Fixed & Synced by bozxphd. Enjoy The Flick
For we meet in an hour of change and challenge,
in a decade of hope and fear,
in an age of both knowledge and ignorance.
The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.
So it is not surprising
that some would have us stay where we are a little longer.
To rest, to wait.
But this city of Houston, this state of Texas,
this country of the United States
was not built by those who waited and rested
and wished to look behind them.
We choose to go to the moon.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,
not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
With this one speech, John f. Kennedy escalated our cold war
with the Soviet union to outer space.
Now, if we do not land a man on the moon by 1969,
we will have broken jfk's promise.
And in the eyes of the world, the Soviet union will win the cold war.
To make matters even more difficult,
the CIA has discovered a leak
coming out of the space program.
Top secret American research is showing up in Soviet briefings,
which means the kgb has implanted a mole inside NASA.
If the Russians are able to steal our technology, they could beat us to the moon.
Just as they beat us into space with the sputnik satellite in 1957.
The director of NASA, James webb, denies the presence of this mole,
which means the CIA must move in a team undercover.
That's where we come in.
Allow me to introduce Owen Williams,
and myself, Matt Johnson.
We joined the CIA through the bright recruits program
and have been working together ever since.
Along with our camera team, we make up the CIA's av department.
Currently, we are finishing operation deep red.
The probe into film director Stanley kubrick.
But this mission is not using us to our full potential.
We are asking to be transferred off of operation deep red,
and on to operation zipper.
The mission into NASA to find the mole.
Because of our filmmaking background, we would make...
Okay, stop.
Stop.
What is this supposed to be?
Okay. It's a... It's a pitch film.
It... so... it's for operation zipper. I think...
Operation zipper's already been assigned.
We know it has.
I think the agency is making a mistake
with sending a scientist into NASA.
Well, your opinion means nothing.
Yeah, okay. Just... just...
If you watch the rest of this film, you'll see... I've seen enough.
But we have an amazing plan for finding the spy. I'm sure you do.
Boles, we worked hard on this. You're seriously not going to watch the rest of this?
No. Can we show it to brackett?
No.
Okay.
This was a long shot.
We've only been here for one year.
We'll get on missions like this in the future.
I thought this was going to work.
You knew that it wasn't a great chance. Yeah, you should...
Jared, you should have cut when
you saw it wasn't going good.
You're supposed to be filming so that...
I didn't even notice.
Yeah. Hey.
Okay, I got an idea.
We need to send someone who will look like they have no idea what's going on.
Us, as a documentary film crew.
We can pretend we are from the national education... Okay, we have to go.
We got to go.
Is this a good idea?
Andy? It's a good... Hey. It's a good idea.
Are you ready? What if they fire us?
What's your first line?
Oh, uh, your plan is to send... Okay, I'm fine.
Okay. Let's go.
Everyone here?
Boles...
Carry on. Thank you.
Good morning, everyone.
Hello, my name is special agent Matt Johnson, and what you're about to watch
is a film detailing the connections between Stanley kubrick
and the film Dr. strangelove or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.
Conclusion, Stanley kubrick is not a spy.
Thank you.
Are there any questions?
That covers it. Uh, what's next?
Actually, director brackett, I'd like to make a pitch for
major research to be moved onto operation zipper next.
What the hell are you doing?
You guys are trying to put a...
Field agent inside NASA posing as a scientist, and...
Agent Williams and i don't think it will work.
This mole, if he's there,
could have been at NASA since the early 60s.
He's going to spot one of our guys pretending to be a rocket scientist instantly.
We need to send people
who are going to look like they have no idea what's going on.
Us.
As a documentary film crew.
We can pretend that we're from the national education television network,
filming the definitive Apollo documentary.
We're there to chart the race to the moon. Smart idea.
But no Soviet mole's gonna let anyone openly film 'em.
Well, director brackett, we're filming you right now through the window.
You're going to have to buy us better cameras, though.
Jesus Christ.
Okay, here we go.
Let's hope they buy this.
Ready?
Whoa!
- Hi! - Hi!
Just let us get our stuff.
Yeah, yeah!
You need help, Andy?
Do you mind if we film this?
Yeah, why not.
Here, at the end of the hall on the right...
Oh, man.
That's mission control?
Yeah, actually. We'll have to get in there later.
Hmm.
Hi.
We're a documentary film crew.
Jared, make sure you're getting this crisp and in focus,
I don't want to have to edit together out of focus stuff, please.
- Sorry. - No problem.
Your office is just right here.
Okay, here you go.
Wow!
You guys don't need anything else?
No, uh, we'll come find you if we do. We'll just get set up.
Thanks, Sharon.
Bye!
She bought it. We're a documentary film crew.
You see how they look at us? See how they look in the cameras?
Yeah.
This is the best mission I've ever been on in my life.
This is, uh... This is Matt.
Mike. Nice to meet you.
And, uh, this is Jared.
They're filming a documentary about the, uh... The Apollo mission.
Oh, okay!
So, we basically are asking about what you do, and... Sure!
And... and I'm ready. Yeah. Okay.
Well, I work here in the public affairs office,
and one of my duties is
the media products, specifically still photos.
...and I stood up in the theater in sugar land and I said,
"don't eat those meatballs! He did not wash his hands."
I had to...
I appreciate your time. Before we launch to the moon, come back and see us, okay?
I will. Okay.
Thanks, guys. That's a wrap. We got it.
All right, and mark it.
- Milt interview. - Take one.
Thanks, Owen.
