The Right Stuff (1983) Online

1983 Sam Shepard Scott Glenn Ed Harris Philip Kaufman

Original Title :: The Right Stuff
Genre :: Movie / Adventure / Biography / Drama / History
Year :: 1983
Directror :: Philip Kaufman
Cast :: Sam Shepard,Scott Glenn,Ed Harris
Writer :: Philip Kaufman,Tom Wolfe
Budget :: $27,000,000
Type :: Movie
Time :: 3h 13min
Rating :: 7.9/10

The story of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program.

The Right Stuff (1983) Online

Tom Wolfe's book on the history of the U.S. Space program reads like a novel, and the film has that same fictional quality. It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager to the Mercury 7 astronauts, showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select people to be in it. Thrilling, funny, charming and electrifying all at once.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Sam Shepard	-	Chuck Yeager
	Scott Glenn	-	Alan Shepard
	Ed Harris	-	John Glenn
	Dennis Quaid	-	Gordon Cooper
	Fred Ward	-	Gus Grissom
	Barbara Hershey	-	Glennis Yeager
	Kim Stanley	-	Pancho Barnes
	Veronica Cartwright	-	Betty Grissom
	Pamela Reed	-	Trudy Cooper
	Scott Paulin	-	Deke Slayton
	Charles Frank	-	Scott Carpenter
	Lance Henriksen	-	Wally Schirra
	Donald Moffat	-	Lyndon B. Johnson
	Levon Helm	-	Jack Ridley / Narrator
	Mary Jo Deschanel	-	Annie Glenn

The mysterious "fireflies" observed by John Glenn on his first orbital flight were actually tiny flakes of frost illuminated by sunlight. As the spacecraft orbited into darkness behind the Earth, the sub-zero temperatures caused condensation on its skin to freeze. When warmed by the sun on the other side of the orbit, the temperature change caused some of this frost layer to break free and to be illuminated by the sun. This was confirmed by astronaut Scott Carpenter on the next Mercury flight when he banged on the craft's side, causing more of the flakes to break free and become visible.

In the film, Alan Shepard says "Louise, I'm going to the moon, I swear to God. I'm on my way". Of the Mercury Seven, Shepard was the only one that did go there, on Apollo 14, becoming the fifth person to walk on the moon (and the only person to ever play golf on the moon) on February 5-6, 1971.

While several of the lead actors chose to meet their real-life counterparts, Scott Glenn elected not to meet with Alan Shepard. Scott said he wanted to get down Shepard's character and nuances by observation and by hearing others' points of view. After filming, the real Alan Shepard wrote Writer and Director Philip Kaufman and commented on Scott Glenn's "spot-on" performance - except for "not being nearly as good-looking as he was."

While filming the lung-capacity sequence - in which the seven original Mercury astronauts need to blow into individual tubes to keep toy balls suspended in a beaker and end up in a competition of physical stamina - the seven actors portraying the astronauts actually competed with each other for the same reason. Gordon Cooper was third, John Glenn was second and Scott Carpenter won (in the movie). In reality, Cooper - the astronaut portrayed by Dennis Quaid - was the only non-smoker among the seven original astronauts, and therefore possessed a far-greater lung capacity than any of the others.

This film contains the first realistic shots of a spacecraft re-entry. For long shots, Visual Effects Supervisor Gary Gutierrez used a small model of the Mercury capsule. This was coated with flammable material, ignited, and slid about one hundred feet down a wire toward the camera, which was protected with a sheet of Lexan. For close-up shots of the re-entry, no actual fire was used. The larger model capsule in these shots had liquid nitrogen pumped into it. This immediately evaporated, producing a fog of condensation, which escaped through a carefully placed ring of vents around the base of the capsule to form a flame-like pattern all around it. Then, to make the color right, the effect was simply filmed in orange light.

During the weekend of April 4, 1999, Gus Grissom's lost Liberty Bell 7 capsule was located and recovered on the ocean floor ninety miles northeast of the Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. It underwent a restoration and went on a national tour before being placed in a permanent exhibit at the Cosmosphere, a space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. The hatch, which many thought would have proved or disproved Grissom's contention that it blew open on its own, has not been recovered. Inside the capsule the restorers found a large number of Mercury dimes that Grissom had brought along as souvenirs. During the bar scene before Grissom's flight, two rolls of dimes can be seen on the bar.

The bartender who chews out Gordon Cooper, calling him a "rookie" and a "pud-knocker", is Florence 'Pancho' Barnes, and she is well within her rights to put Cooper in his place. Barnes earned her pilot's license in 1928. She flew solo, crashed a plane, held the women's world speed record (taking it from Amelia Earhart), and worked as a stunt pilot in Hollywood (see Hell's Angels (1930)), all before any of the Mercury 7 astronauts reached the tender age of ten-years-old. As a pioneering aviatrix, she was truly made of "the right stuff". Her story was told in a television movie, Pancho Barnes (1988), starring Valerie Bertinelli.

To create the space uniforms for the Mercury astronauts, the costume designers used silver fabrics and other materials left over from costumes for singer and actress Cher.

Original Composer John Barry left the film because he found it impossible to understand what Philip Kaufman wanted from the score, citing a meeting where Kaufman described his ideal score as "sounding like you're walking in the desert and you see a cactus, and you put your foot on it, but it just starts growing up through your foot."

In the bar scene before Gus Grissom's flight, Deke Slayton is underwater swimming with some girls. Gordo says. "Go get 'em Deke!" In reality, Deke couldn't swim and never told anyone. When the astronauts started underwater training at Scott Carpenter's suggestion, Deke sank to the bottom and had to be rescued. He subsequently practiced holding his breath underwater in his kitchen sink, according to his wife Marge.

Ed Harris had to audition twice for the role of John Glenn. It was in fact Harris who insisted on the second audition because he felt his first reading of the part wasn't good enough. After the second reading, he got the part.

Sam Shepard, who played legendary pilot Chuck Yeager, was actually afraid of flying.

When the astronauts are inspecting the space capsule (or "space craft") with Wernher von Braun and his team, Gus Grissom (Fred Ward) is quite insistent that the hatch have "explosive bolts". The purpose of explosive hatches is to allow the occupants of the capsule to escape easily. In 1967, while doing a routine test of the Apollo 1 capsule, Grissom and his two companions died when a fire broke out in the cabin. The men died mainly due to the fact that the hatch was not designed with explosive bolts.

When Ed Harris appeared in Apollo 13 (1995), as N.A.S.A. Flight Director Gene Kranz, it gave him the unique distinction of appearing with some of the same characters from The Right Stuff (1983) but played by different actors, like Deke Slayton (played by Chris Ellis in Apollo 13 (1995)). Others are mentioned but never seen like Alan Shepard and the late Gus Grissom. Harris also provided the voice of Mission Control in the space thriller Gravitatsioon (2013).

The "Happy Bottom Riding Club", which was owned and operated by Pancho Barnes, burned down in 1952. The remnants can still be seen today at Edwards Air Force Base.

The film plays down the rivalry between pilots, especially civilian (Scott Crossfield) and Air Force (Chuck Yeager). Yeager even writes in his autobiography that he thought Crossfield was arrogant, though a great pilot.

Actor, comedian, and impressionist Kevin Pollak provided the voice of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Trudy Cooper did not actually say that she "wondered how they would've felt if every time their husband went in to make a deal, there was a one in four chance he wouldn't come out of that meeting". Writer and Director Philip Kaufman chose Mrs. Cooper to voice statements made by author Tom Wolfe. The book describes a twenty-three percent chance of a normal pilot dying during the course of a twenty-year career. The odds were higher at fifty-three percent for a test pilot.

