Apollo 11 * * * *

On a terrestrial body where America has committed no sin, yet...

       I was in Vietnam last month (hence the lack of reviews for June).  One of the most moving places to visit is the Museum of American Aggression.  The horror, the disgrace, the abominable acts committed by the Americans in the Vietnam war is enough to put America in a place of shame and contempt for ever.
      Yet, at the same time they were committing these unforgivable war crimes they were aspiring to achieve the greatest achievement of mankind, having a man walk upon the moon.
       Apollo 11, is made up of a lot of footage, which for some reason, had not been seen before.  Carefully restored to such detail it can now be projected in an IMAX cinema, which is where I saw it.  Surprisingly it doesn't give retrospective interviews or reflections, neither are any of those involved in the operation interviewed.  It merely shows them at work with subtitles explaining what their role is.
     It puts us in awe from the opening scenes.   The rocket was built in one place and then transported, upright, ready to go to a launching pad.  To do this they built a caterpillar track that dwarfs everything around it.  I don't know if they enhanced the sound but the cinema shook when it took off.  It was magnificent.
      Apollo 11 is an uplifting film that actually makes you love America and Americans for this.  The most moving part is the altruism in the language from everyone involved.  They did not boast or claim this achievement as being for America, but as being for the world.  This was an achievement they wanted all of humankind to celebrate.  It was a giant leap for mankind, but despite their modesty and generosity, lets face it. - it was the Americans who did it. It would not have happened without them.
      Yet, at the same time.......