For All Mankind (1989)

Al Reinert's For All Mankind is a film that nowadays brings out different kinds of emotions in me. On one hand, it reminds me about a time when America was united behind a group of men who made history. The joy and elation our nation experienced was unprecedented. To this day, I still get emotional when I watch the documentary footage with Neil Armstrong setting foot on the lunar soil. It is a very special scene.

On the other hand, For All Mankind also makes me incredibly sad. It reminds me about a time when the world was on the brink of World War III, divided by political ideologies that nowadays seem so preposterous. The film also reminds me about President Kennedy. Times have changed but we, the human race, have not. We are as divided and as suspicious of each other as we have ever been.

For All Mankind chronicles the history of the Apollo 11 mission and the three astronauts – Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin – who landed on the Moon. Throughout the film, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin as well as a number of other people who played an important part in the Apollo 11 mission, including Bill Anders, Stephen Bales, Walter Cunningham, Frank Borman and Charles Conrad amongst others, are heard sharing their thoughts while archival footage from the preparation, initiation and completion of the mission is shown.

It is important to note, however, that none of the men whose voices are heard on the archival footage are identified by their names. Initially, it feels strange, as it takes time to get used to hearing different voices without knowing the persons behind them. Eventually, though, one begins to understand that the voices belong to us, the overwhelmed human race, recognizing an event of historic proportions.

The majority of the archival footage used in For All Mankind looks incredible. Director Reinert and a team of specialists spent hundreds of hours working on the film elements supplied by NASA. Color, contrast, clarity and stability were dramatically improved. As a result, the archival footage from the astronauts' landing on the Moon looks as if it was recorded only a decade ago.MS-DOCU

What else is there to say about this film? As cliche as it may sound, one really has to see it to fully understand and grasp the type of atmosphere that surrounded the Apollo 11 mission. Simple words can only go so far in describing what America and the rest of the world felt on July 20, 1969. The event had different significance for different people, and I know that the film will have a different impact on different viewers who will now see it for the first time.

I have seen a number of documentaries during the years. Many of them were well done, focusing on important subjects and debating them convincingly. But I don't remember all of them vividly. I do, however, remember For All Mankind and I know exactly how I felt when I first saw it. I was overwhelmed and filled with pride. It was a very special experience that made me dream impossible dreams. I hope that those of you who are about to see For All Mankind for the first time have a similar experience.