So, I guess you can start just by telling us your name.
Milt heflin.
And what is it you do here at NASA?
Huh. Uh...
Okay.
Shut the door.
Guys, can we get a shot of just the lounge being busy?
I know you're all working, but if you want to just...
Busy, like there's some activity.
Or, do whatever feels natural.
And action.
No, don't look at the cameras. Just keep sitting. Just keep standing there.
Part of sato's controversial south-east Asia...
...the north vietnamese
...decides to accept us offers...
...spread over 600 feet to become a gigantic pool of flames
...a fire extinguisher called purple k, three tragic fires aboard aircraft...
One second, Mr. webb. We're good?
Mr. webb, tell me, what does it mean
when people say the Russians are ahead of us in the space race?
Well, I think it means that the job of
landing something on the moon
where there's no atmosphere,
and using a rocket to slow it up,
and having the equipment still work
is a very difficult job.
Uh, I think it means the Russians are trying, just like we are...
Where's this guy's office?
...but I think the real meaning is...
Two more pieces.
- Come on, Jared. - Got it, got it!
Okay, hold on.
I'm fine, I need light.
Ready?
Test, test, test, test...
...then you get to talk about how to go forward. To do it.
Uh, I am not much interested,
and I don't think it's very realistic to talk about technological interchange,
and this kind of thing. You first gotta get on the basis
where... where...
Okay, so...
His phone rings, in his office,
and this phone rings at the same time.
As long as we're rolling
when he picks up, we get everything.
I found us a house. It's beautiful, it's red,
it has a nursery and a yard. You'll love it.
How big is the bed?
It's a queen.
Are you alone right now?
No, I'm at work. What are you doing?
Do you want to know what I'm wearing?
Julie, I can't do this right now. I'm at the office.
I'm sorry, maybe later.
Well, I'm wearing a pink bra and that black skirt you bought me.
Honey, Matt is right beside me and I'm at work. Can I call you tonight?
I'm taking off the skirt now.
There's nothing underneath. Whoa!
What are you doing? Nothing.
I'm trying to have fun with you.
Wait a second, hold on... No!
What is it?
We're not doing anything. I'm doing work.
Hello?
Don't do that.
What'd you find in that phone?
What? What? Oh, my god.
We've been bugged.
We've been bugged, guys. We've been bugged.
No, no, no!
Anything else, or is that it? Owen?
That's it from this car?
Guys?
I said I was sorry!
Your hat?
- A couple more boxes here. - These are not a big deal.
Please don't touch me.
I'll get the rest!
We both, uh, have had and will have emergencies,
and, uh, that each flight, uh, has some element of extreme risk,
and some elements of...
I made this statement on my own, from my knowledge,
uh, longstanding knowledge...
...setting us back four years...
Well...
Uh...
...300 second burn to the lunar surface...
This is nothing.
Give it a second. 250 seconds is all we can do?
That's the maximum.
- And you know that... - Did you talk to trw?
- Who's the other voice? - I dunno.
...their fuels.
Grumman has fucked us.
They built a lander that can't land.
So, we are going back...
With whom?
This is setting us back four years.
Well, I agree. This is going to have to change.
Change? We can't land on the moon.
Unless by some miracle braun finds lighter fuel,
we aren't touching down for five years.
Okay... We're just going to be circling forever up there.
So what are we telling everyone?
- Nothing. - We don't tell anyone...
Do you understand what this means?
NASA can't do it.
They can't land man and come back.
Have you called brackett?
Of course not! I needed to tell you guys first.
We have to tell brackett. We have to tell brackett right away.
This is something you report right away. We need help.
We have to... Relax, it's okay. Yes. Yes.
And we need... I'll tell you what to do, okay?
I'm gonna tell you what to do.
Find out who that other guy on the phone was, okay?
Because, if we found this out in a month,
you better fucking believe that the mole can do the same thing.
And now all of a sudden the Russians know we can't make it to the moon,
then what the fuck are we going to do?
Okay. Okay. Okay.
You call Langley.
It's ringing.
You think I'll get to talk to the president? No.
That's not unrealistic.
I could. He could be like, "we need to get this right to the president."
I'll be like, "all right.
"Give me his home phone, sir. I'll..."
Hello?
Director brackett, it's agent Johnson calling from Houston.
We have big news.
What's that?
They can't make it to the moon.
We intercepted a call
from Jim webb.
From what I understand, they can circle the moon,
but they can't actually land.
They... they don't have the technology to do it.
They're saying 1971 at the earliest.
Damn it.
Give me a minute.
Okay, who else knows about this?
Uh, nobody, from... From...
From what we can tell.
They're talking about it on the phone
like it was a big secret. Like they've never talked about it before.
Okay, good.
Another unit is going to take over zipper.
Get your team out of there.
Uh... you think maybe that's a bit, uh,
shortsighted in a way?
Seeing as we're here undercover now? What... why?
Don't question my orders, kid.
I'm not... I don't mean to question it. I...
I just... I simply think that we're here
and I... We have to figure out a response to this,
somehow, and you've got us...
We're going home.
If either of us are talking, shoot. I don't care how much film you burn,
it doesn't matter. Okay? It's going to save us.
What are we doing in here?
Sit down, just listen to this, okay?
Well...
Hold on a sec... Did you call brackett last night?
Yes, all right? What did he say?
Okay, turn this on.
What did they say?
I'm gonna tell you what they said.
Okay, it's on.
Okay, you hear that?
Yeah.
- You recognize it? - Yeah.
