Race to Space - Mission into the unknown

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Movie
German title Race to Space - Mission into the unknown
Original title Race to Space
Country of production USA , Germany
original language English
Publishing year 2001
length 100 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Sean McNamara
script Eric Gardner ,
Steven H. Wilson
production David Brookwell ,
Glenn Greene ,
Sean McNamara
music John Coda
camera Christian Sebaldt
cut Gregory Hobson
occupation

Race to Space - Mission ins Unknown ( Race to Space ) is an American - German drama film directed by Sean McNamara from 2001 .

action

Ten-year-old Billy von Huber moves to Cocoa Beach in Florida with his father in the early 1960s . His widowed father, the German rocket expert Wilhelm von Huber, works for NASA . After a few false starts, Dr. von Huber under pressure from his supervisor Ralph Stanton, who fears that the state funds for NASA would be cut. Since those responsible classify a manned flight as too dangerous, a chimpanzee should first be sent into space.

Billy, who feels like an American, is teased at school because of his German ancestry. His grades get bad. Dr. von Huber takes Billy into the office to see how his son is doing his homework. Billy gets to know Donni McGuinness, who is responsible for the dressage and the selection of the chimpanzees. He befriends the scientist and the chimpanzee Mac, who was separated from his mother at an early age. Billy also meets the astronaut Alan Shepard , who takes him on a flight in a training aircraft.

Dr. von Huber devotes more time to his son. He explains to Billy that he never speaks about his late wife because the subject is too painful for him.

The head of a space company, Roger Thornhill, offers Stanton a managerial position if the company's rockets replace those of Dr. built by Huber would be used. Stanton sabotages the missile before launch. Billy places a radio in Mac's cage so that he can speak to him from home. Through this system he overhears Stanton Mac saying that the monkey would burn up the next day.

Billy, his father, and two alerted Hubers employees check the missile. They discover some destruction that they fix. Little Billy repairs a destruction in an inaccessible place.

The launch of the rocket is successful, it reaches an altitude of almost 300 kilometers. The Hubers employees cheer. Suddenly they realize that the automatic ignition of the brake rocket is not working. Billy speaks over the radio to Mac, who ignites the brake rockets.

Reviews

Michael Rechtsshaffen wrote in The Hollywood Reporter on March 18, 2002 that the plot was largely fictional, but very engaging. The viewer's interest remains, although the plot is a " clunky patchwork " at the beginning . McNamara effectively used old archive material, which was assembled together with the film recordings.

Awards

Sean McNamara won the Giffoni Film Festival's Golden Gryphon in 2001 . In 2002 he took second place in the competition for the Children's Jury Prize of the Chicago International Children's Film Festival and was nominated for the Starboy Award of the Oulu International Children's Film Festival . In 2003 he was nominated for the WisKid Award of the Wisconsin International Children's Film Festival .

background

The film was shot in Cocoa Beach , Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , Kennedy Space Center, and Edwards Air Force Base .

swell

  1. ↑ Criticism by Michael Rechtshaffen ( Memento from October 1, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Filming locations for Race to Space, accessed July 8, 2007

Web links