Photo: NASA
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission’s Eagle module landed on the Moon, allowing humans to set foot on another celestial body for the first time in history. Coincidently, those first steps were taken by American astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Fast forward to 2018, Armstrong’s story is being told in a new biopic movie directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan Gosling as the astronaut. In theaters this October, the flic has already caused a lot of controversy among those lucky enough to have seen it at various special screenings.
In a country whose motto in recent years is Make America Great again, not seeing the historic moment when Armstrong and his colleague Buzz Aldrin plant the American flag in the lunar dust equates to NFL players kneeling during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
Voices from all over the place, including that of Buzz Aldrin, started slamming the writers' and director’s decision not to show a moment of tremendous American pride. To all of them, Armstrong’s sons say they got the whole movie wrong.
In a statement released on Tuesday – which you can read in full in the document attached below - Rick and Mark Armstrong say the movie is not about Apollo 11, NASA, the Moon or the flag. The movie is about the man behind the legend, “a very personal movie about our dad's journey, seen through his eyes.”
As for the achievement in itself, the two say that, as their father said in his famous speech from the Moon, as he took his first steps there, it is one of “all mankind.”
"This story is human, and it is universal. Of course, it celebrates an America achievement. It also celebrates an achievement "for all mankind," as it says on the plaque Neil and Buzz left on the moon," the statement reads.
“It is a story about an ordinary man who makes profound sacrifices and suffers through intense loss in order to achieve the impossible. And in that, it is a story for a generation now facing challenges as great as landing on the moon.”
In a country whose motto in recent years is Make America Great again, not seeing the historic moment when Armstrong and his colleague Buzz Aldrin plant the American flag in the lunar dust equates to NFL players kneeling during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
Voices from all over the place, including that of Buzz Aldrin, started slamming the writers' and director’s decision not to show a moment of tremendous American pride. To all of them, Armstrong’s sons say they got the whole movie wrong.
In a statement released on Tuesday – which you can read in full in the document attached below - Rick and Mark Armstrong say the movie is not about Apollo 11, NASA, the Moon or the flag. The movie is about the man behind the legend, “a very personal movie about our dad's journey, seen through his eyes.”
As for the achievement in itself, the two say that, as their father said in his famous speech from the Moon, as he took his first steps there, it is one of “all mankind.”
"This story is human, and it is universal. Of course, it celebrates an America achievement. It also celebrates an achievement "for all mankind," as it says on the plaque Neil and Buzz left on the moon," the statement reads.
“It is a story about an ordinary man who makes profound sacrifices and suffers through intense loss in order to achieve the impossible. And in that, it is a story for a generation now facing challenges as great as landing on the moon.”
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