It's sputnik.
You know what? You're ahead of me.
Okay, yeah. It's sputnik.
How do you know it's sputnik?
Can you... did you sleep here last night?
That's not plugged into anything.
It's... it's just a dial on the other side. It's not actually sputnik.
It's just making you think that it is.
It's just a random beeping.
And because you think that that's supposed to be sputnik,
that's why you believe it's sputnik.
This is what we are going to do with the moon.
I called brackett,
told him that they can't make it for '69.
He said, "okay, well, you've got to figure out a way to fix it."
And I said, "we can do it on our own.
"We can make a film that shows us going to the moon
"without actually doing it."
We know that they can make it up there.
We're not... we're faking the last little piece.
The tiny... The tiny thing they can't do.
Land and come back.
The thing jfk said we'd do.
That's the only part.
Everything else is real, do you understand?
Yeah, I understand what you're saying.
And I understand that it sounds like...
Read this, it's from brackett.
He sent a briefing? Yes.
If we can pull this off,
we are going to look like geniuses.
Four guys inside of NASA figure out how to
make it look like we went to the moon. We did it.
That's crazy!
This is exactly what we've been waiting for.
It literally fell on our lap.
We could run our own department after something like this.
Is there more information coming?
About what?
Well, the objectives and the budget.
Why?
This doesn't seem incomplete to you?
Incomplete? How? What do you mean?
Well, I... Okay...
You know what, don't... Don't worry about this.
They obviously told us exactly what they want us to hear,
so our job is to film a test, and that's it.
Come on.
Does it... you don't have an ethical problem with this at all?
In what way?
In that this is lying.
You know what, this is like one of those good lies.
Like Santa claus and the easter bunny.
A lot of kids get really mad about those.
So we're shooting this at 48 frames a second,
so you're going to have to move like...
Like you're being lifted up...
Okay? Like this... This thing weighs about 100 pounds.
Well, just try it. Try leaping a bit.
Like this.
Yeah, good.
Go! Action! Action!
More that way.
More towards me a bit.
Walk off that way.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Stop.
We should be doing this at night.
Can, can the light move a little bit to the left?
I'm being devoured and I'm cookin'.
No, that's too far. That's too far.
Back over this way. Back to your right.
It doesn't matter... Stop! Stop!
Okay, now a bit to your left.
How much does the light drop off?
Are you not getting destroyed by mosquitoes?
Okay, I am, but I'm trying to get this right. Hold on.
What else is in the frame?
Uh, I see some logs in the background.
Yeah, I see it, too. Okay, I'm getting it.
That's what you're...
Please, let's just roll. It's fine, it's fine.
It's not a log, it's a rock!
It's okay, we'll frame it out.
I'm going to use it!
I'm going to put it in the frame.
Are you ready?
And action!
Owen, jump in the air.
Holy shit.
It's open!
Hey. You're just in time.
Have a seat. So...
The moon footage... I won't say how it looks.
I just want you to watch it, okay? Turn the lights off.
So it may seem a bit different.
I think you'll enjoy it.
This is the year before we got recruited.
Wow.
Who is it?
Hello?
Director brackett, this is a... uh, come on in.
Welcome.
It's great to see you guys. This is a surprise.
What the hell is going on?
You're changing the direction on this project without my authorization?
Okay... Shut up. I'm not finished.
Okay, now listen... I'm shutting this operation...
Wait! Bring it down. It's over.
You made this up?
Okay, yes. I made up a mission.
But that's because I wanted to make sure it would work before I brought it to you.
I think i may have solved
the moon problem.
Just... trust me. Watch this.
Sorry.
Ignore this. Ignore this.
So that's just sand.
William's in the suit.
We shot it in slow motion.
You understand?
I'm saying we could fake the moon landing, and it wouldn't be hard.
All people want to see
is an image on a television screen
and we can give them that.
The rocket will go up,
we'll send our footage with them,
and the astronauts will just beam it back to earth.
No one is going to think this is fake, because how insane would that be?
And if we do it right,
this is the kind of thing that sells itself.
Walter cronkite is going to do half the work for us.
Let me try.
Give us a minute.
It's okay.
Hi.
Whoa!
Okay, just shoot from down there, okay?
Owen?
Put... put your mic on. No.
Put your mic on. Put your... It'll take two seconds. Put your mic on.
Come on. It'll take two seconds. I'm not doing this, okay?
Get the fuck off. Cheer up!
We just got a huge promotion, come on!
Whoo!
Mr. boles, I guess we'll be working together again.
Welcome to Texas.
Congratulations on having brackett approve this insane mission.
You guys are filming this right now?
Yeah, we film everything. It's a documentary.
It's a documentary film.
Okay, before we get started on this, I know you're technically my boss,
but I'm running all this.
Yeah.
No, I'm here because you have no idea what you're doing.
So I'm in charge and you don't run a goddamn thing.
So no more fucking around behind our backs, all right?
Wow, I heard it's pretty shitty.
Hi. How you doing?
Enjoying the 4th of July?
Yes, I'm in a great mood.
This is a bit of a party for me, too, because we got a promotion.
Did you? Yeah.
Somebody just tell me what's wrong.
Is that... That's the barbecue.
The barbecue what? What happened at the barbecue? What's going on?
Watch.
Right...
There. See that?
Yeah, two guys. Yeah. Look at this.
So he's holding something, we're thinking maybe super 8.
It could be a 35mm still camera.
And do we know who this is? Maybe they're NASA guests.
