Customer Reviews

Man on the Moon with Walter Cronkite - 2 DVD Set

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

 

 

Seconding John Hillestad: there is no hi-def material on this disc. It seems the blu-ray format has been used solely to get four and a half hours of video onto a single disc.

The Walter Cronkite "Man on the Moon" documentary is a 75-minute summary of the Apollo 11 flight that was apparently aired not long after the flight. It consists mostly of footage from CBS News coverage. As someone who experienced the space program largely through watching CBS, there is some nostalgia value to seeing the simple animations and simulations -- actors in spacesuits attempting to show what was happening in the spacecraft before the actual pictures from the moon started to come in. And, following Cronkite's death not long ago, it's touching to see the skilled professional get so excited during the landing and the first steps that he can't really communicate effectively. But if you're interested in the Apollo program itself, there are better alternatives. The value here is all nostalgia.

The disc also contains a number of NASA PR films: "Houston, We've Got a Problem" and "The Space Shuttle: A Remarkable Flying Machine," look dull and blurry, as if they're tenth-generation dupes of the original films. "The Eagle Has Landed" and "Time of Apollo" look considerably better.

There are two episodes of a NASA-produced series called "Twenty Five Years of Progress," which I had never seen before. It's the best thing on the disc if you're interested in the early history of NASA.

The disc is disappointing. The prominence of Walter Cronkite on the cover seems deceptive, given his participation in only a small fraction of the material on the disc. I'm somewhat consoled by the fact that I didn't have to pay the premium price asked for many blu-ray discs.

I was hoping for better video but wow this is just plain awful. There is no need for blu ray here if its on normal dvd save some cash. I was expecting much more. there is NO HD on this disc at all... I was hoping they converted the film stock to better resolution for blu ray but the stock is sooo bad there is no hope..... now why discovery could do a lot better with when we left earth just shows that this was a lazy cbs effort.....

I greatly enjoyed seeing again (actually reliving) the CBS videotapes covering the Apollo moon program of years ago, and especially the legendary Walter Cronkite as it happened. But that is about where my enjoyment of this set ended. All the rest of the first disk, and all of the second was poor transfers of umpteenth-generation NASA films of the manned space program from Apollo onward. I've seen better transfers to regular DVD of regular 8-mm. movie film than these were. For a consistently clear visual history of the entire manned space program, get the Discovery Channel set, "When We Left Earth" on Blu-Ray, if you have a Blu-Ray player. The Al Reinert film, "For All Mankind" went back to the ORIGINAL NASA films kept in cold storage in Houston to be excellently transferred, and this is also on Blu-Ray.

For seeing the CBS material from the Gemini and Apollo space programs again, I give the first program on the first disk five stars. All of the rest of the material I give one star (and would give less if I could). Averages out to two stars.Man on the Moon with Walter Cronkite - 2 DVD Set

The only people I can think off, who MIGHT like this, are those who ACTUALLY SAW these broadcasts and have some nostalgia, or maybe a feeling of "comfort", by watching them as is.

Video quality is PATHETIC... taking a video copy STRAIGHT from the broadcast source, which means that EVEN STUFF SHOT ON FILM looks blurry and deteriorated... SERIOUSLY deteriorated.

You can actually see all the video imperfections... it's like the worst VHS copy ever done.

THis is not worth getting a Blu Ray disc... heck, it's not even worth putting out in VHS.

Waited for sensational and unpublished images, but they are almost 04 hours of images of terrible quality! I played money had been! In the announcement they promise menu and extra materials, but nothing "doesn't exist"! Only a continuous video...8(

I got my two year old son out of bed to see the first landing on the moon and he swears he can remember it still today, and he is 43 years of age now!

Despite the bad reviews I decided to order this anyway. I got it and it wouldn't even load in my machine. I called customer service for Amazon and they sent me another. Guess what? This one won't load either.I tried 3 different Blu Ray machines. Avoid this disc!

These videos are of high caliber. First of all, having Walter Cronkite as the host already gives it credibility. This video will appeal not only to baby boomers, but it would be of interest to ypung people who were not around in 1969.

Subject matter interesting but this is not even close Blu Ray quality. A complete rip-off to call this Blu-Ray especially for the extra cost. Amazon let me down.

I can't stop crying actually tonight. I was outside just now, looking up into the sky, thinking about where I was 40 years ago as man set foot and America on our moon. Actually did this thing that seemed unfathomable. My parents woke me up...to see the walk that was such a step for all of us. Why I'm crying, of course, is recalling Cronkite and his enthusiasm and warmth reporting with such sheer joy the technological and scientific work that NASA put into this amazing mission. Ok I'm crying because he died.
I'm going to break my vow to stop buying and get this for my family.
We just watched a program on TV tonight. More than just this story it told the life and work of Walter Cronkite. I am just shedding the tears for the days gone by. What an amazing time, and this set is something very special, I cannot wait. Sorry it's not a better review when it comes I'll rewatch all of it and put in all the things the show deserves..