Product Details

• Actors: Jack Swigert, Barbara Lovell, Jim Lovell, Marilyn Lovell (II), Alexei Leonov
• Directors: Noel Buckner, Rob Whittlesey
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: November 21, 1995
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303827942
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,107 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Produced a year before Ron Howard's film of the doomed space mission hit Hollywood, To the Edge and Back brings the real faces of the Apollo 13 saga to the forefront. Astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise talk about the flight (Jack Swigert died in 1982) while the technicians, including mission operations director Chris Kraft and flight director Gene Kranz, recall the moon shot and the near-fatal explosion. It's still hard to make the story fill an hour, so there's time to examine the space race in general and show previous missions. The "showing" part is the program's weakness. Ron Howard used no real footage in his film, which was smart since there really isn't a lot of interesting footage, just the usual launch and TV transmissions. Simple computer animations fill in the gaps, yet even the money shot--a still picture of the damaged spacecraft--is not shown. Still, this is a key document for those digging to see the "real" behind the story. It works as a wonderful "extra" to the Oscar-winning Hollywood film. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, September 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If your have never experienced the space program growing up, then this is a must-see. Heck, it should be mandatory viewing in high school History classes. Emotional, awe-inspiring, and fantastic! Gives me goose-bumps everytime I watch it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As gripping as the mission itself..., August 9, 2005

By 

M. Loyd (Anderson, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back (DVD)

One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. If you're a space buff, and haven't seen this, get it. Told by the people who actually lived the experience, "Apollo 13: To The Edge And Back" is very well written and presented. Originally produced during the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, this documentary was an influence on Ron Howard during the production of his movie "Apollo 13". "To The Edge And Back" also covers a little of the history of the U.S. space program and the causes and motivations for going to the moon. The technical aspects are clearly explained in terms the layman can easily understand. If you could only have one Apollo 13 documentary, let it be this one.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget the Hollywood Movie - The Truth is Better, February 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I grew up during the space program. When I first saw this documentary on PBS I was on the edge of my chair for the duration - it was really that exciting. The next day everyone at my office was talking about it (much like we used to as grade school children back when the actual events transpired). I later saw the Hollywood movie and wondered why they had bothered - not a bad movie, but cannot compare to the real deal.