During a speech given in May of 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke of innovation and exploration: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." These words act not only as a cultural touchstone and part of a 60’s history crash course but as the subject of this documentary. The Wonder of it All contains nearly an hour and a half of intimate interviews with members of the historic Apollo spacecraft missions. Fans of Buzz Aldrin and other pioneering astronauts will want to see this title on public library shelves.
This documentary would be very useful to students studying the Apollo missions or the history of space flight from an American perspective. At the same time, this intense focus on America is one of this film’s weaknesses: It begins by stating that ‘Soviets ruled space’ during much of the space race era but the first lines herald ‘the first men to leave the Earth’ in reference to the Apollo missions. This type of poetic patriotism trumping historical analysis appears several times during the documentary.
My largest complaint is a lack of direction in the interviews as well as a lack of additional expert analysis or voiceover to drive The Wonder of it All. This rambling nature will prove informative to some—especially those interested in biography—but make it especially unappealing for younger audiences specifically.
Those complaints aside, The Wonder of it All contains a very intriguing collection of interviews. Fans of biographies and astronauts will enjoy this educational documentary. The members of the Apollo missions were brave explorers and groundbreaking pioneers who deserve study and praise for their accomplishments. The Wonder of it All would be an excellent addition to space documentary shelves. Recommended.
What public library shelves does this title belong on?
The Wonder of it All would best fit on Biography and Space Documentary shelves. Aviation or Aerospace history collections may benefit from the addition of this title.
What type of film series would this documentary fit in?
Biography series about American Heroes, Astronauts, and Explorers would benefit from the addition of The Wonder of it All.