20 DVD Commentaries You Need To Hear Before You Die
2. Apollo 13
Participant(s): Jim and Marilyn Lovell Jim Lovell is a man who would doubtless be fascinating to listen to in any scenario. The former NASA astronaut is famous for having been the commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission which was hampered by a critical failure on its journey to the Moon. Under the leadership of Lovell the crew were able to get back to Earth intact. Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger wrote a book about their experiences in space, Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, which would form the basis for Ron Howards movie. He may not know much about the process of making the historical docudrama but Jim Lovell actually lived the events of the film and so is able to provide unparalleled levels of insight about the mission in his commentary. He is also able to confirm the technical accuracy Howard captured - indeed Howard received assistance from NASA in the making of the film. Marilyn allows her husband to do most of the talking, though her input illuminates what it was like to be on the ground as the mission unraveled. She sounds like she comes close to tears in the scene in which Tom Hanks version of her husband dreams about actually walking on the moon.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
