"From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Michael Grossman

Writers:

Erik Bork (episodes)
Jonathan Marc Feldman (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

5 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | Thriller

Plot:

Dramatized portrayal of the Apollo manned space program.

Plot Keywords:

Space | Space Program | Apollo 8 | Apollo 1 | Astronaut

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 18 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Himself - Host / ... (12 episodes, 1998)
Nick Searcy	...	Deke Slayton (10 episodes, 1998)
Lane Smith	...	Emmett Seaborn (6 episodes, 1998)
David Andrews	...	Frank Borman (5 episodes, 1998)
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Gene Cernan (5 episodes, 1998)
Stephen Root	...	Chris Kraft (5 episodes, 1998)

Runtime:

60 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White | Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (Parts 3, 4, 7, 8) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (Parts 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 - 12) | Netherlands:AL | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) (2006) | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

DeLand, Florida, USA

Company:

Clavius Base

Trivia:

Lane Smith plays a news anchor who is being forced out by an industry preferring younger, shallower and ratings-driven stories. Smith also appeared in Network (1976), based on a similar plot.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In episode 5, "Spider", when Astronaut Rusty Schweickart is shown entering the LM for the first time while in space, the shot has been reversed. The NASA patch on his space suit is shown in reverse and on the wrong side.

Quotes:

Scientist: NASA stands for "Never Absolutely Sure of Anything."

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Behind the Scenes: Making 'From the Earth to the Moon' (#5.4)" (1998)

Incredible mini series

This miniseries is fantastic. As a self titled space geek, I enjoyed every minute. Not only does it tell the story of how we got to the Moon, it tells about the individual astronauts and many who helped get them there. After Alan Shepard had his 15 minutes as the first American in space, JFK made it clear that we needed to get to the Moon by 1970. The mini series details every step of the way, touching on the Apollo 1 disaster, all the steps to getting to the Moon (staying in orbit, space walks, docking, etc), the development of the Lunar Modules, and the inevitable voyage of Apollo 11 that landed on the Moon. I especially enjoyed Dave Foley as Al Bean, an astronaut on Apollo 12 (the funny episode). From the Earth to the Moon also details the NASA/press relationship, astronaut training, the astronaut wives, etc. It's such details and perspective that make this stand out as an amazing miniseries. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the Apollo program. Truly an amazing story of arguably the greatest technological achievement of man to date.