced a series of very interesting documentaries, one for each mission. The majority of these are available at the Internet Archive.

As far as I know, there was never an official title for this series. Each part was produced as a stand-alone piece to be released after the respective mission. The title The History of Apollo was used as the subtitle of a DVD compilation of these films, and I thought it made for a nice umbrella title.

The editing and narration are fairly low-key. There is some focus on the technical aspects of the missions, and compared to many later Apollo documentaries, there is little about the astronauts’ feelings and practically nothing about their private lives. There is also nothing about the politics behind the missions. For my own part, I find this to be a refreshing change. We get to focus on the process of getting men on the moon, and that is as it should be.

Here is a list of all the parts, and links to the Internet Archive for each.

• The Apollo 4 Mission & The Apollo 5 Mission
• (not sure if an Apollo 6 episode exists)
• The Flight of Apollo 7
• Apollo 8 – Go for TLI
• Apollo 9 – Three to Make Ready
• Apollo 10 – Green Light for Lunar Landing (not available at the Internet Archive)
• Apollo 11 – The Eagle Has Landed
• Apollo 12 – Pinpoint for Science
• Apollo 13 – Houston, We Have a Problem
• Apollo 14 – Mission to Fra Mauro
• Apollo 15 – In the Mountains of the Moon
• Apollo 16 – Nothing so Hidden
• Apollo 17 – On the Shoulders of Giants

The “missing” Apollo 10 episode can probably be found on other Internet sites.

This series is best enjoyed if you are interested in a specific mission – or if you are really into the big Space Race and the Cold War. The documentaries are very good, and a nice document of a historically important period. At between 15 and 30 minutes of length for most they are quick watches, but the entire series, especially in one sitting, is a bit over the top.

The History of Apollo
Download link (Apollo 11 episode)
Year: 1968 – 1973
Running time: 4 h 49 min
Director: Ted Lowry
Image quality: Acceptable
Sound quality: Good