posted January 02, 2008 10:26 PM               

Here's my "first-impression" take of the film.

The film captures the heart and humanity of the spacefaring heroes in a way that honors the men's accomplishments but reminds us that heroes have feet-of-clay too. As a complement, the Apollo moonwalkers come across more like Forrest Gump than unapproachable celebrities. This film brings the moonwalkers down-to-earth with dignity and respect. We now know these men better than we ever did on film.

posted January 05, 2008 09:17 PM            

The film is a rarity in that it is individually autobiographical with a collective biographical sense of all the participating astronauts. It differs markedly from the competing documentary "In the Shadow of the Moon" by giving us one of the most personal views of the Moonwalkers yet on record.

The producers are still seeking a theatrical distributor so a DVD will probably not be released until theatrical release. However, a supplementary DVD available from their website and from Amazon.com was made from the extra footage of the Alan Bean interview, in which Al discusses how & why he left NASA to become an artist. I have also posted a review of this DVD on the Amazon website.

posted January 25, 2008 09:10 PM               

Roth said his idea, to track down and interview the men who made history from 1969 to 1972 as six of the Apollo missions landed on the moon, was rejected by major movie studios and TV networks.

"They said astronauts talking about themselves and their feelings was not 'manly enough,'" Roth said. "But they said if they can build motorcycles, give us a call."

Unfazed, Roth and co-producer and cinematographer Paul Basta eventually located seven of the nine Apollo men still alive and recorded their stories.

Released six months ago, “The Wonder of it All” is gaining critical acclaim at film festivals around the world, but so far it has not been released to theaters nationwide.

That could soon change.

Roth said they’re teaming up with the American Film Institute, which could lead to a distribution deal or a major TV network before being released on DVD.

posted March 01, 2008 09:55 AM               

They're living legends, America's space pioneers who first walked on the moon, and they're telling their individual stories now about their journeys into the outer limits.

Buzz Aldrin, now 78, was born to fly. His father was an aviation pioneer who introduced his son to the skies at age 2. That toddler one day would join Neil Armstrong, the first pair to walk on the moon.

Astronaut Alan Bean was so inspired by the heavens during his trip to the moon that he later resigned from NASA to pursue a lifelong passion for art - becoming the first person to paint the moon and stars from the perspective of someone who has been to another world.

These men are among the seven surviving of nine who walked on the moon, living historical figures who represent America's victory in the space race.

"There are some people who say when people look back at the 20th century five centuries from now, this is the most important thing they will remember, the beginning of humans leaving the Earth and going somewhere else," he said.

"It's sort of like 1492 when people begin to leave Europe and come to the New World. It changed the dynamics of history and this will, too."

Their rarely told tales of the men behind the Apollo missions are now the focus of "The Wonder of It All," a documentary by Sherman Oaks resident Jeffrey Roth, who interviewed seven of the nine surviving moonwalkers.

posted May 19, 2008 07:46 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by CPCM:
Any cSer's attending?

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posted June 13, 2008 01:20 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by paulushumungus:
Does anybody know if the dvd of this is still on the cards?

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posted July 16, 2008 10:51 AM               

The movie provides a very personal view of the seven moonwalkers that were interviewed. While I have had the luck of hearing most of the stories the astronauts provided in their interviews, I was surprised by some of the details they provided for this film. Jeff has done an excellent job in letting the astronauts tell their personal stories.

Jeff advised the audience that the movie will have a limited theater release in the near future and then will be released as a DVD in July 2009. Some might understand the connection between the DVD release date and another event that occurred in July about 40 year prior to 2009. The DVD will include more footage and narration of the film by some of the astronauts and the director.

I was impressed with the film and do plan to add the DVD to my reference collection.

posted October 09, 2008 12:23 AM               

The Wonder of it All - October 16

President and Mrs. George Bush and the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation will host a screening of the documentary film The Wonder of it All on Thursday, October 16 at 5:30 pm. Part of the Kay and Britt Rice Lecture Series, the screening will be held at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the George Bush Presidential Library Center, and a reception will follow. Astronauts from the Apollo space program and the film's director, Jeffrey Roth, will be available to answer questions following the screening. Astronauts currently scheduled to attend the event include Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Eugene Cernan, Charles Duke, Joe Kerwin, Ken Mattingly, and John Young.

Honoring the men who walked on the moon and became heroes to a nation, The Wonder of it All uses thoughtful and candid accounts from seven moonwalkers to focus on the rarely told human side of the Apollo missions. In the film, astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Eugene Cernan, Charles Duke, Edgar Mitchell, Harrison Schmitt, and John Young intimately reflect on the training, the tragedies, the camaraderie, and the effect their space travel has had on their families.

The Kay and Britt Rice Lecture Series is an endowed program designed to address emerging topics and current events of interest to members of our international, national, state and local communities. The purpose of the series is to bring to the Texas A&M University campus prominent experts and central figures in current issues of public interest.

The Wonder of it All is presented in conjunction with the Beyond the Moon: NASA's Continuing Mission exhibit, which is now on display at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum through August 2009. A collaboration between the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum, and Space Center Houston, the three-part exhibit examines America's exploration into the final frontier. The LBJ Library and Museum begins with man's fascination with the heavens through the first walk on the moon. The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum continues the story with the end of Apollo, Skylab, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station. Large scale models, original shuttle equipment, a shuttle simulator, and interactive programs are just a few of the spectacular items that are displayed. The third part of the story, which will explore the future of NASA, will take place at Space Center Houston.

This is a ticketed event. Free tickets are available at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the MSC Box Office at Texas A&M University, the Bryan-College Station Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Eagle, KBTX-TV, and WTAW. For more information, call 979-862-2251.