First Man Dvd

First Man is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Damien Chazelle and written by Josh Singer. Based on the 2005 book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, the film stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, alongside Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Christopher Abbott, and Ciarán Hinds, and follows the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969. Steven Spielberg serves as an executive producer.

The project was originally announced in 2003, with Clint Eastwood slated to direct. After that rendition fell through, Chazelle, Gosling and Singer all signed on by 2015, and principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia, in November 2017.

First Man had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 12, 2018, by Universal Pictures. The film received critical praise, particularly regarding the direction, Gosling and Foy’s performances, musical score, and the Moon landing sequence, although its choice to not depict the planting of the U.S. flag on the lunar surface led critics and politicians from both major American political parties to debate the film’s stance on patriotism.

Despite its positive critical reception, notable cast and crew, and $59 million production budget, the film was considered a box office disappointment, grossing $105 million worldwide. It received numerous accolades, including two nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards (winning Best Original Score), ten nominations at the 24th Critics’ Choice Awards (winning Best Editing and Best Score), seven nominations at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards, and four nominations at the 91st Academy Awards (winning Best Visual Effects).

Plot

In 1961, NASA test pilot Neil Armstrong is flying the X-15 rocket-powered spaceplane when it inadvertently bounces off the atmosphere. Although he manages to land the plane in the Mojave Desert, his colleagues express concern that his recent record of mishaps is due to distraction.

His 30-month-old daughter, Karen, is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. Desperate to save her, Armstrong keeps a detailed log of her symptoms and researches possible treatments, but she dies soon afterwards. Grief-stricken, and suspecting he has been grounded, Armstrong applies for Project Gemini and is accepted to NASA Astronaut Group 2. With his wife Janet, and their son Rick, Armstrong moves to Houston alongside other astronaut families. He befriends Elliot See, another civilian test pilot, and Ed White. As Armstrong begins training, Deke Slayton impresses upon the new astronauts the importance of the Gemini program, as the Soviet Union had reached every milestone in the Space Race ahead of the United States. Armstrong and Janet have a second son, Mark.

In 1965, after the Soviets complete the first extravehicular activity (EVA), Armstrong is informed that he will command Gemini 8, with David Scott as the pilot. Prior to the mission, See and Charles Bassett are killed in a T-38 crash, deepening Armstrong’s grief at the string of recent losses. Armstrong and Scott successfully launch on Gemini 8 and dock with the Agena target vehicle, but soon afterward, a malfunction causes the spacecraft to roll at an increasingly dangerous rate. After nearly blacking out, Armstrong activates the RCS thrusters and safely aborts the mission. He initially faces criticism, but NASA determines the crew is not at fault.

Later, White reveals that he has been selected for the Apollo 1 mission, along with Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee. During a launch rehearsal test on January 27, 1967, a fire kills White and the Apollo 1 crew. Armstrong learns the news while representing NASA at the White House. The next year, after Armstrong ejects from the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in an accident that could have killed him, Slayton informs Armstrong that he has been selected to command Apollo 11, which will likely attempt the first lunar landing. As the mission nears, Neil becomes increasingly preoccupied and emotionally distant from his family. Prior to the launch, Janet confronts Armstrong about the possibility that he might not survive the flight, and insists that he explain the risks of the mission to their young sons. After telling them about the risks he faces, Armstrong says goodbye to his family.

Three days after launch, Apollo 11 enters lunar orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin undock in the Lunar Module Eagle and begin the landing. The landing site terrain turns out to be much rougher than expected, forcing Armstrong to take manual control of the spacecraft. He lands Eagle successfully with less than 30 seconds of fuel remaining. After setting foot on the Moon, Armstrong utters his famous line, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.” Later he drops Karen’s bracelet into Little West crater. With their mission complete, the astronauts return home and are placed in quarantine, where they watch footage of John F. Kennedy’s 1962 speech “We choose to go to the Moon” on a television, and Armstrong and Janet share a moment of tenderness.

Cast

Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who became the first man to walk on the Moon during Apollo 11.
Claire Foy as Janet Armstrong, Neil’s first wife.
Jason Clarke as Ed White, Neil’s friend and neighbor, the first American to walk in space, who died during a pre-launch test for Apollo 1, which was to be the first crewed Apollo mission.
Kyle Chandler as Deke Slayton, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, who became NASA’s first Chief of the Astronaut Office.
Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon during Apollo 11, and also pilot for Gemini 12.
Patrick Fugit as Elliot See, partnered with Armstrong as backup crew for Gemini 5. Chosen for command on Gemini 9, See was killed in 1966 when his NASA trainer jet crashed in St. Louis, where he was training for that mission.
Christopher Abbott as Dave Scott, who flew with Armstrong on the Gemini 8 mission.
Ciarán Hinds as Bob Gilruth, the first director of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center.
Olivia Hamilton as Pat White, Ed’s wife.
Pablo Schreiber as Jim Lovell, Gemini astronaut and backup commander on Armstrong’s Apollo 11 mission.
Shea Whigham as Gus Grissom, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. He was killed during a pre-launch test for Apollo 1, which was to be the first crewed Apollo mission.
Lukas Haas as Mike Collins, the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 11, who also flew on Gemini 10.
Ethan Embry as Pete Conrad, Pilot of Gemini 5 and backup commander for Gemini 8.
Brian d’Arcy James as Joe Walker, Armstrong’s fellow X-15 test pilot who became the seventh man in space by taking that plane into space twice.
Cory Michael Smith as Roger Chaffee, capsule communicator for the Gemini 3 and Gemini 4 missions, and the third crew member who was killed with Grissom and White in the Apollo 1 pre-launch test.
Kris Swanberg as Marilyn See, Elliot’s wife.
Skyler Bible as Richard F. Gordon Jr., astronaut, the backup pilot for Neil Armstrong during the Gemini 8 mission.
Gavin Warren as Rick Armstrong, Neil Armstrong’s son.