Customer Reviews

Liftoff! Success and Failure on the Launch Pad

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a rocket buff, this set is definitely for you. Visually, at least...

The two disc sets starts with four formerly classified Air Force documentaries about ballistic missile programs (one of which assumes the viewer is likely a high ranking officer!). Over an hour of historic footage of Robery Goddard's experiments from the 1920s-1930s are then shown...this turned out to be more fascinating than I expected. You witness the birth of liquid fueled rocketry and can't help but smile along with the infectious grin of Goddard and his team. V-1 and V-2 footage is then shown from Germany...a darker period of time, but it's humorous to see Himmler's personal plane destroyed by a failed V-2 launch. Disc one ends with the first failed US satellite launch attempt on a Vangaurd rocket. Commentary is provided in places where the footage is silent...which is a nice addition when there would otherwise be no sound at all.

Disc two is where the trouble begins. The disc covers launches of Juno, Atlas, Titan, Delta, Saturn, the Space Shuttle, and others. Successful (and many unsuccessful) launches are shown. This is what all rocket fans like to see. Also, by the time period of these launches, audio recordings are starting to appear with the launch films. The problem is that the original soundtracks to these launches, with the deep roar of the rocket engines, are ruined by a commentary track that cannot be turned off. It is especially maddening when the commentary on some of the early launches basically repeats itself as multiple angles of the same launch are shown. You just want the commentator to shut up for a launch so you can listen to the rocket in all it's glory. Instead, he just says "Well, here again you can see it ignite and here is where the trouble starts." I can't fault the commentator, since some of his insight is indeed interesting...especially in the later launches (like the Shuttle) in which he has greater knowledge. But like most DVDs with commentary, this narration should be included as an option that can be turned on and off. In this set, you are stuck listening to a monotone-voiced engineer (sorry Dave Mohr) talk over EVERY launch. This is NOT what rocket enthusiasts want to hear. It also is an unexpected trend from the otherwise unobtusive Spacecraft Films...who have earned a reputation for presenting material with as little editing as possible...so you can enjoy the footage without someone cutting it up or talking over it. Instead they virtually ruin this set by not letting the rockets speak for themselves.

Also, the methods for recording the commentary seem flawed, with a very hissy, wispy sound behind the voice. The microphone sounds as if it was placed very near the speaker's mouth, as you can hear every breath he draws. This is doubly maddending when you can hear his breathing better than you can hear the damn rocket!

I would have given this set five stars had the commentary been a seperate audio track. The imagery is great and is desearving of a high rating. The launch footage is spectacular is every regard and rocket fans will enjoy seeing it no matter what. But the overall enjoyment of the set is seriously marred by a major audio mistake...so the best I can give it is 3 stars overall. That might be a little harsh, but it was a mistake that didn't have to be made. It's akin to buying your favorite Hollywood movie on DVD and finding out you can't watch it without hearing the director's commentary over the actors dialogue.

In other words, Stage 1 of this set was successful, but Stage 2 failed to get it into orbit, ultimately making it just an interesting dud. Hopefully, Spacecraft Films will learn from this failed launch.

Note: The two Saturn DVD sets from Spacecraft Films are both 5-star keepers. Both sets avoid the audio mistake made in this set and instead present the hi-fidelity roar of each Saturn launch without audio molestation. I HIGHLY recommend those two sets...especially the Saturn V set.

After reading the other reviews I was pleasently surprised with this video. I was expecting the worse but it was very well done. The afore mentioned review on the commentary being substandard made me pay close attention to it. I agree it is not "History Channel Documentary" quality but I found it to be just fine, no distracting breathing or other noise.

All in all it's well worth the time and money to watch it. Lots of video I've never seen, mostly about the earliest rockets.

Rick

Don't waste your money. this is poorly done documentary. I was expecting some exciting footage but this doesn't work for me.

This is one of those Spacecraft Films releases that might not score so well from the average viewer.
Basically you really have to be into this type of stuff to be able to sit through all of this material. Because of this there will most assuredly be some people out there that will tell you to pass on this release and in all honesty depending on how you feel about this subject matter, they just might be correct in telling you to do so. With that being said, if your like me and absolutely LOVE this stuff then this is as much a must buy as any other Spacecraft Films release.

I wont bother going into detail about whats on this set as there are already some reviews up that do a great job at explaining this. Ill just simply say that this is an integral part of the Spacecraft Films collection and your collection just wont be complete without it. I have been a Space/NASA nut since I was a kid making my own model rockets and I wont deny there was that demented side of me that loved to see footage of exploding experimental rockets. The problem is that you simply didn't have access to any of it short of seeing some clips here and there. Well we finally have a release that allows us to see a lot of this footage and to say its spectacular is an understatement. The remastered footage of these launches looks fantastic. Basically this release was like scratching an itch that has been present since those days as a child and for those that are really serious about the history of the technical side of the space program, well this release definitely fills in some serious gaps in that history.

There is one thing that bothered me about this set and that is that you didn't have the option to shut off the commentary. If there is any release that should have been either devoid of commentary or at least had the option to turn such commentary off, its this one. The sound of the rockets taking off is really negatively effected by the commentary. This was disappointing but not enough so to deduct any points from the score. The good news is that Spacecraft Films continues to learn with each and every release and a lot of the mistakes made on some of these earlier releases are in fact rectified on later releases. Its now gotten to the point where its actually hard to find any faults at all with their new releases. In other words they just keep getting better and better with each new release.

