Posts: 616
From:
Registered: Aug 2006

posted 06-24-2008 07:09 AM               

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I finished watching the last episode and for the most part I would say it was OK.

Listening to people like Armstrong, Young, Crippen and I believe McCandles is what made it interesting for me. The enthusiasm shown by people like Duke, etc., was well worth viewing.

The video, it looked great, but other than the DoD snippet of Challenger, I would be surprised if more than 2 or 3 minutes was anything new.

I'll wait on purchasing the DVDs until I hear what is included with the extras, the missing Mercury/Gemini/Apollo flights? More Astronaut commentary? If the missing flights are not covered or there is not much more commentary form the Astronauts, I'll simply keep the DVD I recorded.

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-24-2008 08:29 AM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by Dwight:
Does anyone know if the Blu-rays are Region free (ie regions A, B and C?)

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The only mention I was able to find, suggested that it was limited to Region A.

Further, there seems to be conflicting information regarding availability of the DVD and Blu-Ray sets. While Amazon lists the DVDs in stock, Discovery's own store says the DVD won't ship until July 10, with Blu-Ray following two weeks later.

Meanwhile, Image Entertainment, a distribution company, put out a release on June 10 announcing a same-day street date for both DVD and Blu-Ray versions as September 30.

Posts: 78
From: Hattiesburg, MS, USA
Registered: Apr 2005

Posts: 2331
From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-26-2008 11:36 AM               

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Good stuff!

I haven't gotten too far in watching these yet, I've only seen the first 2 episodes up to Gemini.

I'm just confused about the episodes though. Are they mostly combined into a few 2 hour episodes? I never found the one called "Shuttle" but found the shuttle episodes in "Home in Space". Just wondering since I've been recording them on my MythTV machine and finding all the episodes has been a little confusing.

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002

Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 07-21-2008 03:46 PM               

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For those contemplating purchasing the DVD set for the 4 hours of "bonus" footage, one should be aware that the majority of the bonus material is made up of vintage NASA-produced documentaries. The documentaries are 30-60 minutes in length. There are programs about Freedom 7, Friendship 7, Gemini 6/7, Apollo 8, and Apollo 11. The transfers are fairly good...and a great deal better than what you get on some of the budget DVD sets out there. I was happy to finally get a fairly decent copy of the Friendship 7 program that is unedited.

There are some other bonus clips, featuring short interviews...but the remainder of the "new material" generally consists of only a minute or two here and there.

For those expecting hours of outtakes and extra footage from interviews, be aware there is very little "new" material in the set.

Posts: 46
From: Spring, Texas, USA
Registered: Dec 2007

Posts: 74
From:
Registered: Jul 2008

posted 08-03-2008 10:36 AM            

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I'm a little late to the game, but I really enjoyed When We Left Earth. I learned a tremendous amount and it was just a very good documentary. I will say that I felt they short-changed Apollo 1. That tragedy deserved more than the few minutes they spent on that.

I couldn't believe it when I read that Neil Armstrong was going to particpate. As David Sington, producer of In the Shadow of the Moon, said about NA's absence from his movie - because he's not seen by the general public very often, he remains (in a way) always young. For me, that was true. In any case, it was great to hear from him and he looks terrific. I find Gemini 8 a fascinating story and was glad that they spent time on that. Also, it was great to hear from Neil about Apollo 11, though I found it interesting (and not surprising) that his comments ended when they landed.

One thing I came away with after watching WWLTE is complete awe of the Saturn V rocket. That rocket launch is just about the most spectacular thing I've ever seen and it continues to amaze me.

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-03-2008 06:11 PM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by CPCM:
Did anyone notice that Neil Armstrong looks like he is reading his lines from a teleprompter or cue cards?

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Yes, Armstrong was reading prepared statements, but then it was his understanding that he was recording monologues to be presented as such and not re-cut to appear in the same format as the other astronauts' interviews.

According to someone close to Armstrong, Dangerous Films approached him three times for an interview and each time he declined. Armstrong explained he was not a fan of documentaries produced from file footage and contemporary 'talking head' interviews, but offered to entertain other ideas.

Ultimately, they agreed upon monologues, which he would write based on their suggested topics. Unbeknown to Armstrong however, his prepared speeches were re-cut as to imply they were part of an interview. He now feels the producers deceived not only him, but the audience as well by editing the monologues in the way that they did.

Of the series itself, Armstrong did see a couple of episodes but is still not a fan of the format, finding some sections erratic and the commercial breaks disconcerting.

Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007

posted 08-03-2008 08:05 PM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Unbeknown to Armstrong however, his prepared speeches were re-cut as to imply they were part of an interview.

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Biggest problem when somebody does this is that although they got the material THEY wanted, they end up making it THAT much harder for anyone else following after to try and get any similar responses from Armstrong as it probably soured him on the whole deal.

I've seen Neil do some documentary work in the past and I've also seen him get involved with other projects where he provides some nice additions (such as the Wright Brothers documentary that he and John Glenn did where they were the voices of Orville and Wilbur Wright). If he's behind a project, he gives it his all. But you don't want to cross him.

Unfortunately, it kind of sounds to me like "Dangerous Films" is living up to its name in a metaphorical sense. It also sounds to me like Neil came away with a similar sense of the documentary as many of us did. As such, "erratic" is a pretty good description of the sense I had upon viewing some of the sections.

