Product Description

This 12-hour HBO miniseries created by Tom Hanks garnered 17 Emmy nominations and captivated audiences. From the early stages of the space program and Kennedy's 1961 call to reach the moon within a decade to the successes and heartbreaking failures of the race for space the dream was kept alive by dedicated daring professionals and a nation intent on reaching for -- and landing amid -- the stars all while the world faced the Vietnam War.Running Time: 720 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 026359885327

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #868 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-09-20
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Box set, Collector's Edition, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 5
• Dimensions: 1.10 pounds
• Running time: 720 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Originally broadcast in April and May of 1998, the epic miniseries From the Earth to the Moon was HBO's most expensive production to date, with a budget of $68 million. Hosted by executive producer Tom Hanks, the miniseries tackles the daunting challenge of chronicling the entire history of NASA's Apollo space program from 1961 to 1972. For the most part, it's a rousing success. Some passages are flatly chronological, awkwardly wedging an abundance of factual detail into a routine dramatic structure. But each episode is devoted to a crucial aspect of the Apollo program. The cumulative effect is a deep and thorough appreciation of NASA's monumental achievement. With the help of a superlative cast, consistent writing, and a stable of talented directors, Hanks has shared his infectious enthusiasm for space exploration and the inspiring power of conquering the final frontier.

NASA's complete participation in the production lends to its total authenticity, right down to the use of NASA equipment, launch locations, and even spacecraft. The re-creation of the lunar landscape is almost as impressive as the real thing and is further enhanced by the use of helium balloons to lighten the actors playing moon-walking astronauts. (These and other backstage details are revealed in the "making of" featurette, along with a wealth of supplemental materials, on a bonus disc in the miniseries' DVD package.) With a fictional, Walter Cronkite-like TV reporter (Lane Smith) serving as the dramatic link for all 12 episodes, this ambitious production may not be a great work of art. But as a generous and definitive example of nonfiction drama, it's full of the same kind of awe, inspiration, and humanity that led to "one giant leap" in the all-too-short history of 20th-century space exploration. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
The 2005 "Signature Edition" adds a powerful DTS track along with a remastered picture (now in widescreen). It takes many of the extra features from the original 1998 release's DVD-ROM disc and puts them onto a DVD disc including the standard making-of docs and several text segments on the solar system and timeline of space travel. This makes for easier viewing, but the new edition loses the virtual datacenter of space and NASA information that would be hard to reproduce without the ROM disc. The extra discs are mainly to hold both the DTS and 5.1 soundtracks; there are no new features. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

From the earth to the moon
This is one of the most well done documentaries/dramas I have ever seen. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Simply the best!
This is the best mini-series every made! Tom Hanks produced it and he's very passionate about our space program. The writing, acting, directing; everything is first-class! if you even remotely enjoy movies about NASA and our space program or just want a good o'l dose of US pride then this is a must have. I bet I've watch it 10 times since it released and it always satisfies.

A true reflection of the times
This purchase was worth the money just to have an insight on the Apollo 12 mission - and the education of Alan Bean. The actors were so good you could believe they were the real astronauts. Pete Conrad's character was the great wise cracking, gum chewing, no holds barred personality, with Dick Gordon and Alan Bean's personalities shining through. Everyone remembers Apollo 11 and of course 13, but 12, that was a triumph of both the characters on the ground and in space. Leadership and friendship are both evident in this snippet of time.