It is generally believed that Gus Grissom was not at-fault in the real-life hatch-blowing incident on the Liberty Bell 7 capsule. Kickback from the manual activation switch caused a tell-tale bruise to form on the hand activating it, and Grissom never developed the bruise. Wally Schirra, at the end of his Mercury 8 space flight, deliberately activated his own hatch to demonstrate how the bruise formed and exonerate his comrade. The most likely explanation for Grissom's hatch blowing is that the external release lanyard came loose as it was only held in place with a single screw - a design that was changed to be more secure for subsequent flights. N.A.S.A. apparently believed in Grissom's innocence as well, as he remained in a prime rotation spot for subsequent Gemini and Apollo flights. There is also significant belief among astronauts of the time that, had he not been killed in the Apollo 1 fire, Grissom would have been the first man to walk on the moon.

During the newsreel segment when President John F. Kennedy gives Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn) a medal for his flight, in the background we can see Charles Frank as Scott Carpenter. When the angle reverses to actual archival footage of President Kennedy dropping the medal, he bends to pick it up, and the real Scott Carpenter and Gus Grissom are in the background.

According to Chuck Yeager, in his autobiography, it was not known that he broke the sound barrier until after they checked the Bell X-1 recording panel, and not when they heard the sonic boom, as shown in the movie. He still got his steak dinner for being the first to break the sound barrier though.

The music accompanying John Glenn's orbit of the Earth is actually a song written by an Inuit woman on the set of Philip Kaufman's The White Dawn (1974) that was orchestrated by Henry Mancini for that film.

The closing narration states that Gordon Cooper was "the last American ever to go into space alone". While true when the film was made, Mike Melvill in June and September 2004 and Brian Binnie in October 2004 went into space alone in Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne (Not a N.A.S.A. spaceship or spaceflight). Binnie's flight was the day Gordon Cooper died.

The film eschewed the use of visual effects done in the lab. The decision was made to use methods pioneered by the Republic Pictures special effects team of Howard Lydecker and Theodore Lydecker, and used in such Republic theatrical serials as Radar Men from the Moon (1952) and Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953). The shots of the Bell X-1 were accomplished using a model "flown" on a long wire rapidly passing by the camera utilizing a natural sky background enhanced by clouds created using special chemicals. The use of the model can be seen when the plane banks and turns as the ailerons never move.

Some were concerned that when this film was released it would help propel John Glenn, then a U.S. Senator from Ohio, into the Presidency. Newsweek Magazine had a cover story about it. Although Glenn ran for President in 1984, he lost the Democratic nomination to Walter Mondale.

The role of Annie Glenn was the first film role for Mary Jo Deschanel, the wife of Director of Photography Caleb Deschanel. Mary Jo and Caleb are the parents of Emily Deschanel and Zooey Deschanel.

Rick Springfield turned down a role in this film so that he could star in Hard to Hold (1984) instead. Springfield has stated that he greatly regrets this decision.

O-Lan Jones, the woman who tries to talk to Sam Shepard as he leaves Pancho's bar, but the bartender tells her that he's married, was actually married to Shepard at the time.

Tom Wolfe was unhappy with the film, because he felt it made too many changes to the book.

Hall of Fame lineman and Cincinnati Bengals player Anthony Muñoz has a cameo appearance in the movie as a nurse. His actual voice is dubbed over.

William Goldman was hired by Producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler to write the first draft of the screenplay. However, when Philip Kaufman came on as director, he disagreed with Goldman's adaptation, which discarded the story of Chuck Yeager, and concentrated on the Mercury 7 astronauts. Kaufman said, "I didn't want to make a film entirely about astronauts. I thought Yeager was the one who truly had 'the right stuff.'" (In his book "Adventures in the Screen Trade," Goldman calls his meeting with Kaufman "a nightmare.") Kaufman discarded Goldman's script, and wrote his own script. Goldman later said he disliked the final film, because he thought Kaufman portrayed Yeager as the only hero, while the rest of the astronauts only got lucky and didn't match up to him in any way.

Although Bill Conti's score won the Academy Award for "Best Music, Original Score" and suites based on the score were issued, no complete soundtrack album was released until 2009. That album was made from master tapes kept all that time by Conti, and unfortunately some suffered damage in the interim.

Pancho's was nicknamed "The Happy Bottom Riding Club". The real name was "Pancho's Fly Inn". Pancho had put in a dirt landing strip, with the intention that the place would serve as a motel for pilots who, on cross-country trips could fuel up, have a meal, and spend the night.

A running joke in the film is Gordon Cooper's ability to fall asleep during stressful events. During the training montage, Cooper is shown sleeping in the simulated capsule, as loud noises and flickering lights are going off all around him. At the end of the film, Cooper falls asleep in his space capsule on the launch pad. This is a nod to the fact that Cooper was the first American to sleep in orbit.

"Beeman's" is the lucky gum of pilots. It is a pepsin-flavored gum (the same flavor as candy cigarettes), and is still available for purchase online.

The aircraft carrier, used in the scene to introduce Alan Shepard, was the U.S.S. Coral Sea CV-43.

Scott Glenn was initially considered for the role of Chuck Yeager, but he expressed that he would rather play Alan Shepard, and was cast in that part instead.

The tune that Gordon Cooper was whistling while trying to masturbate, is the official anthem of the United States Air Force, simply titled: "The Air Force Song". He was attempting to drown out the man in the next stall, who was humming "The Marines' Hymn" (presumably, John Glenn, as Cooper guessed).

On Roger Ebert's list of Great Movies.

Ken Wahl, who previously starred in Writer and Director Philip Kaufman's The Wanderers (1979), was initially cast as Gordon Cooper. Dennis Quaid replaced Wahl, giving up an undisclosed role in The Outsiders (1983), which was being produced simultaneously.

Bill Conti was appointed so late in the production, he was scoring to the final cut of the film instead of a first cut with which composers are usually given to work.

First theatrical film of Kathy Baker.

The Permanent Press Corps are all played by members of Fratelli Bologna, a San Francisco theater troupe.

In the cookout scene at Edwards Air Force Base, Sam Shepard is seen playing catch with his son. Chuck Yeager's real life nephew, Steve, played Major League baseball as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While they didn't play their namesakes, two of the actors playing astronauts share the same last name with two actual astronauts. They are Scott Glenn and John Glenn and Sam Shepard and Alan Shepard.

One whimsical aspect of the film is that whenever members of the press appear in a scene, an audio track of the sound of locusts appears in the background, indicative of the "feeding frenzy" of the reporters chasing the most popular source of news stories of the day.

The production was beset by fifteen mile per hour, dust-laden winds when they were filming at Edwards Air Force Base.

Last theatrical film of Kim Stanley.

Allegedly, Bill Conti wrote about three different scores for this film, the first consisting of his own original work, the second one featuring Gustav Holst's "The Planets" as inspiration. The third score written by Conti purely copied the film's temp track. which primarily used "The Planets" piece, under the condition that if Philip Kaufman used that portion of the score, he would have to credit Gustav Holst as the real composer. In the end, Kaufman and Conti compromised, using Conti's second score as the final score. In addition to "The Planets", the music score features other classical music pieces favored by Kaufman, such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Opus35. It also features the Air Force song, "Wild Blue Yonder", heard during the "Yeager's Triumph" sequence, and music composed by Henry Mancini for Kaufman's earlier film, The White Dawn (1974). In spite of the film's heavy use of music from various sources, Conti would go on to win the Oscar for Best Original Score.

