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Amazon.co.uk Review
Philip Kaufman's intimate epic about the Mercury astronauts (based on Tom Wolfe's book) was one of the most ambitious and spectacularly exciting movies of the 1980s. It surprised almost everybody by not becoming a smash hit. By all rights, the film should have been every bit the success that Apollo 13 would later become; The Right Stuff is not only just as thrilling, but it is also a bigger and better movie. Combining history (both established and revisionist), grand mythmaking (and myth puncturing), adventure, melodrama, behind-the-scenes dish, spectacular visuals, and a down-to-earth sense of humour, The Right Stuff chronicles NASA's efforts to put a man in orbit. Such an achievement would be the first step toward President Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon, and, perhaps most important of all, would win a crucial public relations/morale victory over the Soviets, who had delivered a stunning blow to American pride by launching Sputnik, the first satellite. The movie contrasts the daring feats of the unsung test pilots--one of whom, Chuck Yeager, embodied more than anyone else the skill and spirit of Wolfe's title--against the heavily publicised (and sanitised) accomplishments of the Mercury astronauts. Through no fault of their own, the spacemen became prisoners of the heroic images the government created for them in order to capture the public's imagination. The casting is inspired; the film features Sam Shepard as the legendary Yeager, Ed Harris as John Glenn, Dennis Quaid as "Gordo" Cooper, Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard, Fred Ward as Gus Grissom, Scott Wilson as Scott Crossfield, and Pamela Reed and Veronica Cartwright are superb in their thankless roles as astronauts' wives. --Jim Emerson
Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on Tom Wolfe's novel of the same name, The Right Stuff is a spectacular and thrilling epic that chronicles the fledgling years of the American space programme, from breaking the sound barrier to putting the first man into orbit. Rather than focusing on the technological advances that made this possible, writer-director Philip Kaufman pays tribute to the daring and heroic air-force test-pilots, most notably Chuck Yeager, John Glenn and "Gordo" Cooper , whose competitive desire to be the fastest and the highest drives them to keep "pushing the outside of the envelope". Despite its grand historical scale, the movie is grounded in the emotional highs and lows of these men and their long-suffering wives, delicately balancing their personal achievements and failures with the invasive media frenzy surrounding NASA's attempts to better the rival Soviet space effort.
The Right Stuff has a coherence and pace that belies its sprawling plot, wide array of main characters and a running time of over three hours. This is thanks to an exciting script, a superb cast, Caleb Deschanel's stunning cinematography and--given the dramatic subject matter--a surprisingly humorous edge. Parts of the gruelling astronaut selection process make complete monkeys of the pilots, NASA's unsuccessful first attempts to launch a rocket are shown in all their explosive glory, and Jeff Goldblum and Harry Shearer steal the show as two oddball recruitment officials.
On the DVD: The Right Stuff Special Edition comes with a sizeable, if somewhat superficial, second disc of extra features. There are two separate commentary tracks pieced together from a selection of soundbites--one from the cast (including an introduction from technical advisor Yeager) and the other from the production team. Both are played out over an identical, 25-minute sequence of scenes from the film, but only refer occasionally to the action on screen and yield little insight into the film's production.
There are also four separate documentaries. The largest of these is John Glenn: American Hero, a 90-minute PBS special charting the legendary astronaut's life and including some great documentary footage of his appearance on Name That Tune (recreated in the film). Realising the Right Stuff (21 mins) and T-20 Years and Counting (10 mins) are both standard selections of cast and crew interviews. The Real Men with the Right Stuff (15 mins) features documentary footage and interviews with the surviving members of the Mercury team (Gordon Cooper, Scott Carpenter and Walter Schirra). Deleted scenes, the theatrical trailer and an "Interactive Timeline to Space" make up the remainder. --Paul Philpott
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Right Stuff,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Right Stuff (Special Edition) [DVD] [1984] (DVD)
This is one of the Best films that appeared in the eighties and even today it still hasn't lost its flair. The special effects are especially good, seeing as they were made in the days before CGI; but what really makes the film is the story and the acting (and not forgetting Bill Conti's stirring soundtrack) which are all excellent. The film follows Tom Wolfe's book quite closelly, although it sadly omits the flights of Schirra, Slayton and Carpenter in favour of running time. The film is also notable for providing a rather accurate portrayl of the Mercury program.
I recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in space or aviation.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Space Race,
By Tim Bentley (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Right Stuff [1984] [DVD] [1983] (DVD)
I first saw this movie for sale in the US when visiting KSC in Florida - NTSC on VHS over two tapes. I watched it once and immediately searched for it online and found it here at Amazon. The DVD print was excellent from the clear screen transfer through to the ear splitting sound as the Bell X-1 rocket plane thunders across the sky.
The story is one that most space geeks will be familiar with starting with a war hero pilot in the high desert of california flying the Bell rocket plane. You're then introduced to a certain Captain Chuck Yeager - a name that this generation will find synonimous with flight simulator software. The story follows two parallel lines, one line following Yeager and the other following seven astronauts, the Mercury Seven. We see the trials that the prospective astronauts go through, both in their workplace and their homes. The movie tends towards an element of sentimentality at times and I wonder how much of Tom Wolfe's fiction has any basis in fact but there are some special moments. The flypast with the classic missing man formation at a funeral is an emotive moment, and the ever present preacher arriving like the angel of death carrying the news of another nameless dead hotshot spread across the Mojave adds a darker element. The film is long, but doesn't feel so and the production values high. The characterisation is, from the biographies of the astronauts and flyers I've read, reasonably accurate and with the mixing in of genuine footage at one point it is difficult to determine whether Al Shepherd is himself or the actor Scott Glenn. I enjoyed the movie, especially the little touches like the onscreen cameo for General Yeager himself. Watch also for an early Jeff Goldblum role - a marvellous double act with Harry Shearer of Spinal Tap fame. I would suggest that you play the movie loud to experience the full battering wall of sound that is the flight of the X-1 and the launch of the Mercury-Redstone rocket.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Right Treatment,
By Leon Hicks (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Right Stuff (Special Edition) [DVD] [1984] (DVD)
Finally 'The Right Stuff' has the treatment it deserves, in the newly released 2-disc Special Edition.The film is fantastic with a great devotion to detail. And the cast (and its quite a cast list) are brilliant and so true to the real life characters, including Chuck Yeager, Alan Shephard, and John Glenn, as well as all your other favourites of the original seven Mercury astronauts. This Special Edition is not so much about the making and production of an epic film, but created for the real fans (like myself) of the early space exploration Mercury Program. Included is a documentary about John Glenns mission and also a commentry by the first pilot to break the sound barrier (Chuck Yeager), both of which the events are beautifully portrayed in the film. My message to all space fans is 'buy this DVD - your collection would not be complete without it'
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