Sebastien Kraft CAP Green Group 4/26/2015 4 th Quarter Cinematic Analysis-Apollo 13 PART A Released in 1995, the film Apollo 13 – starring Tom Hanks – takes place in 1970, after the Apollo 11 and 12 missions have already landed on the Moon. The film portrays the concept that only the most dramatic occurrings – that is, those that involve an incident or catastrophe – garner public attention. At the film’s commencement, veteran astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew are chosen to pilot Apollo 13. A newspaper reporter then asks Lovell whether he considers his mission “routine” – as many Americans perceive it. Lovell responds that no journey to space is ever routine, and that, upon exiting the safe haven of Earth, one must be prepared to face countless dangers. In space, Lovell, Fred Haise, and John Swigert transmit their first television broadcast; however, Lovell’s wife, Marilyn, is informed that the transmission will never air publicly. Reporter Henry Hurt then notifies Mrs. Lovell that the astronauts will be granted a mere segment on the news. The ensuing explosion of the crew’s oxygen tanks puts the astronauts’ lives in jeopardy, and causes reporters to flood the Lovell residence. As Hurt puts it, “Things are different now… the press wants to know APOLLO 13 CINEMATIC ANALYSIS Page 1 “Houston, we have a problem.” –Jim Lovell