Pancho's Fly Inn was eventually subject to a forced buy-out by the Air Force as part of a plan to put in an extremely long runway. As Pancho's was within a few degrees arc of the runway it was considered to be in the way and a danger to pilots who might veer off-course. A fierce legal battle took place, with Pancho losing on the grounds of eminent domain. The 1952 fire that destroyed the place happened during the course of the legal action. Some suspected that it was lost to arson perpetuated on behalf of the commander of Edwards Air Force Base, but this was never proven.

The scene where Lyndon Johnson said, "The Russians want our pecker in their pocket" was a variation of his oft-quoted statement, "I never trust a man till I have his pecker in my pocket."

While Fred Ward is more than eleven years older than Dennis Quaid, their characters Gus Grissom and Gordon Cooper were less than a year apart in age, the two youngest of the Mercury 7.

In the documentary Moon Shot (1994), Alan Shepard explained that it was at his suggestion that he urinate in the suit before he was launched. He said at first they didn't want him to do it, because it would short out everything. Shepard then suggested that they shut everything off, and then after he was dried out, they could turn it back on, to which they agreed.

At the end of the film, Chuck Yeager bails out of an experimental Air Force plane. This was the F-104 "Starfighter", which held the altitude and speed records for a jet until the SR-71 "Blackbird", a spy plane developed by Lockheed's "Skunk Works" under the command of Kelly Johnson. The Blackbird's speed record of Mach 3+ has never been beaten.

The film's opening and closing narration ("There was a demon that lived in the air...") is provided by Levon Helm, who plays Jack Ridley, Chuck Yeager's technician. Although the film gives the impression that Ridley was only a mechanic, in real-life, Ridley was a full-fledged aeronautical engineer who made significant design contributions and corrections to many early supersonic aircraft. Yeager often called him "the brains behind the whole X-1 test program."

The unexpected box-office failure of the film was considered one of the causes of the demise of The Ladd Company, despite the massive success of Police Academy (1984).

Features Sam Shepard's only Oscar nominated performance.

David Clennon who portrays a "liaison man", also appears in the space-themed From the Earth to the Moon (1998) portraying Dr. Lee Silver, who trains astronauts.

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

American Airlines flight 1 crashed shortly after take off from Idlewild airport (now JFK) during the New York City ticker tape parade for John Glenn after his space flight.

At 50m 54s the guy behind the bar wearing a hat is Chuck Yeager himself.

In the late 1940s, Pancho's became a moderately popular tourist location for families from Los Angeles and the surrounding area. As an attraction, rodeos would be held on weekends. Another big draw was the motion-picture star Lassie, whose trainer regularly brought her there on a weekly basis for over a year to perform tricks for the kids.

An early press release announced that Ellen Barkin was cast in the film. Her part was eventually recast.

The film cast includes five Oscar nominees: Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Kim Stanley, Jeff Goldblum, and Barbara Hershey.

Sergei P. Korolev masterminded the Sputnik launch, the world's first artificial satellite. The Sputnik launch was also dramatized in Raudhiiglane (1999) and October Sky (1999).

The only Best Picture Oscar nominee that year not to be nominated in any of the writing categories.

The only Best Picture Oscar nominee that year to be also nominated for Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Cinematography.

Jeff Goldblum's recruiter character asks Harry Shearer's character, "There aren't any snakes around here are there?" That same year in The Big Chill (1983), while out walking on Harold's property, Jeff's character is asked by Kevin Kline whether he's afraid of snakes.

Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.

Scott Wilson who played Scott Crossfield who was not chosen for the astronaut program because he was a civilian pilot played military characaters in Pearl Harbor released in 2001( General George C Marshal 2001) and Navy Seal Commanding Officer Salem in G.I. Jane (1997).

Chuck Yeager: The legendary pilot appears as Fred, the elderly bartender in Pancho's bar. Yeager said this was appropriate because "if all the hours were ever totalled, I reckon I spent more time at her place than in a cockpit over those years."

User reviews

Best West

'The Right Stuff' is one of the most glorious adventure films ever made, a story of incredible heroism, poignant romance, gripping drama, and broad humor...and amazingly, it has actually happened within our lifetimes!

This is a tale of test pilots, 'pushing the envelope', proving the sound barrier couldn't constrain mankind's reach for space. Leading the way is plain-speaking Chuck Yeager (portrayed by Sam Shepard with Gary Cooper-like charm), a Beeman's gum-chewing cowboy with a passion for his feisty wife (the beautiful Barbara Hershey), and hot planes. Not even a broken rib could hold him back when an opportunity to fly the X-1 was offered. His record-breaking flight could fill a movie by itself...and this is just the BEGINNING of the story!

Jumping ahead a few years, Yeager is joined by a new breed of test pilots, whose total love of flight challenges their relationships, and is the true measure of how they define themselves. Among them are 'Gordo' Cooper (Dennis Quaid), a hot dog jet jockey with an unhappy wife (Pamela Reed, giving an exceptional performance); and Gus Grissom (Fred Ward, in his breakthrough role), coarse and direct, and anxious for his shot at the fastest jets.

The entire world changes when the Russians launch Sputnik, in 1957. As the American space program struggles to 'catch up', the government realizes that American men will have to go into space, and President Eisenhower wants 'educated' test pilots to fill this role. Yeager is out (he never completed college), but Cooper and Grissom, and many others, compete for spots in the New Frontier.

These pilots, from all services, are weeded down to seven men, dubbed 'Astronauts', and the Mercury Space Program is born! Along with Cooper and Grissom, the story focuses on Navy pilot Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), laconic and prone to ethnic humor; and Marine John Glenn (perfectly cast Ed Harris), a 'boy scout' of unimpeachable morals, who loyally supports an impaired wife (sensitively portrayed by Mary Jo Deschanel). Working under the glare of the world press, the seven gradually come to respect one another, and embark on an epic adventure, full of triumph and tragedy!

Meanwhile, Chuck Yeager, snubbed by NASA, continues to test new generations of jets, pushing the 'envelope', until, in a climactic scene, he achieves the threshold of space, himself. The flight is a near disaster, resulting in a horrendous crash, but the image of the burned but undefeated pilot, walking proudly away from the wreckage, is an unforgettable image of courage, and truly defines 'The Right Stuff'!

This is a REMARKABLE film in every way, and is director Philip Kaufman's masterpiece. Lushly scored by Tom Conti (who won an Oscar for the Tchaikovsky-inspired music), the film soars, both on earth and in space!

If you believe the Age of Heroes is past, watch 'The Right Stuff', and you might change your mind! This is a film to treasure!

