Apollo 11 - A Larger Than Life Epic

"Apollo 11" is a true larger-than-life epic, infused with a sense of urgency and tension; directors like Kathryn Bigelow and Paul Greengrass would no doubt be smirking in their seats.

As I surrendered myself to the powerful images on screen, and shed more than a few tears, I rather naively found myself muttering, “Oh gosh, I hope this is going to work.” Of course it’s going to work. It already did. That is a true testament to the influence of the images, most comprised of never-before-seen 65mm motion picture film, which was only recently uncovered by NASA and NARA (National Archives). A fair chunk of command center and Apollo module footage comes to us from previously released 16mm footage.

To back up for a moment, the gold standard for making and projecting movies for over 100 years was 35mm motion picture film, up until the digital conversion in 2012. 65mm (or as it's projected as 70mm, to give room for the sound track) is three-times the resolution of 35mm film, offering a native resolution from 11.7 - 18K, depending on who you ask. Standard digital cinema exhibition resolution is 2K or 4K.

The scale of "Apollo 11" is other worldly, and the urgency I spoke to is certainly catapulted by the wise decision to allow the images to breath on their own, albeit with an incredible score and frenetic editing to guide us along. The first twenty minutes had me thinking of Robert Altman — tasks being accomplished, people moving in and out of frame, different characters coming and going.

Let’s talk about the footage. Film in itself is important, and has been for over 100 years. It has a quality and texture that is unparalleled. The film footage here took my breath away, and it’s due to the power of today’s technology that we can enjoy such lush and vibrant images. The fact that NASA had the foresight to photograph much on 65mm film is impressive, and the fact that we can still be impressed by a medium many deem outdated, says a lot.

The quality of the native footage means all the more to me. I have now spent 16-years of my life running motion picture film, from 16mm & 35mm archival prints at the Walker Art Center, to 35mm mainstream and 70mm exclusive releases at Emagine Willow Creek, film is quite literally my life. For the last two years my wife and I have been working on a documentary called "Knife River", a tale of a northern-Minnesota village born on the shores of Lake Superior in the mid 1800s, that utilizes old and new mediums — digital 1080p/4K, Super 8, and 16mm . The film is a portrait of the residents and the character of northern living.

For years I've been searching for a project to capture on film, but I couldn't justify the cost or find a relationship between subject and celluloid. With "Knife River", we found the perfect project. The medium is perfectly aligned with this idea of capturing the north shore of Minnesota as a memory and preserving a particular moment in time, and as a filmmaker and projectionist, shooting a film on actual film feels only logical. We are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise enough funds to continue shooting on 16mm film.

The structure of film allows us to instantly transport to another time, which makes "Apollo 11" an incredible feat. The images are presented with such clarity, it's mind boggling to think it was photographed 50 years ago.

We can enjoy this documentary because of film preservation, the technological advancements, and those who want beautiful images live through a new light.

4 out of 4 - Now playing in select theatres.

As a companion piece, check out Al Reinert 's 1989 documentary "For All Mankind". Not only is "For All Mankind" one of the greatest documentaries ever made, the commentary by director Al Reinert and Eugene Cernan (commander of Apollo 17) is incredibly thought-provoking and introspective.

If you ever encounter existential dread while lingering on the moon and vastness of space from the comfort of your home, the film and commentary have a way of reeling that in and articulating the emotion. This is a must watch for anyone. You’ll come away with a new respect for space exploration, you’ll come away wondering... when will the technology be there for us to trek out into deep space?