MAN’S FIRST STEP ON THE MOON NEARLY STUMBLED ON EARTH.
In 1969, Apollo 11 is heading for the moon and a huge satellite dish located in a sheep farm outside the small Australian town of Parkes has been tasked with receiving pictures of the moon walk. Based on real events (although the writers have taken many liberties), the story focuses on what the elevated status of Parkes meant to its citizens and the technicians at the tracking station. Sam Neill brings a lot of warmth as their leader and the interaction between the Aussies and the newly-arrived NASA rep (Patrick Warburton) is very amusing. Hardly original filmmaking, but this pleasant comedy gives you an idea of the magic of that July date in 1969.
2000-Australia. 104 min. Color. Produced by Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Michael Hirsh, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro. Directed by Rob Sitch. Screenplay: Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro. Cast: Sam Neill (Cliff Buxton), Kevin Harrington (Ross Mitchell), Tom Long (Glenn Latham), Patrick Warburton, Genevieve Mooy, Tayler Kane.
Last word: “Because the dish was in the middle of a sheep paddock we should be creative and truck in some sheep. This is the ‘smart’ city person speaking. Shocked that I should to listen to someone who lives in the country, one of the locals had the impertinence to put his hand up and say, ‘If it’s in the sheep paddock, isn’t there a fair chance that there will be sheep in the paddock?’ Ok, but I asked how are we going to get the sheep to the fence? The response: ‘Well if it’s a sheep farm, the farmer will have a sheep dog.’ […] So we rented a farmer. We were all set to hire sheep wranglers and thinking ‘headache, headache.’ The farmer just walked up, asked us where we wanted the sheep. Right on cue, a flock of sheep and the barking dog weaved this way and that.” (Sitch, Nitrate Online)
