Topic: Chappaquiddick (2018 film) and moon landing
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member
Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
posted 04-16-2018 08:26 AM
The events of "Chappaquiddick," the John Curran-directed film about the Ted Kennedy incident that happened in mid-July 1969, is played against the backdrop of the first moon landing, including audio, TV footage, and shots of the New York Times' front pages.
While the timing is coincidental, I can't help but think that the moon landing was used as a metaphor for Ted Kennedy's struggle — that perhaps the "one small step for (a) man" was Chappaquiddick, the "one giant leap for mankind" was his failure to ascend to greater things as his brothers did.
ejectr Member
Posts: 1751 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
posted 04-16-2018 11:59 AM
I really don't connect the two what so ever.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3118 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 04-16-2018 04:23 PM
It's probably apocryphal, but I understood that Ted Kennedy, as brother of the President who launched the challenge of Apollo, was invited to the launch at KSC and subsequent festivities at Houston, but declined as he had "other matters to attend to."
pupnik Member
Posts: 114 From: Maryland Registered: Jan 2014
posted 04-16-2018 07:30 PM
I noticed the same thing when watching the film. The director was definitely using Apollo 11 in parallel with the main plot. Whether using mission control audio or news broadcasts to show the events in motion or using the moon landing as an example of how he lived in his brothers' shadow and how Ted Kennedy kept looking at it as an example of what he could have been.
If you pay attention the moon appears in the sky in a lot of scenes, far too many to just be coincidence. A constant reminder of his family looming large over him. Although the film does show it to be a full moon, which isn't correct.
capoetc Member
Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
posted 04-16-2018 09:01 PM
I have not seen the movie, but since Chappaquiddick happened during the Apollo 11 mission (the accident was July 18, 1969), the media attention was drawn away from the event. The country was so engrossed in the moon landing that the Cappaquiddick story slid much more under the radar than it normally would have. Perhaps the moon landing backdrop in the movie is just used to provide historical context.
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member
Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
posted 04-17-2018 01:41 PM
quote:Originally posted by pupnik: The director was definitely using Apollo 11 in parallel with the main plot.
Yes! This is what I mean.
I'll probably have to get it through Redbox, but I noticed at one point, they used an audio clip talking about some sort of concern on the mission at the same time Ted was weighing some big decision.
pupnik Member
Posts: 114 From: Maryland Registered: Jan 2014
posted 04-17-2018 03:20 PM
Many of the audio tracks use beeps and audio pops/scratches reminiscent of transmission between Houston and the spacecraft. The actual sound track doesn't seem to include the spoken audio clips, those must have been added in as part of the sound editing of the film.
Although many of the tracks use this sort of "space theme" the track "Written Statement" is perhaps the most obvious about it.
LM1 Member
Posts: 667 From: New York, NY Registered: Oct 2010
posted 07-08-2018 09:57 AM
The accident would have been on the front page of major newspapers for days. Ted Kennedy's career would have been over. But the first moon landing buried the story for a few days, which allowed Kennedy to organize a defense.
Charisma is a very rare characteristic, but in my opinion all three of the Kennedy brothers had it. EMK survived the scandal because the Apollo 11 mission overshadowed it.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3118 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 07-08-2018 04:50 PM
It depends what you mean by "survived the scandal." Does anyone doubt that he would one day have run for President, and that he would almost certainly have won it? The way he dealt with the death of Mary-Jo Kopechne cost him the Presidency. It is for the voters of Massachusetts to explain why they repeatedly decided that Ted Kennedy was fit to represent them in the Senate.