Clara Rayburn Red 4/21/19

Part A

The theme of the movie ​Apollo 13​, directed by Ron Howard, is that one can do something

seemingly impossible when one chooses to persevere. The movie is set in 1970 in Florida, and follows a

team of astronauts led by Jim Lovell on the Apollo 13 mission to the moon.

At the beginning of the movie, the Apollo 13 mission is introduced to Lovell, and he starts

training his team. However, a member of his crew, Ken Mattingly, is removed from the mission two days

before launch. Lovell recovers, and with the limited time that he has, trains with the remaining crew

member, Fred Haise, and the new pilot, Jack Swigert. This ties into the theme because Lovell persevered

through the sudden change of plan, and is still allowed to continue with the mission.

The rising action occurs when the crew takes off successfully, but then begins to experience

problems, as their oxygen tank explodes, and the carbon dioxide levels inside the shuttle begin to

increase. This connects to the theme because the crew manages to stay alive through perseverance, and

the help of mission control.

The climax happens when the crew attempts reentry. This correlates with the theme because the

crew has been able to persevere through every problem so far, and reentry is the last step they need to

take.

During the falling action, the crew lands safely in the water, and is picked up by a recovery ship.

This supports the theme because they persevered through all of their hardships, and were able to survive

because of that.

The film ends when the crew returns to shore, as Lovell narrates what happened to each member

of the crew and a few other characters after the mission. This reflects the theme by showing that the

accomplishments of the crew were made through perseverance.

 Part B:

The film ​Apollo 13​ is set in Florida in 1970. Jim Lovell lives with his family in the suburbs, a

popular place for white American families to live at the time. According to Oxford Research

Encyclopedias, about 37.1% of the population of the United States lived in the suburbs in 1970. The film

is also based on the true story of the Apollo 13 mission. Many aspects of the film almost exactly mirrored

the real events that occured. The film also draws parallels to other events, such as the Vietnam War. In an

article for the New York Times, Janet Maslin states, “...attention had begun to wane after the previous

year's moon walk, but the nation found itself desperately receptive to the astronauts' unforeseen display of

heroism after their flight became so perilous. "Apollo 13" doesn't mention Vietnam, but it doesn't have

to.” Here, Maslin is saying that like the public attention to the space program, the attention to soldiers

stationed in Vietnam was virtually non-existent, until the Vietnam War, when suddenly the public was

invested in them because of the violence that occurred. Overall, Apollo 13 was a historically accurate film

that applied one significant historical event to another.

Part C:

Discuss how various cinematographic techniques are used to increase the viewer’s awareness of the

setting, characters or plot development:

The film ​Apollo 13​ uses various cinematographic techniques to increase the viewer’s awareness

of setting, characters and plot development. First of all, as Marilyn is in the shower, she accidentally

drops her ring, and it goes down the drain. The director uses a cutaway by suddenly cutting to the drain as

the ring is slipping down into it, creating a frantic feeling for the viewer. It also shows plot development,

by revealing that Marilyn is worried that the mission will be affected by bad luck, as losing a wedding

ring is considered bad luck. Additionally, while Lovell is preparing for reentry, he is shown looking out

the window, and another shot shows Marilyn looking out her window as well. While Lovell is looking

down and to his left, Marilyn is looking up and to her right, creating the illusion that the two are looking
at each other when the shots are put side by side. This shows the relationship of the characters, and

establishes that they have a strong connection. Lastly, as the ship makes its way around the moon, the

crew loses its connection to mission control. As soon as they lose the signal, the lighting on the ship turns

dark and green, showing that the crew is isolated from earth, and creates an ominous tone, conveying that

they are on their own if something goes wrong. To sum it up, ​Apollo 13​ uses cinematographic techniques

throughout the film to increase the viewer’s awareness of setting, characters, and plot development.

Works Cited:

"Apollo 13 (AS-508)." ​Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum​,

airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/apollo-program/

landing-missions/apollo13.cfm. Accessed 22 Apr. 2019.

Maslin, Janet. "FILM REVIEW; 'Apollo 13,' a Movie for the Fourth of July."

​The New York Times,​ 30 June 1995. ​The New York Times,​ www.nytimes.com/

1995/06/30/movies/film-review-apollo-13-a-movie-for-the-fourth-of-july.html.

Accessed 22 Apr. 2019.

Nicolaides, Becky, and Andrew Wiese. "Suburbanization in the United States after

1945." ​Oxford Research Encyclopedias,​ Apr. 2017, oxfordre.com/

americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/

acrefore-9780199329175-e-64. Accessed 22 Apr. 2019.

"Vietnam War." ​HISTORY​, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/

vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history. Accessed 22 Apr. 2019.