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| Review Summary |
The late Gene Siskel praised 1983's “The Right Stuff” as “the best film of the 1980's.” Directed by Phillip Kaufman (“Quills”), this epic spans the 16 years from the breaking of the sound barrier, through the six manned Mercury space flights of the early ‘60s.
“The Right Stuff” begins where it should – above the clouds as Levon Helm (former drummer for “The Band”) narrates, “There was a demon that lived in the sky; and anyone that challenged him would die! They called it the Sound Barrier.”
The movie's first hour emphasizes the arrogance and camaraderie of an elite fraternity who earned assignments at Edwards Air Force Base through historic flights or combat. When the sound barrier topic arises, the “rightest” of the right stuff, 24-year-old ace Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) volunteers, “how ‘bout tomorrow,” then shows up concealing some broken ribs.
As Yeager accelerates the bullet-shaped X-1 into the “thin air,” where no man has flown before, the era of supersonic rockets and the space race begin.
By 1957, Russia has an earth-orbiting satellite. To catch up, President Eisenhower insists on recruiting as astronauts (“star voyagers”) the cream of the test pilots. As "The First Seven” begin intensive training, dozens of unmanned U.S. rocket fail. But in 1961, Commander Alan Shepard safely pilots a sub-orbital flight, becoming the “first free man in space. Gus Grissom duplicates the flight but nearly drowns on splasdown.
Clean-Marine John Glenn (Ed Harris) is selected for the first earth orbits. When he survives the potential inferno of a suspect heat shield, the space race is evened and Glenn becomes the most admired man in America.
“The Right Stuff” concludes with "Gordo” Cooper, the youngest astronaut, paying-off his arrogance in which, throughout the film, he'd ask anyone who'd listen, “Who's the greatest pilot you've ever seen?” As Gordo's Faith 7 lifts off to begin 22 Earth orbits, narrator Helm informs us, “the Mercury Program was over...but for a brief moment, Gordo Cooper was truly the best pilot anyone had ever seen.”
Angry Jim Magin, Resident Scholar
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzle - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Explore/1st contact
Yes
Explore plotlet:
- "primitive"/present day space travel
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- military pilot
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- red
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- muscular (man)
How much in movie?
- 60%
Main Adversary
Identity:
- a deadline
Setting
Earth setting:
- general past
Spaceship setting:
- primative (present, near future) human spaceship
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Takes place in spaceship?
Yes
In Space?
- in spacesuit
Misc settings
- fort/castle
- bar/restaurant
Small town?
Yes
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Tone of movie
- upbeat
Kinds of F/X
- exotic spaceships
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Classic/oldies rock
Is this movie based on a
- book
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