Posts: 74
From:
Registered: Jul 2008

posted 08-03-2008 11:19 PM            

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I'm having a hard time grasping how a monologue could be used in a documentary format without being made to seem boring. I enjoyed his segments and I had no clue that he was reading from cue cards - he seemed natural to me and certainly not boring.

I like to hear from Neil, but 3 times is a lot. I don't think he should be hounded to do something he's not inclined to do and I don't like the fact that he was deceived. It's lousy and seriously unethical, but I guess the philosphy is "anything to get Neil Armstrong". Ugh. I don't think I will be watching those segments again (Gemini 8 and Apollo 11) and they were my favorites. I just don't feel comfortable doing so knowing the circumstances.

I completely agree about how difficult it may now be to get Neil to participate in anything now... although I hope he realizes that not all people are this unscrupulous. I hope he continues to be a part (selectively of course, however he sees fit) of future "moon movies" as I like to call them as it's always great to hear from him.

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 576
From: Germany
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 08-05-2008 05:12 PM               

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Playing Devil's Advocate:

Given the way Dangerous Films obtained Armstrong's "interview" I guess they'll have no qualms in understanding that despite my promise to buy the blu-ray, I decided to download the HD torrent. I mean who cares about how difficult I make it for people to obtain legal i-Tunes versions and the like as long as I get what I want, right?

The above monologue notwithstanding, as a member of the television and film industry, I absolutely do NOT condone the manner in which Armstrong's participation was obtained. I am certainly not rewarding that type of unethical approach by purchasing their product, nor do I have any desire to view it. I'll happily wait for Mark Gray's superior product.

Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 08-05-2008 06:49 PM               

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The sad thing is that these monologues would have made EXCELLENT bonus material for the DVDs. If Neil thought he was presenting monologues to be heard in full, then the least they could have done was to include them on the DVD sets to fulfill that end of the bargain.

But as it is, they will probably just sit on the shelf for decades, with no way of viewing them. Or worse, more bits and pieces will be edited to form "interview" segments for other programs...further aggrivating Armstong, no doubt.

Posts: 74
From:
Registered: Jul 2008

posted 08-05-2008 09:52 PM            

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Good points mjanovec. This whole situation is disappointing in so many ways, but mainly because greed rears its ugly head. Dangerous Films got NA and other producers (of films like In the Shadow of the Moon) did not. They can use NA's name to plug their effort and they will do so without feeling one pang of guilt as to how they deceived NA.

I would have loved to have heard the monologues as NA intended them. It's too bad that, in one of the few documentaries that Neil Armstrong participates in, it has to be tainted like this.

Posts: 175
From: Utrecht,NL
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 09-08-2008 12:20 PM               

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Discovery Channel "When We Left Earth" makes it to Europe... well, to Holland at least.

The six part NASA anniversary series will begin airing in Holland on September 18. Don't know if that means that it will be seen in all of Europe at the same time?

Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-13-2008 01:18 PM            

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This series is supposed to be shown on Discovery Channel in the UK this month. Does anyone know exactly when?

Amazon UK is offering to notify would-be purchasers when the Blu-Ray version of the series becomes available. The Blu-Ray version is already available from Amazon USA, but Robert reported earlier that it is Region 1, so it would be pointless to buy the US version. It seems reasonable to deduce that the version which isn't yet available through Amazon UK will be Region 2 (or whatever the correct region is for UK) but can anyone actually confirm that a UK-viewable Blu-Ray version WILL be available here in due course? (Any idea when?)

Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-14-2008 02:41 PM            

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Amazon UK have replied very quickly to an email from me about this. They tell me the Blu-ray disc they will be selling, although a U.S. import, will be viewable on UK Blu-ray players. (That makes me wonder whether the Blu-ray disc currently available through (American) Amazon is actually all-region, or will it only be the version imported into the UK which will be all-region).

Still no word about when the series starts on Discovery. I thought I read somewhere that it would be Saturday 20th September, but I have now seen the TV schedule and there is no sign of it.

Posts: 175
From: Utrecht,NL
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 10-11-2008 02:00 PM               

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I just watched episode 3 of WWLE. In the launch sequence on Apollo 8, there is a very brief view of the jettison of the interstage between the first and second stage, from either the ground or perhaps an aircraft (I do NOT mean the view from the camera at the bottom of the second stage itself). Obviously some of these scenes are from different launches.

I have checked my Spacecraft Films collection including The Mighty Saturns but have not been able to find the material from which this interstage jettison view is taken. Does anyone recognize this and know where I can find a longer fragment?

Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 175
From: Utrecht,NL
Registered: Feb 2007

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 10-05-2011 06:36 AM               

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For UK viewers, I stumbled across "NASA's Greatest Missions" on Freeview Quest Channel 38 this week. They have shown the Mercury project program twice this week already and it is being repeated again on Saturday for those who missed it.

Monday of next week is I suspect the first of several showings from the same series covering the Gemini program. I suspect Apollo etc. will be broadcast in the week or weeks that follow.

I've seen the series before but this is the first time on terrestrial channels as far as I know.

Posts: 233
From: Dallas TX USA
Registered: Jul 2012

posted 03-22-2013 10:43 PM            

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I read this entire thread before purchasing the DVD set and, after watching the first 3 DVDs, agree with most of the comments/criticisms here.

One thing I noticed that I didn't read here is that all of the CM to LM footage in Episodes 3 and 4 is backwards. Surprised no one else mentioned that. I would have thought the reversed elevation markings in the CM window would have clued the Dangerous Films editors that they had it flipped.

Posts: 1252
From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008

Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006