The Right Stuff (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn

The Right Stuff (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn | Simply a great movie about a pivotal point in American history

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The Right Stuff (T...

	The Right Stuff (Two-Disc Special Edition) Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn Warner Home Video, 2003 average customer review:based on 144 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One of the Best Movies Ever!

I have seen this movie at least 25 times and it never gets old. I saw it twice at the movie theatre and bought it on video as soon as it was released. I have since purchased it on DVD and enjoy the extras. It's great for all ages, plus the music is awesome. Funny fact: A soundtrack was never released until after it actually won an Academy Award for Best Original Score by Bill Conti. And even then, it was slapped together in a hurry, because people ran out to buy a soundtrack that didn't exist!

It's a wonderful story about a facinating subject that everyone in the family can enjoy. It is longer than average movies, but that's okay. Well worth the time spent. If you have never seen it, treat yourself and your family to a movie night, with The Right Stuff, popcorn and goodies. You'll be so glad you did!

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Simply a great movie about a pivotal point in American history

I'm a sucker for this kind of movie. I'm fascinated by space exploration and especially the time when innovation and imagination married itself to gutsy, seat of the pants bravado to get America into the space race. The Right Stuff walks a cool line between rousing epic and quirky film.....it captures the spirit of Thomas Wolfe's book perfectly......it clearly has great affection for the Mercury 7 and for the other "steely eyed rocket men" from the golden age of test flying while also poking gentle fun at their somewhat myopic self-images. Whatever their flaws, these guys were heroes who put it all on the line for the sake of exploration. The movie gives you the full flavor of this most exciting time in American history.

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Thinking of showing this movie to your classroom?

I'll save you the time....don't show it. Although this is a wonderful movie, it is inappropriate for students of any age due to sexually explicit language. There are also many words that, although not new to students by any stretch of the imagination, shouldn't be used in the classroom setting.

A Flawed Classic That Gets Better With Age

This is a wonderful film that captures the SPIRIT of the early US space program. I have seen the film dozens of time and use it as part of a "History of Spaceflight" class I teach to middle-schoolers. Every time I see it I enjoy it more than I did the previous time. However, the script takes a lot of liberty with the actual events. As such, this film should be viewed as a fictionalized account of the Mercury program and not as an accurate portrayal. Several examples jump out:

"The Right Stuff" begins with the story of Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in the Bell X-1. According to the movie, Yeager broke Mach 1 the very first time he ever flew the X-1. In fact, Yeager had been flying the aircraft for quite some time as part of a methodical Air Force program. The film's portrayal is exciting and dramatic, but not historically accurate.

"Pancho's" was a large resort that was VERY popular among the Hollywood elite of the time, not just a hole-in-the-wall dive in the middle of nowhere. However, Pancho's Happy Bottom Riding Club really was the social center for the test pilots of the Mach 1 program and the way "The Right Stuff" presents it is more in line with the image of test pilots.

Alan Shepard received his invitation via telegram in his office - several days late, as a matter of fact - rather than on an aircraft carrier.

Wernher von Braun had virtually NOTHING to do with the development of the Mercury capsule. His contribution to Mercury was limited to the development of the Redstone booster of the first two manned flights, yet he is portrayed as the main "rocket scientist" of Mercury.

I seriously doubt the "Mercury 7" had a locker room with their spacesuits hanging on a rack on the wall. I also doubt they went parading around as a group in the spacesuits.

There are many other examples.

BUT ---- none of that matters. As I said, the film captures the SPIRIT of Mercury. When you are done watching the film you understand what drove the country and the men to begin the manned spaceflight program. You understand why the country idolized these men. You understand the dangers faced by test pilots and the sacrifices of their families. Then, despite its length, the film leaves you satisfied but wanting more.

One of the film's strengths is the continuous comparison of the life of Chuck Yeager, the consumate test pilot who was not invited to be part of the space program, and the "Mercury 7." While the astronauts are pampered, photographed, and glorified, Yeager continues to "push the outside of the envelope." One of the final sequences, criticized by some reviewers, shows the astronauts at a Texas-sized barbeque arranged by then-Vice-President Lyndon Johnson. The movie moves back and forth between the barbeque and a depiction of a near-lethal attempt by Yeager to beat an obscure aircraft altitude record. I doubt the two events actually occurred simultaneously, but the sequence skillfully brings the Yeager story to an end while showing the completed transformation of the astronauts from anonymous Yeager-like daredevils to civilized celebrities.

The acting is excellent. One of the fun parts of viewing the movie is seeing some very well-known actors in the early parts of their careers. Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, and Jeff Goldblum are particularly good, with Goldblum providing comic relief as a bumbling low-level beaurocrat. The real Chuck Yeager has a cameo role as well in Pancho's Happy Bottom Riding Club.

The special effects are somewhat lame by today's standards, but the actual film of the Atlas launches is glorious. If you've never seen footage of the old Atlas, you're in for a treat.

I gave the film only four stars because of the shameful way the script treats Gus Grissom. Grissom's hatch on Liberty Bell 7 blew unexpectedly and the capsule sank into the Atlantic. At the time, there was some concern as to whether Grissom had accidentally triggered the hatch or had panicked inside the rocking capule. The sequence shows an obviously nervous, fearful Grissom inside the Liberty Bell just before the hatch blows. The film also shows a pathetic post-flight Grissom collecting coins and trinkets he'd taken with him on his flight, as if the taking of the items was somehow wrong. In fact, ALL of the astronauts carried small items with them, to give to friends and family after their flights. However, Grissom was selected by NASA to command the first manned Gemini flight(Gemini 3)and the first Apollo mission, so it's a safe bet that any concern about Grissom evaporated quickly. Certainly, by the time Thomas Wolfe wrote "The Right Stuff" and the film was made, Grissom's reputation had been long-since restored. Viewers are left with a terrible, grossly inaccurate image of a fine man.

Still, despite its warts, "The Right Stuff" is a magnificent film. It is a masterfully-crafted blend of history and fiction, of comedy and drama. Set aside three hours, get your popcorn ready, and lose yourself in the story.

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