Film on space race omits US flag from moon landing scene
'First Man' star Ryan Gosling defends the decision.
Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, weighed in on the controversy surrounding the upcoming Neil Armstrong biopic "First Man" and filmmakers' decision not to show the planting of the American flag on the Moon during the historic 1969 lunar landing.
The record-breaking test pilot tweeted that the U.S. was the first to get to the Moon, among other historic achievements. Yeager, a World War II fighter pilot who also served in the Vietnam war, broke the sound barrier in 1947.
"I was the 1st Commandant of ARPS 1st school for training 1st astronauts," Yeager wrote. "I am fully aware of US goals: Presidents Eisenhower, JFK, Johnson & Nixon: US will get to the moon 1st. & we did. 1st step was getting above MACH 1. We did that 1st, too."
Yeager, 95, previously weighed in on the film, responding to a Twitter user about Armstrong.
"That's not the Neil Armstrong I knew," Yeager wrote.
Director Damian Chazelle released a statement last week explaining why he did not include the moment when the flag was planted in the lunar surface.
“The flag being physically planted into the surface is one of several moments of the Apollo 11 lunar EVA [extravehicular activity] that I chose not to focus upon,” he said on Friday.
“To address the question of whether this was a political statement, the answer is no. My goal with this movie was to share with audiences the unseen, unknown aspects of America's mission to the moon — particularly Neil Armstrong's personal saga and what he may have been thinking and feeling during those famous few hours,” the director added.
"First Man" is set to be released Oct. 12 and stars Ryan Gosling as Armstrong.
Neil Armstrong's sons, Rick and Mark Armstrong, denounced the criticism of the film, saying it is "quite the opposite" of being "anti-American."
"This story is human and it is universal. Of course, it celebrates an America achievement. It also celebrates an achievement 'for all mankind.'"
“This story is human and it is universal. Of course, it celebrates an America achievement. It also celebrates an achievement 'for all mankind,'” the statement said, adding that “the filmmakers chose to focus on Neil looking back at the earth, his walk to Little West Crater, his unique, personal experience of completing this journey, a journey that has seen so many incredible highs and devastating lows.”
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On Sunday, astronaut Buzz Aldrin tweeted that he is "proud to be an American," seemingly criticizing the upcoming movie's decision not to show the flag planting.
Aldrin, 88, was the second man to step on the moon, behind Armstrong, who passed away in 2012 at age 82.
Last month, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL.) said the decision not to include the iconic footage was "total lunacy," adding that it is a "disservice at a time when our people need reminders of what we can achieve when we work together."
Fox News' Amy Lieu and Lukas Mikelionis contributed to this story. Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia
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