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  Film: Nell Schofield previews In The Shadow of the Moon and Closing the Ring March 9, 2008 Reporter :Nell Schofield  Watch the videoFilm: Nell Schofield previews In The Shadow of the Moon and Closing the Ring A new documentary was launched onto the big screen this week with the distinction of being the only film ever to have been shot entirely on Earth, in Space and on the Moon. In the Shadow of the Moon details the famous Apollo missions that took up President John F. Kennedy’s challenge of putting a man on the moon – 12 men, as it turned out - in just four short years. Nell Schofield caught up with director David Sington who spoke at length with 8 of them. Director David Sington offers an inspiring message from the time capsule that was the Apollo program. His doco In The Shadow of The Moon is an awesome epic using the astronauts own words and NASA’s amazing archival footage, some of it not seen in almost 40 years and other bits synched up with sound for the very first time. Viewing it now gives you a whole new appreciation of that little heavenly body that orbits us and of our own precious home in the universe. Back to Earth now for a look at another film out this week directed by 84-year-old Lord Richard Attenborough. Closing the Ring is the debut of screenwriter Peter Woodward (son of actor Edward) who was inspired by the true story of a wedding ring found on a mountain in Belfast 50 years after an American bomber crashed there. Martin McCann plays the boy who discovers the ring with Pete Poslethwaite’s obsessive character Quinlan. On the other side of the Atlantic, Shirley MacLaine is a melancholic widow whose heart has always belonged to the rear gunman who lost his life in the crash. Flashback to 1941 and we meet young Ethel Ann in the ethereal form of Mischa Barton binding herself to her beloved Teddy, played by the ridiculously handsome Stephen Amell. While not altogether official, their union binds them together for life and when Teddy dies, Ethel Ann finds it impossible to ever love again. That is, of course, until she confronts the truth and, with the help of Christopher Plummer, finally moves on. This convoluted love story told over half a century deals with the notion of thwarted grief and how it can spoil all other relationships. As a result of her youthful vow Ethel Ann has become a clammed up old sour puss and you can only sympathise with her daughter Marie (Neve Campbell) who’s been locked out of her love all her life. It’s been nearly 10 years since Attenborough directed a film and while not quite as impressive as his previous outings like Ghandhi and Cry Freedom, Closing the Ring still holds a certain romantic charm and will no doubt appeal to more mature audiences. |
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