Yeah, I don't know. Tourists? Who knows, right?
It could be nothing.
It is nothing...
Who is it?
It's boles.
This looks like shit.
You have one guy in a space suit,
prancing around on the sand...
...with one rock.
Who do you think this is gonna convince?
I... It convinced brackett.
Well, now you have to convince me.
What are you talking about?
Nobody is going to buy this.
I thought you were advocating for me to do this!
I was advocating for operation northwoods.
I think this idea's ridiculous.
Mike, do you remember mentioning, uh, test locations
that NASA was using for photography?
Would you mind showing me those pictures?
You mean on camera, or...
If you don't mind. I don't mind.
These are places that look like the moon on earth?
Exactly. These are called geology field trips.
So you're saying that the rocks that are on the moon
are the exact same as the rocks on earth?
I'm not saying exact. I'm saying... But they're close?
They're close enough that... That...
Yeah, I mean... So if you saw them, you would think that, uh...
Oh, yeah, you can get an igneous rock
from a volcano here in America
and tell somebody it's a moon rock
and they wouldn't know.
Really? Yeah.
- Hello. - Is Owen home?
He's in the garage.
You look great.
FBI!
Look at this!
The geologists have places on earth
that already look like the moon.
This is the barringer crater, the Grand Canyon.
We shoot this test footage
and then compare it with the real moon footage
that they're getting from the missions.
I just figured this out!
Yeah, I can't go on this trip.
What? What do you mean?
Why?
Because I... because I... I need you.
If you don't come with me I'm going with boles, by myself.
What? Are you still mad at me?
I'm sorry. I didn't...
Owen!
One second!
I... you have to forgive me for this. Listen.
I can't go.
You're fucking me. You are... You're fucking me.
This is the big shot.
The ride without astronauts of the giant saturn v live rocket.
Project Apollo. This is Apollo 4.
The test of our moon rocket in flight for the first time.
It is the beginning, the first of many steps,
which will someday put men on the surface of the moon.
How far off can you see?
You've got to picture it in black and white.
With the sun behind us there.
We can even do a pan.
What do you think?
We don't know if you can hear, ladies and gentlemen.
But, oh, the flight is moving along as it should be...
But our tape records are being thrown to the floor
by the roar of this mighty rocket,
as it continues to climb into the sky,
on its seven and a half million pounds of thrust.
It's a beautiful sight, an unbelievable sight...
So I didn't tell him i made the whole thing up,
and then you and brackett show up,
and then he punches me,
now he's acting like we aren't friends.
What would you do?
Well, i wouldn't have done that in the first place.
Okay, yeah, but pretend that you're as stupid as me
and you have done that.
God damn it, look at this!
We weren't even close.
No kidding.
Here.
Okay... Okay, who else has seen this footage?
Everyone.
See, this is what we need.
We need the actual footage of the moon.
How do we get astronauts to act in front of this?
You could start by hiring a real director.
Or you could give up this mission.
Yeah.
Hey, don, how are you?
It's Matt Johnson.
No, I'm calling from Houston,
they got me out here on operation zipper.
Listen, can... I actually need a favor.
Do we have a last known address for Stanley kubrick
when we were doing operation deep red?
I'm looking at some of his movie effects and...
"No, of course I'd like to say hello!"
Of course I'd like to say hello.
And I'm watching something.
Would you mind giving me that?
Hi, could you give me the phone number to an address in New York?
239.
Uh, actually, it's polaris productions, incorporated.
23...
My name's Matt Johnson,
I'm a documentary filmmaker working at NASA,
and I need to ask him a few questions.
Is he there?
It's an emergency.
Of course not. No. And... And that's not what this is, ma'am.
Yes, hello, my name is Michael kubrick.
I'm looking for my brother.
Well, I'm calling from the United States
and I'm... and I'm really trying to talk with him.
I've got some very bad news about our father.
Can you give me a phone number for that?
What time is it in england?
I'm looking for a Mr. Stanley kubrick.
I'm a documentary filmmaker from the United States.
This is not a personal call.
I'm actually calling from NASA and I'm wondering if...
Oh, thank you.
Hello, Madeleine. I'm not sure why I got connected with you.
I'm calling from NASA.
I'm making a documentary here about the Apollo program.
Ah.
What are you guys doing over there,
if you don't mind me asking?
Stanley kubrick is making a new movie about the moon landing,
and I'm willing to bet that we can use the special effects
that he's doing there to do this.
Okay, but...
We can't just walk onto a film set.
He has two NASA scientists advising him.
We're going to go and say we're going to interview them.
Do you see what's going on here?
Kubrick is getting NASA
to make sure that his space movie looks like real space.
And so we're going to use his space movie
to make sure the real space movie looks like space!
Do you understand how crazy that is?
Welcome to england!
It's not too loud?
No, well, it'll be packed inside the bag.
Not bad for... For on the spot, just figured it out!
Jared, wave!
Jared, big wave!
Yeah, that's her.
Madeleine!
You won't be able to bring that camera inside.
You'll have to shut it off as soon as we get in, I'm afraid.
Is Mr... The set's all live.
No problem. Is Mr. kubrick inside?
He is, but security is very tight.
You'll be thrown off the set if you try to approach him, so please don't.
You got it. Go ahead.
Thank you.
Please wait right here.
Yeah, sure. We'll stay right here.
It might be better to just play it as a medium shot
- in this situation. - Mmm-hmm. Yeah.
Can you do it with your head down?
What about out there?
- Well, that's not bad. - Let's do that.