Reighbyra

I have to correct "mrbsico" for not paying attention to the very things he comments on. It's not that he turned down the opportunity to apply to be an astronaut, it's that Chuck Yeager wasn't allowed to apply. When seraching for astronauts Harry Shearer's character praises Yeager as the ace of aces, but goes on to say that he "doesn't fit the profile" of the type of man Washington is looking for because he never went to college. This was a true pre-requisite which the Mercury Program had. Also, the scene at the end where Yeager crashes his NF-104 doesn't bring him down, it glorifies him. Gordo Cooper even comments that he gets on the cover of magazines, gets a free car, free lunches all across America, a free home with all the furnishings and loads of money and "I ain't even been up there yet". He's famous because he's an astronaut alone - not because of anything he's done. Kaufman cuts back and forth between the scene where Cooper is with Yeager's flight in the desert for reason. Yeager's almost alone with no media around, out in the desert attempting a record which won't put him on Life Magazine's cover. He's trying to set a record because that's what he's made of. He has The Right Stuff; which is something Cooper reazlies as we cut back to the reception and Gordo is asked by the reporters who the best pilot he ever saw was. Yeager may have crashed his plane in his last flight of the movie, but he emerges as a fearless man ever up for the challenge. And that he's not doing any of it for fame or fortune (although in real life the real Yeager cashed in with TV ads and a best-selling autobiography after both the book and the movie were released!!). That's what's rare about this movie for Hollywood to have made. Films are almost never about measuring a man's inner desires, but rather his being able to win the fight at the end. Yeager in contrast doesn't win the flight record at the film's end, but he is still the hero. This is because he dares to do what we never would. And even after his plane crashes he walks out of the gulf of fire and smoke with a severely burned face as if he will be back; you can't keep him down. This is why as the rescuer driving the ambulance as he sees Yeager's figure walking out of the fire in the distance asks, "Is that a man?", Jack Ridley replies, "You're damn right it is!". Ridley isn't merely remarking that it's a man over there, he is commenting that in our world Yeager is one of the few true "men". This film is not about the space program. That is merely a pretext to explore the type of men who have what it takes to volunteer for dangerous missions - even in times of peace. It's about men who have The Right Stuff - and of all those men whom we see in the movie it is Yeager who shines about all others.

Wrathmaster

The Right Stuff is terrific: exciting, complex, funny, crammed with memorable scenes, unforgettable lines, and wonderful actors (many of whom went on to become big stars).

A classic shot shows a test pilot on horseback coming over a ridge stopping to look at a new rocket-plane, steadying his nervous horse as it edges past the flames coming out the back. The test pilot is the twentieth century's cowboy: tough, laconic, independent, fearless.

The Right Stuff tells two parallel stories: the (often fatal) exploits of the early test pilots and Mercury astronauts, with intersecting storylines. The movie never takes itself too seriously. Witness general crawling on the floor to plug in the projector, the sounds of the locusts when the press surrounds the astronauts (Yeager called them locusts initially), the Halleluiah Chorus during the press conference, the enema scene, Sheppard needing to take a leak in the suit, Johnson trying to deal with a housewife. Yet underneath all the fun that is poked at the astronauts we see respect for real men doing a scary, important job.

This film has all the excitement of Top Gun, but is longer, better, just as high-tech exciting, and much funnier. (A washroom scene rivals Meg Ryan's famous restaurant scene...the audience laughed so hard we all missed Cooper's next line!).

And some wonderful lines: Cooper's response to "Who's the best pilot you ever saw?", "O.K. You can be Gus", "The Military owes me", "Read'em and weep", "Hey Ridley, you got any Beemans?", "I go to church too.", "Everything is A-OK", "Our Germans are better than their Germans", "What are you two pudknockers going to have?", and, said with regret and frustration "test pilots!"

To those who have seen it, here's a challenge that will enable you to appreciate the excellent writing, the workmanship and planning that went into the script. View the movie again and see how many times the screenwriter and director took the trouble to set up a later event or comment with an earlier reference. Here are three examples: Cooper dropping a tiny toy space capsule into Grissum's drink (foreshadowing), Copper reading Life magazine before the publisher enters the movie (to make sure we viewers know that Life magazine exits), Yeager bumping his elbow on a limb of a cactus tree as he walks into Pancho's at the beginning of the movie (I never noticed this the first few times I watched the movie, but surely this tiny action was deliberate.) I count a dozen more examples. Send me ones you find.

If you haven't seen The Right Stuff, I strongly recommend you rent the DVD. -RS

Whitesmasher

Following the breaking of the sound barrier by pilot Chuck Yeager, the next barrier was space. With the Russians and America in a race to see who can get there first and be highest, quickest and longest in space, a group of pilots are selected to become the first men in space for America.

I have had this film for many years and have only seen it twice now I always get put off by having to find three + hours free to watch it! However I am a fool as whenever I do watch it the time flies by easily. Such is the appeal of the film that everything works and only the odd scene at the end drags a little. The story skips through the space programme focusing as much on the flights as it does on the men and their families. It also manages to be very light hearted and good humoured, which succeeds in making it easy and fun to watch. The history being told may not be well known by all (I'm too young to remember and am also in the UK), but it is well told and becomes more a story of the men whose courage made it happen rather than a history lesson.

Given that so much hinges on the men being interesting and likeable characters it was important to have a good cast, and the ensemble assembled here really put in good work to bring the names to life (although how close to their real personalities they are I cannot say). Taking one as an example, Fred Ward manages to be funny but also has to convey the more difficult side as he is forced to live with blame for the outcome of his mission. Shepard represents the `unsung' pilots left behind in the sky who put the space programme in motion in the first place, and he does it well with a real sense that he has a lot of men behind him. Glenn, Harris, Quaid Henriksen, Frank and Paulin all do sterling work to varying degrees. However even minor roles are played by faces who do well Hershey is good and carries the role of `the women behind the men' really well. Moffat is funny as Lyndon Johnson and Goldblum and Shearer are hilarious with their running jokes.

The film is very flag waving but the good humour stopped that aspect of it sticking in my throat. It is a very enjoyable and accomplished film. Not only does it manage to inform and entertain but it also paints a very good picture of the men who started and ran the space programme and the effect the risks had on them and their families. All this and it still makes me laugh out loud! Three hours simply flies by.

Zicelik

It was wonderful to see again this 1983 gem. Just as I remembered plus those unexpected surprises that time puts in evidence. Kim Stanley for instance. A few minutes on the screen, a peripheral character but I took her with me and here I am, thinking about her. The "starry" role jet pilots played and that new breed: "tha astronauts" getting the all American treatment, becoming overnight celebrities. Ed Harris is extraordinary as John Glenn. He becomes a sort of leader with some TV experience and we never ask why. Ed Harris's performance explains it all without ever actually saying it. Dennis Quaid is irresistible as "Gordo" Cooper. You believe every one of his thoughts, specially the ones he never reveals. In spite of the film's length, I wished the film would not end. I haven't had that wish very often. "The Right Stuff" is the real thing.

zzzachibis

Outstanding film from 1983 that was honored with four Academy Awards and is often called the second-best film of the 1980s behind only Scorsese's "Raging Bull". The movie is a 190-plus minute extravaganza which honors the U.S. Mercury 7 Astronauts. The all-star cast includes Sam Shepard (as Chuck Yeager in an Oscar-nominated role of a lifetime), Ed Harris (John Glenn), Scott Glenn (Alan Shepard), Fred Ward (Gus Grissom), Lance Henriksen (Walter Schirra), Dennis Quaid (Gordon Cooper), and Donald Moffat (Lyndon Baines Johnson). The film is solid in so many respects. It is meticulous and tries to go for drama and humor and succeeds in everything it wants to do. Veronica Cartwright, Barbara Hershey, Pamela Reed, Kathy Baker, and Mary Jo Deschanel are also along for the ride as several of the wives who attempt to keep their heads about them while they fear that their husbands are losing theirs. "The Right Stuff" is a historical lesson told in a way that is so clever and convincing that few will find fault with anything when it comes to the story-telling. Writer-director Philip Kaufman easily does the best work of his career with this masterpiece. Look for Cincinnati Bengal Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz in a cameo appearance. Arguably the best film of the 1980s and should have been the Best Picture Oscar winner over "Terms of Endearment" in 1983. 5 stars out of 5.

