Although it is naturally different in form from works of fiction, the emotional field opened up by documentary film can be absolutely devastatingly powerful. Because it addresses subjects that sometimes touch on intimate issues, questions that deeply surprise and question us, our relationship with the world, others and living beings. And, fortunately, will also be amazed at what a person can have within themselves. As such, For All Mankind stands up there as both rare and precious.
Extensively documented history
The story of space exploration and the Apollo missions has since been widely illustrated on both the small and big screens, with many solid works. Let’s take a few examples, obviously Apollo 13; The excellent Earth to Moon series was airing on HBO at the time; The latest and greatest Apollo 11 released in 2019 and projected on an IMAX screen.
We can even include works that evoke conspiracy or dystopian theories, such as Peter Hyams’ very solid Capricorn One; 2002’s excellent mockumentary Operation Moon, which harkens back to the idea that the US administration wanted to protect itself from the possible failure of the Apollo 11 mission by producing images of man’s first steps in the studio, with the help of Stanley Kubrick. the moon Recently, Apple released a great series for all of humanity that makes the point that the space race is never over and the Russians are way ahead.
If documentary for all mankind The one we’re talking about has the same title, doesn’t play in the same register at all. Undoubtedly the most extraordinary documentary ever devoted to the subject, nominated for an Oscar in 1990, For All Mankind is the fruit of the phenomenal selection work carried out in the NASA archives by Al Reinert, who is rightly considered the best specialist on the subject. He notably worked on the TV series From the Earth to the Moon.
The pictures are so beautiful it almost becomes unreal
For All Mankind tells the story of the Apollo missions using only images from the NASA archives. But there’s more: the strength of the images lies in the fact that each Apollo mission team took a small camera to photograph themselves and their discoveries when the astronauts didn’t take their own cameras. . the result For some, the plans are so beautiful that they become unrealistic. or almost.
Instead of focusing only on the facts, Al Reinert sought to evoke the human aspects of this extraordinary odyssey. Told by the astronauts themselves, who followed each other during the mission and brought back their little films, they remember and comment on the images they were privileged to see, to experience, on behalf of humanity: for all of humanity.
We offer a small excerpt from the documentary; Unfortunately, the technical quality is not high…
With an absolutely stark selection of archive footage cut to the bone (it lasts just under 1h19), set to an elegiac and hypnotic score specially composed by Brian Eno, who has since toured the world (and been used many times, notably by Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic), for All Humanity It even has the luxury of offering a sequence that doesn’t stray too far from traffic.
It’s no surprise that Christopher Nolan ranks Al Reinert’s documentary so high in his personal pantheon that we suspect he should have re-watched it before putting Interstellar in the box. If you only have one documentary to watch on the subject, For All Mankind is the obvious choice.
The (big) trouble is that no French publisher has yet seen fit to release this absolute marvel on DVD or even Blu-ray, forcing most Anglophiles to turn to imports. It still hurts a lot.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
