Feature films and documentaries about space

Articles about books and games require a “third whale” - a story about space-themed films. Moreover, I “fell ill” with the astronautics precisely after watching several films in a row. In this article I want to talk about personally seen worthy of mentioning feature films (not science fiction) and documentaries about astronautics.

Artistic

Feature films are divided according to the subjective criterion “as much as I liked” into three groups: “Watch necessarily”, “If hunting is still”, “Better not be”:

Must watch

“The Right Stuff” , in the domestic translation “Guys What You Need!” . The 1983 film is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe (the unsuccessful translation of “The Needful Thing” is often found). An unfairly little-known (despite 4 Oscars) film about people who sit in complicated mechanisms and go to the Unknown. The story of Chuck Yeager (the first to overcome the speed of sound) and the first seven American astronauts. A true and interesting film about real events, a great play of actors, relevant humor. Some impression can already be made from the trailer:
“Gagarin. The first in space . ” year 2013. What a secret fear I went with my wife to the cinema for this film! And how joyful it was to make a mistake in your fears. They didn’t take the facts, didn’t make a trash from the director’s “I see it”, didn’t catch the blackies with “bloody gebists in their eyes”, but told a wonderful story about the first flight into space, interspersing it with inserts from Gagarin’s biography. Great movie, informative and inspirational. Trailer:
"Apollo 13" . 1995 year. The film is based on the book Lost Moon, written by Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger. An interesting story about people who do their job, struggling with difficulties and dangers. The film is very well made, for example, weightlessness scenes were shot in an airplane - a flying laboratory. Despite the seriousness of the events taking place on the screen, there is room for both humor and human relations. Trailer:

If the hunt is still

Taming the fire . 1972 year. The most famous film about astronautics in the vastness of Russia did not fall into the first category due to the fact that in an effort to make a heroic epic, the directors added very strange plot moves. In fact, in the “Guys What You Need” and “Apollo 13” filmed in the “Corrupted West”, normal families are shown, and in “Taming the Fire” - some very strange novel that conflicts with the work of the protagonist, and death The general designer, as a connecting episode of the beginning and end of the film, sounds a distinct dissonance. Interestingly, on the Roskosmos TV site there is a list of more than fifty feature films for cosmonautics available for online viewing , and Taming the Fire is there .
Alien ship. 1985 year. A funny story about the Vostok lander with a dog and a mannequin, which in 1960 fell in the Siberian taiga due to a launch vehicle accident and was mistaken for a UFO. There are not many cosmonautics there, but the story is interesting, it is quite possible to see. Scene "Moscow! Super urgent and super important! I saw the landing of an alien ship! Aliens! I'm getting in touch! Meteorologist Mangulov! "Really makes you smile :) Page with a film on TV Roskosmos.
"Space Flight". 1935 (!) Year. Formally, it does not fit the criteria, because it is fantastic, but I could not resist not adding it to the list. First, the film’s consultant was Tsiolkovsky himself. Secondly, despite the limitations of the creation, the film is really interesting. Thirdly, the film has already entered the public domain and can be watched freely. Fourth, the cat on the moon was saved.

Better not

"Return from orbit . " 1983 year. Strange plot and characters, contrived accidents, absurd helplessness of the Earth. It is possible to launch three “Soyuz” in three days, which in principle is impossible in reality, the MCC in the film, but to come up with a plan on what to do for these ships in orbit - no.
Marooned ("Lost") . 1969 year. Due to a crash in the braking propulsion system, astronauts cannot return to earth. Funny, the real accident of Apollo 13 looks much brighter and better than the fictional, and, formally, freer storyline of The Lost. Although B.E. Chertoka this film was very impressive.
"Paper Soldier". 2008 year. The film looks like a surrealistic phantasmagoria or "bad trip" - objects that appear in the frame, and the replicas that the characters say do not combine with the real world. The “Baikonur” of the film is drowning in slush, there are camps around with crazy, not wanting freedom and dogs, which are shot by “gebnya”. In my opinion, this is a spit in our history, you should not buy this film, do not support such money.

Documentary

I divided documentaries into “Available”, which can be freely viewed on Youtube, and “Not so,” which are not represented there.

Available

Deep space . 2011. Four series talk about the development of astronautics from a dream in "From the Cannon to the Moon" by Jules Verne and the theoretical works of Tsiolkovsky to the current state and prospects of interplanetary flights. Excellent quality, clear and intuitive presentation, high-quality computer graphics. I highly recommend it. Link to the first series:

"Space Odyssey, XXI Century . " year 2012. TV production Roscosmos, four series. It is interesting and qualitatively described about the ISS, about what work and why there is carried out, how it flies to and how it returns. The series is presented on the official website or immediately on Youtube:

First orbit . 2011. Not really a film, rather a mood. Gagarin’s radio exchange was added to the filming from the ISS and music was added. There is no plot as such, but still interesting.

The Dream Is Alive . 1985 year. IMAX film produced by NASA and Lockheed, beautifully showing the start of the Space Shuttle program. Available on Youtube, but in English.

America's last shuttle . 2011, TV Roscosmos. A sad but very interesting story about the completion of the Space Shuttle space program.

Not very affordable

When We Lefft Earth: NASA Missions . 2008, Discovery Channel. 6 episodes tell about the history of the American cosmonautics: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo (2 episodes), Space Shuttle (2 episodes). High-quality historical personnel, interviews with astronauts, employees of the Houston MCC, an interesting summary of the events.
From the Earth to the Moon . 1998, HBO. 12 episodes. My wife and I didn’t really like the very heterogeneous series, episodes 2.4 and 8, and 5 and 10 contain such pure and wonderful pathos of work and knowledge that it feels like the American Strugatsky shot them. The game series, i.e. The astronauts are played by actors, and the scenes are improved by computer graphics.

PS The list is compiled from my own experience, if you saw great films that are worth adding here, write them in the comments.