Giamah

An interesting insight into the United States' space program, beginning with the exploits of fighter pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shephard) and concluding with the dramatic flights of the first astronauts.

Those astronauts - the Mercury 7 pilots - are a varied group of aviators and they are all pretty interesting guys. John Glenn (Ed Harris) gets favorable treatment in here among the group. Gordon Cooper might be the wildest with the cocky and humorous Dennis Quaid playing him. Overall, it's a good cast including not just the fliers but their wives. I also enjoyed Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard and Barbara Hershey as Yeager's wife.

Yeager's feats were perhaps the most interesting and they set a fast tone to this 3-hour film as we witness him breaking several sound-barrier records prior to the formation of the astronaut team. Then we are treated to a long-but-interesting segment of how those first astronauts were trained.

The only unnecessary and ludicrous parts of this film were the ones on Lyndon Johnson, where they made him into a total fool. It was as if the screen writers had a personal vendetta against him, to make him look almost like a cartoon figure. And the bit with the Australian Aborigines smacks too much of Hollywood's love affair with tribal religions. I sincerely doubt some sparks from a fire on earth could be seen miles and miles above in space.

At any rate, this was an informative look at a period in our history than came-and-went way too fast. Sad to say, most people know very little about those first astronauts, who were true heroes. At least this film gives them their due, as well as to Yeager, who deserved this tribute, too

felt boot

An incredibly under-rated director, Philip Kaufman adapted Tom Wolfe's best-selling tale of the Mercury astronauts in 1983 and, since that time, he has been unable to top himself (he came very very close with Unbearable... and Quills, but The Right Stuff is very much out of their league).

Why? The Right Stuff is a perfect blend of intelligence and wit and action. At just three hours long, it occasionally feels too short. The audience comes to know the characters through terrific performances by Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, and Fred Willard and Kaufman's deft pen (which, no doubt, Wolfe's novel helped guide). We are sad when the story ends; we want more. It's rare that a movie creates such an inviting and intriguing world that, after three hours, we still do not want to leave.

This movie is absolutely one of a kind. Its critical patriotism shows that films can show their love of country without wandering into nationalistic or jingoistic propaganda. It is very rare that a film this indebted to America and American history can be so ambivalent.

That, in my mind, is a positive rather than a negative. The filmmaker and actors understand that the Space Race was not a simple process; they understand that heroes have a dark side.

They all refuse to let the heroism cover the unsavory aspects of a person's life and, simultaneously, they do not let those aspects darken their contribution to mankind.

The Right Stuff is really an amazing filmic experience. It's an expert adaptation, an expert recreation of the early US Space Program, and an expert entertainment. Apollo 13 wanted so very much to be the Right Stuff. It's not; nothing will ever beat the Right Stuff.

caster

I always loved anything connected to science fact and science fiction and this movie is no exception.

I already owned the Laserdisc version of it, but the DVD is even better.

I love this movie, but I must consider the interest of the public and I honestly cannot say that this is one for the vast public.

The theme alone is a difficult one and deals with the history of the Space Age, as it began from an American perspective, and by telling the story of the astronauts involved in the Mercury project.

Being very long, it might not fit the modern view of a quick-fix movie. This one has to be watched as if your were watching "JFK" or "Gettysburg", therefore with the outmost attention.

It has spectacular recreations of the actual launches, combined with more private moments, involving the astronauts, their loved ones and those who trained them.

This is not Science Fiction and it is not an Adventure movie, this is truly a history lesson about how the Space Race got started, how, with whom and why.

It is a very thoroughly researched movie, although it is not to be confused with a documentary. It is an intelligent movie, with good dialogues, good character recreations, with humor and moments of sadness and tragedy. The heroism of the first astronauts is not represented by their fabulous deeds, but rather by the sacrifices they had to make, in order to be successful.

If you can bare to sit in front of your TV for 3 hours and 15 minutes without unnecessary interruptions, then this documentation may make it clear why men and women risk so much in going "where no one has gone before".

But, as I stated before, this is not an easy going movie and is reserved for all those who want to enjoy a good movie in peace.

I would recommend its showing in every school of the United States, and why not, also throughout the world. Many children would then really appreciate what the conquest of space is all about.

Peles

The Right Stuff takes place during the Cold War when America was trying its hardest in technological advancements to beat the Russians. The movie first starts out with Chuck Yeager(Sam Shepard) attempting to break the sound barrier. The movie continues with other story lines as professional pilots desperately try to get into the NASA space program, become the first Americans into space, and try to break some kind of record that will beat what the Russians had. The other real life people that this movie follows are Alan Shepard(Scott Glenn), Gordon Cooper(Dennis Quaid), John Glenn(Ed Harris), Gus Grissom(Fred Ward), and of course, their families.

The running time is very long at 3 hours plus, but it goes by very quickly. The first couple of hours go by as if they were 25 minutes, and the last hour is thrilling, as well as inspiring. There are several plot elements that really make this movie phenomenal. There is plenty of excitement as you see what the skilled pilots try to accomplish, there is plenty of humor, the cast is nearly perfect, and the score adds plenty of effect to the film. The result is a phenomenal, nearly perfect film, being one of the best films of the 1980's.

The plot is very interesting, as you see the lives of the pilots, the status of the American Government desperately trying to overcome the Russians with advanced technology, and the difficulties in trying to accomplish these difficulties. This is well worth your time, and it is a great movie.

Zargelynd

`The Right Stuff' is the story of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and their journey through the fledgling NASA program and eventually into space. It is well-written and well-acted, featuring a veritable `Who's Who' of then slightly unknown actors such as Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn and Lance Henriksen. While it had an over three hour running time, and I actually had to get up to turn over the DVD because of its length, the pacing was such that I never once considered that any particular scene should have been shortened. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the film was the introduction of Chuck Yeager (Shepard) and his contribution to history by breaking the sound barrier, and then the periodic simultaneous comparison of the accomplishments of the astronauts and the Air Force and civilian test pilots, as well as exhibiting their eventual mutual respect.

If I had to point out any kind of glaring fault, it would have to be that they focused on some astronauts more than others obviously concentrating heavily on the bigger names, and glossing over the `lesser-known' ones. An example would be Walter Schirra (Henriksen) his name is mentioned a couple of times, and he probably had a tenth of the screen time of the others. Plainly, with an already three hour running time not everyone could have equal time, so this is certainly a mild criticism. `The Right Stuff' isn't profound or exceptional, but it is certainly a good and interesting film.

--Shelly

Cointrius

This is, in many ways, a very strange movie. One the one hand it deals with a very serious topic, which it seems to take very seriously. It has the overall look and feel of a drama (or even a melodrama). And yet, there are so many goofy moments in the movie that one wonders whether they were meant to be funny or not.

There was the odd, stilted dialogue, especially among the fliers and their families, as they discuss (or as the case my be, don't discuss) what it means to have the "right stuff" of the title. There are the customarily nerdy performances of Jeff Goldblum and Harry Shearer in small roles as NASA recruiters. There is the truly over-the-top performance of Donald Moffat as Vice President Lyndon Johnson (who was a pretty over-the-top character in real life, now that I think of it). There are the German rocket scientists, the gaunt black-clad Angel-of-Death-type minister (Royal Dano) who turns up whenever a flyer gets killed, and the throng of reporters who chase after the astronauts and their families, literally barking like a pack of dogs as they pry into the most intimate parts of their lives for the sake of another human interest story.

