Damien Chazelle has faced much criticism over his choice to omit the iconic planting of the American flag on the moon in his upcoming Neil Armstrong biopic, “First Man.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Sunday, Chazelle responded to the criticism, saying he was “surprised” by the controversy because there are multiple historical moments he opted to leave out of the movie.
“It surprised me because there are so many things that we weren’t able to focus on not only during the lunar EVA but in the entirety of Apollo 11,” Chazelle said. “Just by the nature of the story we were telling, we just couldn’t go into every detail. So our through-line became — especially at this part of the movie where it’s the final emotional journey for Neil — what were the private, unknown moments of Neil on the moon?”
Chazelle added that he wanted to “focus on the unfamous stuff on the moon.” Chazelle also issued a statement to clarify that the American flag is shown on the moon’s surface in the film.
Ryan Gosling, who stars in the film, also defended the movie while at the Venice Film Festival last week.
“I think this was widely regarded in the end as a human achievement [and] that’s how we chose to view it,” Gosling reportedly said. “I also think Neil was extremely humble, as were many of these astronauts, and time and time again he deferred the focus from himself to the 400,000 people who made the mission possible.”
Armstrong’s sons, Rick and Mark, and “First Man” author James R. Hansen have also weighed in, telling The Hollywood Reporter that they support the film and Chazelle’s directing choices.
By: Maytinee Kramer
