Search - Apollo 10: The Dress Rehearsal on DVD

Sometimes out of place

Apollo Junkie | Houston, Texas | 04/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although I'm writing about the Apollo 10 DVD from Spacecrat Films, this review also applies to the Apollo 9 DVD which is also from Spacecraft Films.

Yes, I thoroughly love this DVD. However, I'm very disapointed at the huge jumps in time with this DVD. They show the film magazines in order starting with magazine A and going down the alphabet from there. The problem with that is different astronauts used different cameras at different times when they shot their film. So one magazine shows a wider span of time than another. While I admit it may be helpful to some to watch the entire film magazine before proceding on to the next one, I don't subscribe to that philosophy.

Here's why. They show 16mm movies of the lunar surface from orbit BEFORE the film and audio of the translunar injection, which was about 2 hours after launch. I'd rather see the film and audio in logical sequence (even if a magazine has to be broken up) instead of the randomly placed events Spacecraft Films seems to have put together. This lack of sequencing is also a problem on the Apollo 9 DVD from Spacecraft Films. Having said that I don't believe the sequencing takes anything away from the beauty and historical value of this set.

I guess my real gripe is that they inserted interview and press conference audio clips over film that had nothing to do with what they were talking about in the audio. They could have inserted the interview over a relevant film clip, where available. There also seems to be a very little in flight audio from the astronauts. I'm sure that's not the fault of Spacecraft Films, but it is somewhat annoying to me.

As I'm writing this review, I'm watching the lunar surface from Apollo 10 while listening to a pre-flight interview of Gene Krantz. Yes, I admit there is relevance, but I'd still rather hear more in flight audio between the astronauts and Mission Control. There seems to me to be too many earth bound interviews in these (Apollo 9 & Apollo 10) DVD's. While they're helpful from a historical aspect, I bought these DVD's to relive the event, not to hear what happend months before or months after the flight. I wanted to feel what the astronauts experienced in real time.

If you're like me and have to have the Apollo DVD's these are definitely the ones to get. Yes, they cost a lot more than the slick produced "Readers Digest" versions other companies have released in the past, but these versions are more than worth the price. Overall Spacecraft Films has done an excellent job presenting the Apollo (and Mercury and Gemini) programs to the world. They have performed a great service to fans of the Apollo program such as myself. I own almost all the Apollo DVD's they've produced so far (lacking only 12 & 14). The lunar landing mission DVD's are much better organized than the 2 missions before Apollo 11.

If I had to buy it all over again, I would definitely buy this set. However, I hope in future releases Spacecraft Films would reconsider their editing these pre-lunar landing DVD's."

So close ...

Laurenc SVITOK | Bratislava Slovakia | 01/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Apollo 10 is an excellent material, we're used to it with Spacecraftfilms. Dramatical pictures from low above the surface evoke the temptation the astronauts must have felt being so close and not being "allowed" to make it.
Very interesting is the sequence from ascent/descent LM separation when the ascent stage went wild - I never knew it took actually only few seconds and astronauts managed to have it fully back under controll again. I always thought the incident took much longer ...
I have, however, again a comment related to the landing footage. In my opinion there should be always used the film material where available, it creates the value added - TV landing footage is usually not very good. In this Apollo 10 case the film is used but the landing and recovery is cut to the minimum which is a pity - from the short sequencies it is obvious that the good quality material is available. And the landing/splashdown is one of the dramatical parts of the flight. It may be my personal opinion only but I would always welcome full film coverage of landing and recovery, I have never enough. It is simply different to the current runway touchdowns, the view of any spaceship coming back under the chutes is majestic.
Another thing I find - say - uncomfortable is the "double deck" packaging, I do not think it's practical.
Othervise excellent material, I give four stars for the short and incomplete landing and recovery part. It's definitely worth to have it.

Laurenc Svitok, Bratislava, Slovakia"