Even so, this movie was very entertaining. The story itself is fascinating, and the cast was great. Standouts include Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, Veronica Cartwright, Pamela Reed, Kathy Baker, Barabara Hershey, Mary Jo Deschanel, Lance Henriksen, Levon Helm, and General Chuck Yeager himself in a cameo! It perhaps worth mentioning that most of these actors were relative unknowns when this movie came out in 1983.

All in all, this is a fun movie.

Vudogal

Take a series of events that by themselves stir the imagination and the soul, romanticize and embellish them in a novel by a pop-culture author, then take that novel and give it the Hollywood treatment, and you end up with something that's long on legend, short on truth, but who cares? It features historic people and airplanes, excellent cinematography, a gang of stellar actors and even acceptable model and special effects work.

Unlike Tom Wolf's novel, the movie ignores the Navy's Pax River and gives all the glory to Edwards AFB and the Zoomies. The CAF's "FIFI," the last flying B-29, has a major role as the X-1's "mothership," as well as a privately-owned F-104 Starfighter out of Mojave as the plane that almost killed Chuck Yeager. The real General Yeager has a bit role as a crusty old prospector doing bartender duty at the watering hole the Edwards pilots hang out in. The scene where Harry Shearer and Jeff Goldblum, playing two NASA flunkies, are bad-mouthing Yeager because he has no college degree, all while the real Yeager, playing the bartender, is standing in back of them listening in, is precious.

While the plot and action centers on Yeager and the original seven Mercury astronauts, two actresses are worth watching: Veronica Cartwright does her usual great job as Betty Grissom ("I want to have lunch with Jackie!!") and the ever-versatile and talented Pamela Reed as Gordon Cooper's long-suffering wife, Trudy, who has some of the best lines in the movie (referring to the macho Edwards test pilots, "But they sure are handy assholes.").

A bit of tragic trivia: Jane Dornacker, the talented actress, comedienne and musician who "uglied up" to play Nurse Murch in the hilarious "sperm count scene", later a traffic reporter in New York City for WNBC radio, was killed when her helicopter lost its tail rotor, narrowly missed a pier and crashed into the Hudson River. At the time of the crash she was live on the air, and her screams "Hit the water! Hit the water" were heard by literally thousands of stunned New York commuters.

Erienan

This picture was selected as Best Picture of its year by 2 of the best movie reviewers in recent memory, Siskel & Ebert. They both chose this film because "it showed how things get done in America."

This is one of my favorite films. If you remember the space race (and not fantasize you do like some other reviewers on this page) and the Mercury astronauts were your heroes too, then watching this movie is like going home again.

As for the younger crowd? Watching this true story will be a lot of fun, and there are a lot of laughs. But more importantly, it will give you a look into a time when your country actually tried to do important things: not b/c they were easy, as President Kennedy said, but b/c they were hard. A concept so sadly lacking these days.

Watch everyone, and enjoy. It's quite a ride, and it all really happened.

Redfury

This story broadly painted deals with the beginnings of the US space career and the first seven Mercury astronauts , being based on Tom Wolf's nonfiction novel . The space began when Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard who played legendary pilot , is actually afraid of flying) broke the sound barrier and scorching Mach 2 and following to other aviation pioneers , the Mercury mission with 7 astronauts , the suicide squadron who volunteer for astronaut training is formed by a motley cast (Fred Ward , Dennis Quaid , Lance Henriksen , Ed Harris , Scott Glenn and Scott Paulin) , showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select volunteers to be in it. It was after the Soviets successfully launched the Sputnik satellite in 1959, that the U.S. redoubled its efforts to surpass at their trail of glory in the sky .

Electrifying film with credible interpretations but overlong and oddly uninvolving , based on Tom Wolfe's ambitious book about the history of the U.S. Space program , it reads like a novel . However , Tom Wolfe, was unhappy with the film because he felt it made too many changes to the book. William Goldman, the original screenwriter before he left the project also disliked it because he didn't like the way Philip Kaufman portrayed Chuck Yeager as the only hero in the film, while the rest of the astronauts only got lucky and didn't match up to him in any way. The film has that same fictional quality ; furthermore is thrilling , imaginative , rowdy and overlong -at more than three hours , including unnecessary material - all at once . The picture attempts hardly to tell the tale of human beings as well as the space conquest . The movie tries to narrate parallel stories , though it never quite successfully integrate them . It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager -Sam Shepard- as a test pilot of the old breed , giving a nice and charming performance . It provides an all-star-cast who bolster a fine movie with special mention to Ed Harris playing John Glen who subsequently was running for President . The main cast is perfectly completed by known secondaries as Barbara Hershey , Pamela Reed , Veronica Cartwright , Kathy Baker , David Clennon , Scott Wilson , Jeff Goldblum , Royal Dano , Donald Moffat among others . Special effects work and production design by Geoffrey Kirkland is spectacular and could hardly be bettered ; however , some moments relies heavily from stock-shots . Colorful and atmospheric cinematography by Caleb Deschanel , the role of Annie Glenn was the first film role for his wife , Mary Jo Deschanel . Imaginative and evocative musical score composed and conducted by Bill Conti . The film's music temp track consisted of music from Holst's The Planets, Henry Mancini's score for The White Dawn and various other classical pieces which were favorites of Director 'Philip Kaufman'.

¨Right stuff¨ results to be Philip Kaufman's one of the most successful films . He's a good filmmaker and little prolific who left some great moments in histories that not be forgotten , giving enough inspired images to make linger in the memory such as happens in ¨Right stuff¨ . Kaufman realized a Western ¨Great Northfield Minnessota Raid¨, a youthful tale as ¨The Wanderers¨, Sci-Fi ¨ as ¨Invasion body snatchers¨and two sexual stories ¨Unbearable lightness of being¨ and ¨Henry and June¨.

Oreavi

This film, which pops up so often these days on cable, is pretty good, but the book is my favorite book of all time, so the film, in my opinion, could not match up. If you haven't read the book, it's almost impossible to explain how Tom Wolfe's writing style could not really be translated into film adequately (e.g. Bonfire of the Vanities). Wolfe's chapter introducing Yeager is a work of art unto itself and it simply can't be translated properly into any other medium. The movie does some things with Yeager that are puzzling -- but since Yeager himself was STANDING RIGHT THERE, it's hard to complain too much about that. Yeager's punching out and nearly being fried on his way down get the simplistic cinematic treatment -- read Wolfe's description for brilliant writing about this event. Also, Wolfe touches upon a lot of the other test pilots who were involved in the early years of the space program, many of whom -- Pete Conrad in particular -- didn't make the Mercury 7, but went on to be successful Gemini and Apollo astronauts. Even the ending of the film, describing Gordon Cooper's flight, is given short-shrift -- Wolfe describes how he had a hairy re-entry, but nailed in perfectly and therefore perfectly completed the circle with Yeager and the brotherhood of airline pilots who now talk like Yeager and Cooper when things "stack up a little." The film makes it look as if Cooper flew off into space and had a great flight and that was that. His return was at least as tricky as Glenn's.