Right. Check the gate, Doug.
I... I would never normally do this, but it's for a friend.
His name is Matt Johnson. Mmm-hmm.
Jared, tell me you are getting this.
Oh, my god.
Excuse me?
How did you set this up?
Owen, it's called front screen projection!
We got it!
Kubrick's technique, how he's faking...
I wanna... I wanna tell you.
Boles, hey.
It's called front screen projection.
We figured out how to, how to do it.
Yeah, okay, all right. I'll, uh...
Do you want us to fly right there, or...
Sure.
All right, it's called front screen projection.
Stanley kubrick can fake any environment he wants,
by projecting it through a semi-transparent mirror
and then onto a gigantic silver screen.
Then he films the entire scene through the same mirror,
at a 90-degree angle to the projector.
What it winds up doing is creating images
where you can't tell where the stage stops
and the fake photographic background begins.
You have an infinite depth of field,
into environments that exist completely in two-dimensional space.
We can do the same thing with the lunar surface photography
that NASA is taking on the Apollo missions.
Movie special effects can be very convincing,
especially when you don't know you're watching a movie.
The plan is to rent a film studio in Texas,
hire a crew, and have them build our own lunar lander.
We'll mix this practical set piece,
with kubrick's projection technique, and presto,
the illusion that man is walking on the moon.
Now I know you're probably thinking this is too much exposure,
and that the risk of bringing in outsiders is too high,
but we already have the perfect cover.
We're making a documentary about the moon landing.
And it's not a stretch to say that we're building sets to conduct interviews,
shoot b-roll footage.
We could even say it's for simulations.
Hell, most of the major networks are doing this already.
The only people who need to know what's actually happening
are the astronauts,
who you should select based on their willingness to cooperate,
and James webb,
who's either going to have to work with us, or get out of the way.
And that's the easy part.
We also need to convince everybody at NASA.
The good news is the only people who are in contact with the rocket
are all in one room in Houston,
inside mission control.
If we can convince mission control
that what they're doing is real,
everybody else will follow.
How do we do that?
Well, mission control actually monitors everything,
from the heart rates of the astronauts,
to the exact location of the lunar module
as it descends to the moon.
And they're getting all this information through radio,
directly from the ship.
The good news is that they've run so many tests
with this exact mission
that they actually have telemetric data of successful lunar landings,
stored on guidance systems on Apollo 11.
Here's where we get very lucky.
As the command module passes along
to the dark side of the moon,
the radio signals can't penetrate the core.
For 30 minutes, we have a window
for the astronauts to switch from real data, to fake telemetric data.
Mission control will be getting data
of the lunar module undocking and landing on the lunar surface,
but it will be completely faked.
Combine that with our footage
that the astronauts are going to pipe into the broadcast back to earth,
and nobody's going to have any idea.
As far as NASA and the rest of the world is concerned,
the United States just landed on the moon.
Finally, the broadcast.
To shoot in slow motion, we have to shoot film.
To broadcast it needs to be video.
Which means we have to do a transfer,
which normally would be fine,
except that people cannot know it originally began as film.
That means a single scratch, any dust...
Okay, okay. We got it.
Thank you for the presentation.
You can go ahead.
- Thank you, sir. - Talk to your folks about the northwoods plan.
Tell them to put a hold on it
and we'll see how this develops.
Director, what is the northwoods plan?
I've never heard of operation northwoods.
Shoot down Apollo 11 and blame the Soviets.
With the astronauts on the flight?
Why would we do that?
If your film doesn't come together,
then we have to have a backup plan.
And that is our backup plan.
...plan? I've never heard of operation northwoods.
Shoot down Apollo 11 and blame the Soviets.
Who were these men going to the moon?
David schoumacher profiled the crew of Apollo 11.
Neil Armstrong,
the man chosen to be first to step upon the moon.
He is by all accounts intelligent, courteous,
sober, a good family man.
He is perfect for the role,
beyond what a Hollywood scriptwriter would dare.
Buzz aldrin is perhaps the most brilliant of the astronauts.
Some say even a genius.
His doctorate at mit came after a thesis on orbital rendezvous,
and he understands the abstract theory of space mechanics
as well as anyone.
Mike Collins is the least technical in outlook of the Apollo 11 astronauts,
but the most philosophical.
If he does not love machines,
he does love wine, and books, and roses.
A man who has known all three pilots for many years
says if he were forced down on an island,
he would want it to be with Collins
for the quality of his personality.
Another said he would prefer aldrin,
because with his intelligence
he would soon be converting sea water to fresh water
and otherwise logically attacking the problem.
But both agreed in the final analysis,
that they would hope it was with Armstrong,
because, somehow, he would get them off of it.
Hello?
Boles, we just got back. Where are you?
Okay. Turn on the TV.
Yeah, okay. I'm turning it on now.
- Why? - Summarize what you just said,
and then we'll ask you some questions about seeing the president?
Uh, yes, I'd like to say that, uh, over a year ago,
president Johnson and I reviewed the space program
and, uh, agreed to build strength
so that I might retire on my 62nd birthday,
which happens to be this next October 7th.
Today, we have reviewed the progress we have made
and the president has agreed
that I could retire on October 7th,
when I will be 62.
I'd like to say one other thing...
Yeah, okay. Well, I guess that means
he didn't want to cooperate, huh?
Okay, yeah.
I'll see you when you get back. Bye.
Andy!
Sorry.
What are you doing? Shooting for the documentary.
Oh, okay, fine.
