“Countdown” is a 1967 science fiction film directed by Robert Altman, based on the 1964 novel The Pilgrim Project by Hank Searls. The movie follows the journey of two astronauts, James Caan and Robert Duvall, as they compete to become the first American to walk on the Moon. The mission is part of a crash program to beat the Soviet Union in the Space Race.
In the late 1960s, astronauts were training in an Apollo simulator when their session was unexpectedly ended. Although they protested it, their commander, Chiz (played by Robert Duvall), knew the reason behind the abort. The Russians were planning to send a Moon landing mission in four weeks, and in case that happened, the Americans had a secret alternate plan called the Pilgrim Program.
The Pilgrim Program was a fictional program that used a modified Project Gemini craft. Its objective was to send one astronaut to the Moon in a one-way rocket, depicted in the film as a Titan II. The astronaut would stay on the Moon for a few months in a shelter pod that was launched and landed before him. Later, astronauts from an Apollo mission would come to retrieve him.
The equipment is all set, but the Russians add a twist by sending a civilian named Chiz, an Air Force colonel, although he is trained and qualified. The White House and NASA insist that an American civilian be their first person on the Moon. A member of Chiz’s crew named Lee is selected to make this happen. Chiz is upset about this decision but agrees to train Lee, hoping that he will either drop out or that Chiz can replace him. Lee is determined to fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut, so he works hard to prepare for the mission.
After a news leak about Pilgrim, the Russians launched their mission a week ahead of schedule. Everyone is disappointed, but they continue with their mission. The shelter pod, a LEM lander, is launched and lands successfully. Lee is launched as scheduled but faces a power drain malfunction during the journey, which tests his character and makes radio contact difficult. The Russians also lose contact with their team. Lee orbits the Moon, but he can’t locate the beacon of the shelter. With only seconds left before he must abort and return to Earth, he lies about seeing it. Mission Control allows him to proceed, and he lands successfully. However, all radio contact is lost after that.
Lee exits the Gemini lander and walks around with only one hour of oxygen left in his suit. He finds the crashed Russian lander on its side and the three dead cosmonauts lying around it. People on Earth are anxiously waiting for news, but none is forthcoming. Lee takes the Soviet flag from a dead cosmonaut and places it on a rock next to his American flag. With little air left and nowhere else to go, Lee spins the toy mouse his son gave him. It points in a certain direction, so he walks in that direction. People on Earth are losing hope as his time has run out. Lee looks at his watch and realizes that he has just a few minutes of air left. Suddenly, a red glow on his arm catches his attention. It is the locator beacon atop the shelter. Lee is last seen walking towards the shelter, towards survival.
It’s worth noting that Robert Altman was dismissed from the movie, which led to a change in the ending. In Altman’s version, the ending was left open to interpretation; he clarified that in his end, we see Lee walking away in one direction while the camera moves to reveal the beacon in the opposite direction.
The Other Cinema 