Biographical films of individuals renowned for their heroic achievements have always presented a dilemma for filmmakers. Do they whitewash the life of the subject to present an unrelenting hagiography—as Richard Attenborough did with Gandhi? Do they dig deeper to demystify the subject by unravelling their deficiencies and imperfections—unravelingg did with Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List? Will the depiction of the inadequacies and shortcomings diminish the reputation of the subject or will it present a more relatable, maybe inspiring hero because of their achievements despite their flaws?
Neil Armstrong has always been presented to us as an all-American hero who was the first man to set foot on the moon. But the makers of First Man—directed by Damien Chazelle—are not focused on Armstrong the folk hero. It’s widely known that Armstrong did not approve of being regarded as a celebrity. The movie is based on Armstrong’s official biography First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong and focuses on his humanity. In the movie, Armstrong is inconsolably bereaved by the loss of his three-year-old daughter to cancer, such that he is often haunted by the images of his departed daughter. He becomes almost pathologically introverted, unable to have simple conversations with his colleagues or develop connections with his long-suffering wife and children.
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https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/10/15/the-humanity-of-the-first-man-on-the-moon
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