Where's Owen? He's at the hospital.
What?
Julie had the baby.
Oh, shit!
Hey.
I missed it, hey?
Hey, mom.
Wow!
Matt!
What's his name? Simon.
Can I hold him? Sure, if you want to.
I need to talk to you. I need to talk to Matt.
Okay. What's up?
One minute.
Okay, okay.
What the hell is this?
Jared showed me the photos of the men
who were watching us at the barbecue.
They're filming us, Matt! Okay.
Why are you bringing this up at the hospital?
Relax!
Relax? This could be the Russians.
We have to get off this mission.
If we get caught, the CIA will abandon us, okay?
I'm calling brackett to them him... No! No! No!
You are not calling brackett. No one's calling brackett.
You are being paranoid!
I hope so, because if I'm right and this is the mole...
If they find out what we are doing,
then we are fucking dead.
You got that?
Looks pretty good.
"Looks pretty good"? Guys, come on.
Are you kidding me? All right.
This cost $45,000!
Really? Yeah!
Oh, god, don't start that.
"Really? Hey, you got ripped off.
"Hey, come on, i could have done this..." ...Cheaper.
"...with $20 and some elbow grease!"
Do you think it would kill you to say, "good job, Matt"?
I mean that seriously. Do you think it would physically kill you?
Okay, and it's for a film shoot.
Uh, we're making a documentary about the moon landing,
and we need to make a lunar surface.
And so it's like a fake lunar surface. That's what we need.
So I don't know how much sand you can ship us.
But, uh, four tons?
How many tons are in a truck? Can you hold on a sec?
Where are you going?
Uh, sorry, say again?
Actually, I went to a place in Arizona called cinder lake,
where the sand was brown as molasses. It was beautiful.
It was a beautiful brown. Molten brown.
So, what are these guys gonna say when they're up here?
We need something they can print as a headline.
Type out a couple things and let's just see what we got, okay?
So try this, "welcome to the moon."
Catch!
So, no, leave that where it was, it's my a rock.
I think if we never say the word "America."
Oh, yeah, we just take an American symbol.
Exactly. Eagle.
- Freedom. - Frontier.
Frontier.
So that needs to make that pothole there.
Does that have a label on it?
B. So that goes right at your feet. Perfect.
I just got an idea.
You know what we've gotta have them do when they're up there?
Who is it, Galileo or somebody, said...
Oh, drop the feather.
Drop the feather and the hammer.
And he said, in a vacuum,
a hammer and a feather would fall at the same speed.
Well, okay, but how are we gonna do that?
A lead feather.
Wait a minute, we gotta keep the flag as stable as possible,
because the wind resistance makes it billow.
You wave the flag. You can't do that!
Okay Houston, I'm about to step off the lm.
He leaves a footprint there.
'Cause they would leave footprints there. Exactly!
And we so can send photographs of that back home.
It's... that's... That is the image!
Write that down, the footprints!
The word "foot" is disgusting.
Maybe people don't want to hear "foot."
No, "with this step." You would say, "with this step."
"With this step."
Okay, okay. "With this step, I..."
No. "As man walks on the moon..."
Too literal. Too literal!
"The step of a single man..."
"The step of a single man.
"But for us back at home..."
Think of what a step is like to us.
To a man, a step is just a step.
But to an ant looking up at the man, he looks like a god.
And it doesn't look like a step,
it looks like a towering leap.
It's like a leap. It's like a jump.
And this is a leap forward for... For everything!
The next evolutionary step.
A leap forward in science.
- For humanity. - Exactly!
This is good.
Okay, let's try one.
Hey.
Do you know who that is outside? Who?
Right there.
Look. Where?
Tell me whose that is.
Is he running?
Did you say hi? Did he look at you when you came in?
Is there even a guy in there?
He's sitting there watching.
Shh. Shh. Go outside, you'll see.
I'm sure he works for the studio. I'll go talk to him.
They know we're here. We're allowed to be here, okay?
Relax.
Okay.
Hi.
Go, go, go, go!
Jared, get in the car!
Boles, what are you doing?
What happened? You shot your fucking gun!
Jared, shoot out the front,
try to get their license plate!
Come on!
- No! - What?
What happened?
What happened to your car?
It stalled. They got away.
Well, did you get a look at them?
Whoever it is, they know we're here.
Well, we don't know who it is.
I think it's the mole.
I think it's the mole that you guys sent us here to find in the first place.
Who else is waiting outside the studio
and then the minute we walk out... Let's lock it up.
Let's lock it up and call brackett.
What... lock it up? We're in the middle of this!
We can't just stop shooting!
Well, there might be guys on the roof.
What do you mean, guys on the roof?
What the fuck is going on?
And what, you got a gun?
This is CBS news special report.
The flight of Apollo 8.
Six days to the moon and back.
Brought to you by Walter cronkite.
The flight of Apollo 8 is over.
And all that remains is to remove the astronauts from the space craft,
and carry them less than two miles
to the deck of the carrier yorktown.
Future plans for space missions, of course,
have been accelerated considerably.
It means that they can keep to the hoped-for
schedule of the next Apollo 9 mission,
late in February, or early in march,
to test out the landing module,
and, uh, then move on towards landing a man on the moon
two flights further on in the middle of July.
So we've got good news and bad news.
Good news, his name is antonin lhotsky.
- Uh-huh. - He's a kgb agent.
He's the man from outside the studio the other night.
Whoa, what?
We suspect he's been the mole the entire time.
So... so then he knows about avalanche. We're fucked!
