The Dish [DVD]

This is one of my all-time favourite films; slow moving with a real feel of the time, but gripping in places as well as very funny. The opening sequence, with Sam Neil in old age, standing in front of a the 'Dish' that was once at the centre of one of the most meaningful moments of his life, is both moving and beautiful to see. Sam Neil perfectly recreates the old-style head of operations, from a time when life was slower, engineers smoked pipes (sadly), and bosses had time to care for those they worked with. Based on the true story of the moon landing, which was indeed received from the Parkes Dish in Australia because of the timing of the moon walk, the reality has no doubt been added to somewhat here, but to great effect. We see a clash of personalities with the American sent to watch over things - which develops into mutual friendship and respect; a bit of risk-taking that pays off, and a lovely story of first love in the face of excruciating shyness involving the rather geeky lad who also happens to be the clever one who can save the day! I discovered and interesting fact while researching the story behind my local Bawdsey Radar museum, home of the first 'Chain Home radar pioneered by the famous Watson-Watt. 'Taffy' Bowen, one of the key engineers with Watt, interestingly went on, after the war, to a career in radio-astronomy and was responsible for the building of the huge 200 foot Parkes Radio-telescope that we see in this film. He can be seen, along with key aerial man Arnold 'Skip' Wilkins, in the BBC film, 'Castles in the Sky', which I recommend (available on BD) though I have criticised it for being too far from the truth in my review on Amazon. I've had the DVD for years, but am very disappointed with the quality of the Blu Ray. I've just done critical comparisons between DVD and BD and can see no perceptible difference in picture quality on a 65" 4k LG OLED from the OPPO BD-103. The latter is renowned for it's excellent up-scaling, and it looks very much as though I have just paid heavily for a disk that was made by simply upscaling from the DVD rather than going back to the film copy. The sound quality is also the same - and not great, lacking stereo separation. I had hoped that the music at least would have been remixed in better stereo, and with more surround, but no such luck - the surround track is just a low level version of the stereo and contributes little. Still, the quality is tolerable, even on a big screen, and should not put anyone off watching this great film.

As other reviewers have stated, this film is a real gem and one that should have had greater exposure on television. The plot simmers away beautifully and the dialogue is packed with that unique, self deprecating Aussie humour. We all know the outcome of the 1969 mission to land on the moon, but that does not detract from the impact that this film has on the viewer as we are drawn into both the main drama and the sub plots that stop the film being one dimensional . A film that concentrated purely on the science of the role that the dish played in relaying the live pictures of the Apollo mission would feel like a documentary, yet here we have characters that we empathise with and feel drawn to. The cast are all superb and there is a real warmth to their portrayal of the characters in this film. If you are looking for a high octane, nerve jangling space film then this one is not for you, but if you want to spend a very pleasant 90 minutes in the company of some great Aussie characters and to learn about a little known side of the moon landings then this film is definitely for you.

You can find loads of reviews of this film on the web that all confirm what a quirky, warm and enjoyable 90 minutes of viewing this film gives. It's one of those really great slices of Oz cinema to complement Muriel's Wedding, The Year My Voice Broke, 'Priscilla', etc. Moon landing fans like me will certainly enjoy the fascinating real life story (laced with added comic moments) of how the greatest TV event in history almost didn't make it to the small screen. What they may enjoy even more is the host of great extras including documentaries about the actual massive 'Dish' at Parkes, 30 minutes of original NASA Apollo 11 footage from the Moonwalk One documentary and the best bit for me, JFK's magnificent, complete speech at RICE in 1961 extolling the challenges of going to the moon and why mankind should do it (whilst cleverly hiding his real motives!). This is worth the money alone and shows how he charismatically sold this mind-numbingly complex, technologically challenging and horrifically expensive project to the American people. Spellbinding!

The Dish is an enjoyable Aussie film about the Apollo 11 moonwalk broadcasting. It is light hearted, comic and includes an understated turn from Sam Neil of Jurassic Park. It perfectly recalls the wide eyed global excitement surrounding the moonwalk of Neil Armstrong and uncovers interesting facts about it that were little known at the time.. The excitement builds to a crescendo which keeps you interested to the end . I enjoyed the characters of the people involved, especially their down to earth natures. Definitely worth a viewing if you want something amusing and warm hearted.

Ce film raconte les premiers pas de l'homme sur la lune. Mais c'est vu par la petite équipe de la station de radio-télescope australienne chargée de relayer les images, non sans frayeurs et bricolages. C'est l'occasion pour le réalisateur de nous montrer avec humour et finesse toute une communauté de personnages bien personnalisés : les scientifiques, le notable et sa femme, leur fille gauchiste, un jeune militaire assez savoureux, un ambassadeur, le premier ministre, un futur couple de deux jeunes gens timides et charmants...La satire est légère, sans méchanceté. Cela donne un film qui rend heureux, même s'il évoque sans pathos un deuil récent et l'émotion discrète du "héros" revenu incognito sur les lieux, des années après. Comme quoi un film modeste vaut infiniment mieux que tant de films surgonflés de vide, de violence gratuite et de prétention.

A beautiful little gem of a movie. A great look at what really happened at Parks. Australia was quaintly charming in 1969, and The film was both well written and acted. I cool little story that not all Moon buffs may know.

Conforme à la description

Excellent performances by all. A wonderful retro view of the 60s and the famous moon landing. History here that not many may be aware of.

Good product, nice movie. However, I was stupid enough to not notice that it was a UK DVD. Regardless, I got a refund and it was my mistake. Only buy if you're in the UK.