The Fallen Astronaut

An interesting and honest recount of the true 70s Moon-Art story. Into this "Moonstruck" affray we a have a wannabee Belgian artist (Paul Van Hoeydonck) making sculptures that resemble props borrowed from a "Mad Max" set. desperately wanting his fifteen minutes of fame. Then there's NASA, driven purely by idealism and a big heap of US tax-dollars. And in the other corners we have the Apollo 15 crew and the World Media. So begins Paul Hoeydonck's attempt, aided by do-gooders to insinuate himself into one of the NASA missions and the consequences thereof. Despite everyone having a personal opinion of Art - from a deep, meaningful communication of one's soul to an object that's functional or pretty (or both), to something desirable, even fanciful as not being essential to Life, the deeper one goes into what Art is, the more Art fights back, reflecting today's battle-ground for the Cultural & Moral. I think the film-makers were pretty even-handed in their treatment of this debate, probably taking Hoeydonck's side, at times more than they should. But a very good watch, nonetheless