We don't think he does.
We've been interrogating him for the past couple of days.
He doesn't seem to know anything.
We've raided his house. Nothing.
This guy's the mole? And you... you got him?
We got him.
So, then what? We're just...
We're good?
Well, not entirely.
We, uh, got some new intel on the Soviet progress,
and it turns out they're doing better than we thought.
It looks like they could possibly make it to the moon by the end of '69.
Which means that we need to be done by April at the latest.
Yeah, that puts us on a pretty tight timeline.
They know we're here.
We're allowed to be here, okay? Relax.
Hi.
Go, go, go, go!
Jared, get in the car!
Hello? Matt, we have a problem here.
...gentleman got the contract with, I don't know, somebody.
This is who they say the mole was.
So we interviewed him?
Yeah, over a year ago.
Remember when you asked me to find out who was on the phone with webb?
Of course.
I did.
...second burn to the lunar surface.
Then we can go in after... For 250.
250 seconds is all we can do?
That's the maximum, and you know that...
Did you talk to trw?
Yeah. And you know how they are about their fuels.
So we are in trouble... Grumman...
What does this mean?
So the mole knew that we couldn't make it to the moon
for over a year?
I don't think so.
I don't think that lhotsky's the mole,
I don't think lhotsky was outside the studio.
I mean, lhotsky knows that we can't make it to the moon,
so maybe they... He wouldn't cooperate
and they had to make him a fall guy
by saying that he's the mole.
They?
Yeah.
What do you mean? The CIA.
Okay, well then, who's outside the studio following us?
CIA agents.
That's why boles didn't shoot them.
They're all working together.
They're all watching us, and they're lying to us.
For what? For what purpose?
They know everything that we're doing.
Why... This doesn't make any sense.
There's no reason for them to be following us.
You... have you...
Have you heard of a conspiracy theory before?
Yeah.
I think we're in one.
Okay, leg out!
That doesn't look real.
Okay, you know what we'll do?
Jump on the count of three. Ready?
I'm bringing the bounce in.
That's a big jump.
Come on, you're supposed to be Neil Armstrong.
He's brave. Ready?
There we go.
Uh, change the background.
One more.
How about that?
Great.
That's great.
What are we getting in the reflection of his helmet?
Am I in it?
We'll have to replace that after.
That looks great. And then you just...
We have to repress this.
Put that on an animation stand and reshoot it.
This is the original from the sound stage.
And the crater textures are added after.
Getting rid of the details in the studio.
You go in and you black out the areas with litho ink.
Let's move this a little bit further down,
because it seems a little too square.
Square to camera? Yeah.
Sure.
Wow.
Ready? That's good. Yeah, go.
It works.
Yes!
This is amazing! Go again.
Matt. Yes?
Have you seen this? Have you seen this?
Do it again! Do it again! Owen, look, look.
Hammer, feather.
Drop! Galileo was right.
Dude, I just put a weight in it. What?
"NASA scientist dies."
It's from this morning's paper.
Well, what the... Matt, it's lhotsky.
What?
Boles, he must've known about it.
Listen, think why lhotsky's dead.
Obviously, he was talking to webb, so they killed him.
They're going to kill me...
We don't know why that guy's dead. Yes, we do.
They're going to kill me? What are you talking about?
They're going to kill us both, they're going to kill the astronauts.
I'm sure... Anyone who knows about this.
I'm sure lhotsky knew too much and so they got rid of him. Okay? That's it.
Right! Right! That's what I'm talking about!
He was the mole, okay?
No... no, they're tying off loose ends!
Yeah, and, so, who else is gonna die, huh?
They're gonna kill Jim webb? The head of NASA? He knows, too!
Maybe. Maybe. You don't think they would?
No! Okay, put the suit on and get ready, all right? Shut the fuck up.
There's a glob of something on the... on the glass. Owen, could you get it?
No, it's right... You didn't get it. It's right there.
Right, right there.
What... What are you doing? It's just a test.
Boles, I don't take orders from you!
- Oh, really? - Enough, come on.
Yeah, I don't take orders from someone who's trying to get us killed.
Owen, Owen, Owen. Drop it.
He let them get away. No, he didn't...
Right? He let them get away!
That's what you did. Oh, really?
- Yes, you missed on purpose! - Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!
What... what are you doing? What are you doing? We're friends.
Who are they? We're friends.
Who are they? Is it brackett? The CIA?
Why don't you tell him about how you've been calling brackett every day,
trying to get Johnson thrown off the mission. Tell him that!
What are you talking about? Hey, ask your friend.
Okay, hold on.
Tell him. Tell him.
We choose to go to the moon.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade
and do the other things.
Not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
Because that goal will serve to organize and measure
the best of our energies and skills.
Because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept.
One we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.
We shall send to the moon,
240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston,
a giant rocket,
more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field,
made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented,
capable of standing heat and stresses
several times more than have ever been experienced,
on an untried mission
to an unknown celestial body,
and then return it safely to earth,
re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour,
and do all this... And do all this and do it right,
and do it first, before this decade is out,
then we must be bold.
And therefore, as we set sail,
we ask god's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous
and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.
Thank you.
So this is the only copy?
Yeah. So, now what? We just bring it to brackett?
Oh, I'll take it to brackett. You stay here and clean up.
Clean up what?
Clean up the studio. Destroy everything.
What if we... What if we need that stuff?
We won't. Good work.
Thanks. I'll see you soon.
- Hey, boles. - Lhotsky wasn't the mole, was he?