The bottom line - This is just another outstanding release from Spacecraft Films and one that I highly recommend if your interested in this content. Having finally satisfied my demented appetite for rocket launches and explosions, well lets just say I can go to my grave a very content space junkie.

5 Stars!!

Liftoff! Success and Failure on the Launch Pad (2005) by Spacecraft Films-I am a one of the hard core people who make up NASA's aerospace fans and rocket enthustiasts and this film scored a five full stars stars with me.

This DVD starts from when reliable liquid fuel rockets were just an elusive dream of Dr. Robert Goddard taking the viewer step by step through all the major (American and German) developments to the first flights of the American Space Shuttle Columbia.

It includes detailed footage of Robert Goddard's rocket experiments (which I never knew existed), through the V-1 and V-2 Rocket experiments in Germany, continuing US Army work on the V-2 at White Sands New Mexico, going through the details of each significant milestone along the way including: sounding rockets, IRBM's, ICBM's, major upper stage developments, the first orbiting satellites, Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB's), Saturn 1, 1B and V, and the Shuttle, plus much, much more (see summary at bottom).

Without a doubt Spacecraft Films makes some of the best DVD products ever created dedicated to preserving the finest moments of the American space program. They provide rare restored footage recovered from the arcihives of NASA, the US Air Force and US Army and return these enhanced materials to the original source as a patriotic public service. It is for this reason these materials are a bit pricier, but the results are usually worth the investment to a space enthustiast. Approximately six hours of absolutely amazing materials are contained in LIFTOFF!

Please be aware that Spacecraft Film productions usually are not highly staged affairs in the sense of an IMAX or Discovery Channel production. Although they do incorporate significant editing and some occasionally inspiring music, they are intended to provide visual information and often include very informed narration by David Mohr, propulsion engineer for the STS.

This compilation can be a mixed bag for even rocket enthusiasts. It depends on what you really like watching. It consists of several old USAF documentaries and a lot of footage that was never edited. It has been edited now with a view towards completeness rather than drama. Along with the footage, the series editor adds some commentary which is sometimes quite good.

Individual programs are listed below:

Thor - An Air Force documentary about the development and testing of the Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile; a fairly interesting program from the 50s

The Ballistic Missile and SAC - Another AF documentary detailing the integration of the ballistic missile forces with the strategic bomber forces; another fairly interesting program from the 50s

Vandenberg - Another AF documentary detailing the purchase and building of Vandenberg Air Force Base; a mediocre program unless you are really interested in Vandenberg.

The X-17 Story - Another AF documentary from the 50s detailing the development of the X-17. It was intended to test re-entry vehicles. This one too is interesting.

Goddard - A mixed bag. This is a large collection of Goddard's silent footage. A lot of it is frankly boring. It is useful from a historical perspective, though, and does demonstrate the development of his work. Although the footage is silent, the editor does provide some minimal commentary.

Vengeance - This is another hodgepodge of footage of the German V-1s and V-2s. It is silent with some minimal commentary by the editors. Most is German footage but some is taken of captured V-2s in New Mexico.

Humiliation - The infamous footage of the failed first Vanguard launch.

Early Years - A collection of old footage from the Explorer program along with a variety of the launch platforms actually used. Almost all of this footage is silent but a running commentary continues throughout from the editor. This is not the most exciting stuff but does have its place for buffs.

Sounding - A look at sounding rockets, primarily the Aerobee family. Most of the footage comes from White Sands but some comes from Wallops Island. Again, the editor provides commentary for the silent footage.

Atlas - Very much like the others, this consists of a series of mostly silent footage, this time of the Atlas ICBM series. Running commentary is provided.

Spacecraftfilms managed to put very good material together, 2 DVD set can bring just a taste of each of many US launchers, there is no space to go into great details. Historical materials are excellent, you can compare them to the Quarterly Management Reports from Saturn V DVD, where I find these MSFC films the best part of the set. The members of each important rocket family are introduced with the Spacraftfilms intent to release further more detailed materials dedicated to each launcher family, according to their catalogue they plan to start with Titan family.
The set is nicely and logically composed with really impresive footages. I personally like best the Delta launch with nine strap-ons creating a beautiful firework circle around the main launcher body after separation maneuver. It's really a piece of art and poetry in the skies ...
Regarding the added commentary I can say I did not find it disturbing. The fact is the commentator not always knew what he saw (and honestly admitted the fact),but this mainly in case of technical details in early launchers, and,he most probably commented "online" seeing the footage for the first time,at least it made this impression on me. On the other hand there are definitely useful and interesting informations given and without these informations we would just watch rockets climbing or exploding. With the general overview material like this the silent, i.e.no commentary footage would be of low value.

Who's got the Spacecraftfilms Gemini set would remember there is a silent footage of Gemini instrument panel. I would love to have there any commentary added - to watch something you have no clue about for 15 minutes in silence is very depressing.

I like this material, it's of a very good quality and I hope the follow-up releases will bring more detail in engineering ,development and tests similar to Saturn family DVDs.

You have to be a real freak, i suppose like me, to enjoy a title like this.
Could have been better though.

This one is not up to the usual Spacecraft Films standard (I own many of these sets, I love the Apollo 15 & 17 6 six disc sets, particularly. Not to mention the Saturn series, the Gemini, etc). I was disappointed in this one but still it was ok, I mean there is not much of an alternative is there? Looking forward the the X-15 discs. I hope they are more comprehensive then this set.