Vichredag

Throughout the movie were clever references to the ultimate goal of America's space program: The moon. It's seen repeatedly in newsreel shots of the X-1, again with the song "Faraway Places" in the soundtrack, and ultimately with the wry reference via the stripper doing her fan dance to Debussy's "Clair de Lune." Philip Kaufman, God bless you.

Fenrinos

I really liked this movie sixteen years ago. I was an ideal audience, partly because I built models of fighters and carriers, flew model rockets, and was eager to see lots of military hardware. But the real reason is that I was 14 years old.

This movie comprehends life at about the level of a 14-year-old. Watching it again as an adult was painful. After every visual cliche, after every scene of buffoonery (almost innumerable) I told myself it would get better, that the scenes of space flight were coming. But there was nothing but more weak dialog, trite phrases and ... even the shot framing was corny.

And that dreadful score. Bill Conti really reached a new level of inappropriateness (beyond his previous best misunderstanding of theme, style and sentiment with "For Your Eyes Only"). Here we have a movie about individualists, talented, flashy egotists. Maybe an appropriate musical representation would be an exciting solo instrument against orchestra, in other words a concerto. For no conceivable reason, however, Conti takes the theme of a very famous concerto ... and plays it with full orchestra only, minus the fireworks of the violin part. So there is no symbolism of the one against the many, just a vaguely joyous melody. And then just to make sure we know it's really Bill Conti's score, and not Pete Tchaikovsky, he changes two notes.

Conti has done some straightforwardly uplifting music (especially towards the beginning of his career), but this is simply cheap "proud and happy" music. And why "Mars, Bringer of War" by Holst in yet another film? "Finlandia" is just as universally known to musicians, and would have made more sense as "music of overcoming" (gravity, technical troubles).

The obnoxious "Foreign Man" character in the meetings was supposed to be Werner von Braun, ex-Nazi rocket-team leader. The man was a genius, and he was cunning, imaginative and by most accounts impressive. If, for lack of time, he could not be shown rounded, he could at least have been characterized as formidable, secretive, dangerous. That's just as simple.

LBJ was loquacious and persuasive, not a yeller or a whiner and not such a carnival barker in public. I dislike the man and his decisions, but why make him into a plain old jackass when he was an effective and charismatic user of people?

Surely Harris and Shepard knew this was a bad script. They make the absolute best out of the meager diet they were fed. And under such obvious direction: "Smile when the light goes across", "Look up after a second", "React with surprise" and so on, making the actors seem like puppets sometimes.

I suppose Jeff Goldblum had to take what he could get in those days, but it's still disappointing to have to sit through his gags (literally).

The wives seem to be thrown in to get females into the theater. The point their characters make didn't even need them on the screen to be made. The men could have confessed, maybe in a bar scene, to the marital woe and guilt that plagued them as a result of their chosen career. And shaved off a good half-an-hour in the process. The wives contributed almost nothing else to the story. Drag without lift.

It won for Best Editing. Could have been Most Editing. When objects fly in the movie, they are seen this way: here it comes (from the left), there it goes (to the left), here it comes (from below), there it goes (off the bottom), now it wobbles (to show how fast it's going), the dials on the instrument panel turn, then out the front window, now where did it go?, now it's coming right at you, and last just the vapor trail seen from the ground. This sequence occurs almost edit-for-edit whenever something goes more than 55mph, and it's dull.

Before I saw it again on DVD, I would have given it an 8 from my fond memories. I have to give it a 4, alongside such cinematic triumphs as "Dirty Dancing" and "Creepshow 2".

By the way, the NASA logo shown throughout was not used until the mid-60's. Am I wrong to be so bothered by that? When the movie is about NASA, I don't think so.

And as for the record: Never before have I sweated with embarrassment all the way through a movie.

Ieregr

The Right Stuff is a terrific story about America entering the space age. Based on true events from Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier to the 7 Mercury astronauts, the film assembled an excellent cast including Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright, etc., to pay tribute to those who paved the way for America to be at the "top of the pyramid".

It is a long movie, but never a dull moment. Though quite a bit of artistic licensing is carried out(so I am told), the movie showed events that were very true, such as Yeager breaking his ribs before his supersonic flight, and his friend fixing him a door handle by cutting off a section of a broom stick handle; the rigorous training the astronauts go through; Russians taking the lead going into space, Allan Shepard's "prayer" before liftoff; Pancho's restaurant burning down; John Glenn's risky re-entry, etc.

The movie doesn't just portray space flight. It portrays the lives of these astronauts, the tremendous risk they've taken, how they and their spouses cope with their profession, how the public perceives them, and of course the administrators, the politicians and the scientists. Characters in this movie are not impeccable people. They each have their own set of problems. Yet the imperfection, true to life or not, gives these heroes a human touch that is believable, which also makes a stronger statement that they are larger than life. Today people hardly think about what they went through to get us this far.

There is beautiful cinematography in this movie, with historical footage that blends in seamlessly. And the music score truly inspires at moments, such as when John Glenn's Friendship 7 blasts into space, and when Yeager takes the NF-104 "Starfighter" up for a spin. There is also light-hearted humor that provides some very entertaining moments, and a slight satire of the space race that is sure to offend a number of people.

I strongly disagree with some reviewers' assertion that the movie portrays "Gus" Grissom as a coward. In real life, Grissom went through much scrutiny he did not deserve, because of the blown hatch and the lost capsule. Watch it carefully and pay attention to the dialogue. The movie is extremely sympathetic towards Grissom, through his dialogue with his wife in which he could not understand why no one believed him; through the words of Yeager "...old Gus did all right..."; through Cooper's re-affirming touch on Grissom's shoulder while talking to reporters; and through the closing monologue that mentioned Grissom's death in the Apollo 1 fire.

In conclusion, this movie is an ode to those heroes that truly had the right stuff. It is both entertaining and inspiring. My advice to some viewers is - don't get too hung up on the satire, or historical inaccuracies.

By the way, look for the real Chuck Yeager in the bar scenes.

Gogal

This is one of my favorite movies. It starts with test pilot Chuck Yeager(Sam Shepard)and some of his accomplishments; and then right on through the trials and tribulations of picking the original seven Mercury astronauts and the final Mercury mission.

Great NASA footage integrated into this meaty Philip Kaufman epic. A better than average ensemble cast. The best performances coming from Ed Harris as John Glenn; Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard; Dennis Quaid as 'Gordo' Cooper and Fred Ward as 'Gus' Grissom. Barbara Hershey was eye catching as Glennis Yeager and Donald Moffat was down right funny as the egotistical Vice President Lyndon Johnson.

How truthful the characters are portrayed may be of question. But the sometimes odd personalities brings humor to what could be a very long and boring systematic movie. THE RIGHT STUFF is interesting, patriotic and empowering. Classified: Do Not Miss!

I'm a Russian Occupant

Purports to be the story of the original 7 Mercury astronauts and events leading up to that program. Unfortunately all these highly skilled, and intelligent, if overly confident and rough hewn people with the "right stuff" are portrayed as nothing but coagulated silly quirks and anecdotes. It didn't have to be a documentary, but it's about 90% fluff to 10% history. If you want to watch people with this much of the "wrong stuff", the flight scenes in "Top Gun" are more exciting.

