Actors - Apollo 13

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	Actors - Apollo 13

Apollo 13 is a 1995 film portrayal of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission. The movie was adapted by William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert from the book Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. It was directed by Ron Howard.

In 2002, Apollo 13 was re-released, in edited and modified form, as an IMAX film.

In 2005, a 10th anniversary DVD of the film was released; this version included both the theatrical version, and the IMAX version, along with several extras.

Critical reaction

The film was widely praised as a compelling dramatization of a dramatic true event during the Space Race. Many critics also praised it as a refreshing changing in tone from contemporary films like Dumb and Dumber in that it glorified the intelligence of the staff of NASA in coping with an unprecendented catastrophe in space travel with calm reasoning and remarkable ingenuity. Their determination to bring the astronauts home safely is perhaps best summed up when Gene Kranz says, "We've never lost an American in space and we're sure as hell not going to lose one on my watch." The Tagline for the film is "Houston...We Have a Problem"

Featured cast

Technical accuracy

The film is notable for its technical accuracy: principals reported that the film is reasonably faithful to the facts of the mission but adds some tension between the astronauts for dramatic effect. The dialog between ground control and the astronauts was taken verbatim from actual transcripts and recordings, with the notable exception of the most famous line from the film, "Houston, we have a problem!". The actual words uttered by Jim Lovell were "Houston, we've had a problem." Scenes involving weightlessness were filmed aboard NASA's "Vomit Comet", a KC-135 aircraft which is used to create weightless conditions for short periods by performing a series of parabolic dives, making these scenes the first in a fiction film to feature actual, rather than simulated, weightlessness.

However, the film contains a few anachronisms, including the use of the NASA's "worm" logo (first used in 1975), the use of pencils as writing implements, rather than the famous Fisher space pen and the appearance of The Beatles' Let It Be album a month before it was actually released.

Trivia

Both Ron Howard's mother and father, Jean and Rance Howard, appeared in the film. Jean played Jim Lovell's mother, and Rance played the priest who kept vigil with the family. Ron's brother Clint Howard appeared in the movie as Seymour "Sy" Liebergot in Mission Control.

Many critics criticized the scene where Marilyn Lovell dropped her ring in the shower as an obvious and unrealistic dramatic addition. This actually did occur, however, according to Lovell .

Jim Lovell also appeared in the movie, as the captain of the recovery carrier USS Iwo Jima. Ron Howard wanted to make him an admiral, the commander of the carrier task force, but Lovell said, "I retired as a captain; a captain I will be." Other space program cameos include Marilyn Lovell and Gene Kranz.

This is one of three Tom Hanks movies (along with Saving Private Ryan
and Forrest Gump
) where socks play a role in the plot. One of the items required to adapt the square filter into the round receptacle is a sock.

Ron Howard had special screenings for former NASA astronauts. After Buzz Aldrin, then working for NASA's public relations, saw the film he approached Howard and asked him about the footage of the launch. According to Howard, the exchange went:

::Aldrin: Where'd you get that footage? ::Howard: We made it ourselves, Buzz. ::Aldrin: Oh. (Pause) Can we use it?

Awards and nominations

1996 Academy Awards (Oscars)

Won - Best Film Editing — Mike Hill, Daniel Hanley
Won - Best Sound Mixing — Rick Dior, Steve Pederson, Scot Millan, David MacMilan
Nominated - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
— Ed Harris
Nominated - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
— Kathleen Quinlan
Nominated - Best Achievement in Art Direction — Michael Corenblith, Merideth Boswell
Nominated - Best Original Score — James Horner
Nominated - Best Picture — Brian Grazer
Nominated - Best Visual Effects — Robert Legato, Michael Kanfer, Leslie Ekker, Matt Sweeney
Nominated - Best Adapted Screenplay — William Broyles Jr.
, Al Reinert

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