What are you talking about?
Yeah, I don't...
I don't know.
I've been working on this too long. I'm sorry.
Well, get some rest.
I'll see you soon.
Bye, buddy.
He's gonna spot one of our guys pretending to be a rocket scientist instantly.
We need to send people who are gonna look like they have no idea what's going on.
They can't make it to the moon.
I'm gonna tell you what they said.
...an ethical problem with this at all?
He let them get away! That's what you did. Oh, really?
Yes, you missed on purpose!
Hey whoa, whoa, whoa! What... what are you doing?
What are you doing? We're friends!
- Who are they? - We're friends.
What, you think that's your friend? Who, brackett?
The CIA? Why don't you tell him about how...
Hey, Julie. Can I borrow your husband?
He what? Simon's asleep. Inside.
I can go inside so you guys can talk.
You can stay outside.
No, I don't need to talk. I wanna know if, um...
If you wanna... we're... We're going to get rid of the stuff from work.
You can go if you want.
No, I'm going to stay here.
How's Simon? Are you guys excited about the big launch?
Okay. Have a good afternoon.
Thanks. You, too. I'll see you soon, okay?
Yeah, bye.
Good morning.
It's t-minus one hour, 29 minutes and 53 seconds and counting.
In just an hour and a half, if all goes well, Apollo eleven astronauts,
Armstrong, aldrin and Collins
are to lift off from pad 39-a out there
on the voyage man always has dreamed about.
Next stop for them, the moon.
And we are all about to witness the fulfillment
of that promise that president Kennedy made
at rice university stadium in Texas, on September 12, 1962.
We passed 10,000 odd cars
parked around the gate-1 area at 4:00 A.M. when we got here.
Cars from every state, with little kids staring wide-eyed,
and we saw teenagers with telescopes.
It was a very moving scene for me, because
Americans cared then, I think, and they care now.
And it says, "good luck, Apollo 11" engraved in the sand.
All going very smoothly here with the count.
T-minus 60 seconds and counting.
We've passed t-minus 60. Power transfer is complete.
Twelve, eleven, ten, nine...
Ignition sequence starts.
Six, five, four, three, two, one.
And good afternoon from abc space headquarters in New York.
With me is our science editor, Jules bergman and we are on the air today
to bring you a complete report on some very, very important maneuvers
to be performed by Apollo 11.
Basically a position to begin the process...
Hello?
Matt?
Are you... Are you seeing this right now?
- Matt, they're not dead. - The CIA lied to us.
Wait, what?
The men following us at the studio are outside my house.
Are you sure? Yes, meet me at your motel.
What the hell?
Owen?
Hello?
Who's there?
Oh, shit.
Okay, okay, okay.
Uh... uh...
Where's the other car? Where's the...
Um, um, out back. Out back.
Okay, stand back.
Sorry.
There is a delirium of enthusiasm today...
Come on.
Come on, come on.
Come on, Owen. Come on!
Matt!
What?
There's a car!
Jared, run!
Shit. Go, go, go.
Andy, hold on.
Fuck.
They're right behind us. They're right behind us.
Get their faces! Get their faces, Andy! Get their faces!
This is fucking crazy!
Oh, god! Oh, Christ!
He's got a gun! What?
- He's got a fucking gun. - Okay, duck, duck, duck!
Shit.
What's happening?
Oh, fuck. Fuck!
Okay, okay.
Get out of here. Get out of here.
I'm trying. Get out of here.
Dude, they're right in front of us.
Yeah, I know.
They're gonna ram us, they're gonna ram us!
Oh!
Owen!
So they're not all labeled, right?
It goes '67, '68, '69. But not everything's... Not everything's marked.
Well, you'll figure it out.
Hey.
Okay, man.
As soon as I know where we're going, I'll call you.
Yeah.
Good evening.
Hello, there's a man at the end of the bar wearing glasses.
Could you please give the phone to him?
Telephone.
Hello?
You're a real piece of shit, you know that?
We're looking for you. Where you been?
Yeah, I'll tell you what, let's make a trade.
Okay.
My location for the names of the agents on your kill team.
We don't have any kill team.
Yeah, well, who killed Owen and hung him in his garage?
Okay. Come down to the office. We'll discuss it.
Yeah, I'll come in.
No, I'll tell you what's gonna happen.
I have a film of everything we did.
I have proof that the CIA conspired to fake the moon landing
and that Owen Williams is the one that everybody is about to see walk on the moon.
And that you killed him to keep it a secret.
I even got you planning northwoods,
the same as I got you right now.
No one will take that seriously, kid.
Yeah, well, call my bluff.
My last movie's about to convince the world we went to the moon.
Then why don't I make you a deal?
Come back and work for us,
and I'll make you the head of your own department.
Yeah, how stupid do you think I am?
I'll tell you what.
Keep the film as collateral if you don't believe me. Just think about it.
...the surface appears to be, uh,
very, very fine grained as you get close to it.
It's almost like a powder.
Down there, uh, is very fine.
Okay, I'm going to step off the lm now.
That's one small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.
And the, uh, the surface is fine and powdery.
I can... I can pick it up loosely with my toe.
It does adhere in fine...
Okay, we shouldn't take
any more pictures on this roll until earth comes, I don't think.
This is about out, it's just about out until our last color roll,
so, uh, we'll switch to black and white as soon as we get to earth.
- We might make it in time. - Yeah.
There it is, it's coming up. What?
The earth. You see it?
Yeah.
Beautiful. It's half-way up.