Movie of the Month: "For All Mankind"

One might assume that by its very nature a documentary should adhere to a strict sense of factuality: that is to say….it should be rigorously accurate. Otherwise, what's the point? The beauty of non-fiction is that you know it's not fictional. You know it to be true, making it all the more astounding.

But Al Reinert’s seminal docu-fantasia quite literally occupies a world in between.

Splicing footage from both the Gemini and Apollo space programs—utilizing approximately 6 million feet of raw film plus 80 hours worth of primary interviews—Reinert shaves the experience of space travel down to a lean 80-minute trajectory: terra to luna then back again.

In a day when feeling truly inspired is a fleeting pastime, it can be safely said that “FAMK” is the kind of film that can make you believe in miracles again. No, I don’t mean like those corny aphorisms people quote on Facebook. I’m talking about a real sense of awe, the kind we lose to such petty things as “reality”.

Boiled down to its purest state, “FAMK” is a space odyssey in the truest sense, if only because it can make humanity feel miniscule and gargantuan all at the same time.

To iterate, I’ll give you an example of what I mean. There is a special shot in this film where time seems to stand still and the camera hangs over a glowing image of Earth, hovering in the window of the command module. Yet this shot never existed in the footage. So what did Reinert and his team do? They actually went to the Johnson Space Center in Houston and taped a photograph of Earth to the inner window of the hatch cover in order to better bring interviewee Ken Mattingly’s descriptions to life.

To quote from the late great Raymond Chandler, always remember that the truth of art keeps science from becoming inhuman, and the truth of science keeps art from becoming ridiculous. What you get in “FAMK” reminds us why we explore. Not what we explore. It’s less about knowing how we got into space and more about what it’s like actually to go there. And if Brian Eno’s generative opus doesn’t make your heart bleed for the dreams we once had then I don’t know what will.

So: if you feel like there is no longer any wonder left in the universe, if there are no more explorations to be had or mysteries to be pondered, then I advise you to pick up a copy of Reinert’s “For All Mankind” as soon as possible.You won't be disappointed.

*The higher the quality of your entertainment system the better (for best results see the Criterion Collection’s newly released Blu-Ray edition). Please don’t watch the Youtube version.


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Directed by:
Al Reinert

Produced by:
Betsy Broyles Breier
David Leitner ... co-producer
Ben Young Mason ... executive producer
Fred Miller ... executive producer
Al Reinert
Jonathan Turell ... associate producer

Cast:
James A. Lovell Jr. ... Narrator (Apollo 8, 13) (voice)
Russell L. Schweickart ... Narrator (Apollo 9) (voice)
Eugene A. Cernan¹ ... Narrator (Apollo 10, 17) (voice)
Michael Collins ... Narrator (Apollo 11) (voice)
Charles P. Conrad Jr. ... Narrator (Apollo 12) (voice)
Richard F. Gordon Jr. ... Narrator (Apollo 12) (voice)
Alan L. Bean ... Narrator (Apollo 12) (voice)
John L. Swigert Jr. ... Narrator (Apollo 13) (voice)
Stuart A. Roosa ... Narrator (Apollo 14) (voice)
James B. Irwin ... Narrator (Apollo 15) (voice)
T. Kenneth Mattingly II¹ ... Narrator (Apollo 16) (voice)
Charles M. Duke Jr.¹ ... Narrator (Apollo 16) (voice)
Harrison H. Schmitt¹ ... Narrator (Apollo 17) (voice)
Buzz Aldrin ... Himself (archive footage)
Bill Anders ... Himself (archive footage)
Neil Armstrong ... Himself (archive footage)
Steve Bales ... Himself (archive footage)
Frank Borman ... Himself (archive footage)
Walter Cunningham ... Himself (archive footage)
Ron Evans ... Himself (archive footage)
Fred Haise ... Himself (archive footage)
Chris Kraft ... Himself (archive footage)
Gene Kranz ... Himself (archive footage)
Jim McDivitt ... Himself (archive footage)
Ed Mitchell ... Himself (archive footage)
Bob Overmyer ... Himself (archive footage)
Buck Owens ... Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Wally Schirra ... Himself (archive footage)
Dave Scott ... Himself (archive footage)
Alan Shepard ... Himself (archive footage)
Deke Slayton ... Himself (archive footage)
Tom Stafford ... Himself (archive footage)
Ed White ... Himself (archive footage)
John Young ... Himself (archive footage)