The Pilots are all puffy inflatable stereotypes with no evidence of skill or brains beyond our being told it's true. The wives' story is a sappy soap opera of the most simplistic order. Interesting folks like Pancho Barnes are invisible. All government and NASA employees are bumbling idiots. It all just plain feels dumb and phony. Stuff as enormously complex and technical as faster than sound flight, and space travel could have provided a hefty dose of much needed interest for the non-brain-dead, but there's NO SCIENCE OR HISTORY ALLOWED HERE!

Great cast. Some good scenes and performances. Dashes of amusing dialog.

No explanations. Barely a skin-deep look into the characters. History dumbed down to anecdotes. If the people involved in the reality were as 2 dimensional and brainless as portrayed, we'd still be trying to break the sound barrier today. It just felt like an overlong comment about the space race being a publicity stunt with massive egoed pilots acting as public front men.

A lot of reviews I've read refer a lot to the book, which I haven't read, and my 2 decade-apart viewings of this film don't incline me to read. My own research into some of the people and events portrayed made it highly evident that very little historical accuracy comes into this production. This entire 3 hour monstrosity equates to perhaps 20 minutes of the vastly superior "Apollo 13".

Disappointing when I was young. Even more disappointing viewing it now.

Rainpick

The Right Stuff is a bold and ambitious movie, based upon Tom Wolfe's novel of the same name. It's storyline depicts a very important part of history, namely, the cold war between the U.S. and Russia. We were competing with Russia for decades over which country could hold the title of biggest superpower. The Americans versus the Commies. The threat of nuclear war between the two countries was always tangible.

The Right Stuff is a most entertaining and informative history lesson. A chronicle of the Mercury 7 program which propelled the first Americans into space. Pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) basically started it all as the man who first risked his life towards this journey by breaking the sound barrier with his "Glamorous Glennis" X-1. Russia upped the ante with Sputnik soon after.

The early Yeager flight sequence where he surpasses the speed of sound is nothing short of breathtaking. Caleb Deshanel's cinematography and sfx accompanying this and other airborne dramatizations depicted here are unparalleled to anything I've seen in a movie before or since. They will have you on the edge of your seat.

The first act of The Right Stuff is mostly Yeager's story. But in addition to learning about this American legend, this portion of the film allows the viewer to get into the psyche of the test pilot. Each time you go on up in a hurtling piece of machinery to try topping the record you set previously could be your last. Risky and Dangerous, but for these guys it's a way of life, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Yeager's groundbreaking flights set the blueprint for America's journey into space. From here we see test pilots from all over competing with each other to become the first in history to go where no man has gone before. These scenes are insightful, funny, and allow the viewer to be introduced to the personalities behind the men who would make up the Mercury 7 program.

From here, the viewer gets exposed to the behind-the-scenes politics during this pivotal point in history, showing the relationships these men have with their concerned wives as well as satirizing the prying, sometimes inconsiderate news media once the astronauts are introduced to the press. The human element and satire depicted in these scenes are still truthful and relevant by today's standards.

These pilots are competitive and naturally find differences with one another. But they eventually learn to look past their egos, realizing they're all in this together. They eventually come to terms with the fact they are now America's spokespersons, and learn to respect and admire one another along their journey.

The cast is outstanding. Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, and Fred Ward all give top-notch performances as Alan Shepherd, Gordo Cooper, John Glenn, and Gus Grissom. Acclaimed musician turned actor Levon Helm delivers one of the best lines in Movie History. Tom Conti's winning and inspirational score ties this historical epic together, which deservedly won an Academy Award for best original score.

The running time is slightly over 3 hours, but is never boring and seems most appropriate in retrospect to tell this epic story.

The fact that Terms of Endearment won best picture over The Right Stuff at the 1983 Oscars is a travesty. The Right Stuff is a timeless classic which will always retain it's power and glory, and serves as a historical time capsule to teach future generations of moviegoers what heroism and bravery are all about.

Mot

I'm not sure why I put off, or just didn't get around, to seeing the Right Stuff. I could take my pick, but really I was never made to sit down by my parents or in school or other to watch it, and... screw the excuses, I wasn't sure about a 193 minute movie about astronauts as a kid. But now having seen it it's quite clear I was missing something fairly excellent in the cannon of the "Bio-pic". It's one of those true compelling 20th century stories, and the filmmaker Philip Kaufman cares about all of these real guys so much that it moves right over into the cinematic treatment of the characters. And more impressively considering its ensemble there's almost a key character to the mix with Chuck Yeagher, the first man to break the sound barrier who never got into NASA with all the other go-for-broke test pilots, but did taste that rush up to the sky just once - and what a rush.

This is film-making of a superlative caliber. It is such a story that is told extraordinarily because of how it takes itself seriously as a historical document, but never so much so as to get in a great joke - the kind of natural joking that people do, such as the few quips done by Yeagher in the cockpit to whoever was listening after breaking the sound barrier, which actually happened - or some sliver of satire to the mix. It pleases both as an emotional experience, one of those rousing and inspiring tales, and also at times intellectual. We see the lives of these guys, of Yeagher, Shepard, Glenn, Cooper, Grissom, and their wives too. The Right Stuff is a very human story, told with an approximate awe for the subject matter and an attitude that says "we can be epic, but we can also point out the flaws that come around in human nature."

There were so many obstacles that could have come, and sometimes did, for the folks at NASA, the scientists as well as the handful that were picked to do missions up into space in direct competition with America's foe the Russians, that all the astronauts could sometimes do would be to joke or give a hard-lined measure. We see some expected things like a big press conference, but we also see things that ring so true that they feel so real as minor events, like when the scientists are showing the astronauts the pod without a window or proper escape hatch and they all band together to put pressure on them to do it right or else the press will hear all hell (the wording in this scene is very good). The veneer of pure heroism is shown for what it is, as something of not always a tricky thing; the film was criticized by some of the original astronauts for the depiction of Gus Grissom (if only because Grissom had passed on in tragedy and couldn't do it himself), but his story of going into space, and the aftermath with his wife, is important to show for the story the film's trying to tell.

That's one of the remarkable things in the Right Stuff, which is giving as much equal time and depth as possible to these guys, and their wives at other times. We see Dennis Quaid's cocky pilot saying he's the best their is, and then another where he suddenly becomes like 12 years old in front of the female doctor as she speaks/laughs with his wife behind doors. We see Ed Harris' John Glenn as the supposed spokesperson of the group, the "Dudley Do-Right" as it were, but then the slightest bit of uncertainty - not to mention a really well told drama with his wife, who was a stutterer, and stood up against being pressured by Vice President Johnson.

Little details all add up in the film, and even the ones that don't entirely work (i.e. the cut-aways to the aborigines during Glenn's flight up in space) still carry some worth as far as being filmed wonderfully or with a strange quality that makes it fun to watch - any other director might take out the crucial detail of Alan Shepard urinating in his suit before the very first successful launch of a US man into space, but it's left in, and stronger for it. And as far as just details with the characters go, all you need to see is the kind of simple but very strong representation of death in the man in the black suit and hat who has to pay call to those who've lost their husbands or fathers up in the sky.

And, thankfully for such a long running time, we're given several moments in terms of the power of cinematic technique, of showing us the subjective perspective of what those who orbit the Earth see and the views outside the windows at so many countless miles up in the atmosphere. Basically any scene with Chuck Yeagher is one of these, especially early on but then also towards the end with his absolutely stunning bittersweet moment of going up to the sky and, well, nearly dying in a last-minute jump from the plane into flames. Kaufman takes the audience into these moments, and even just quiet or interesting ones with the actors, and imbues it all with just enough importance to level off the occasional goofiness he allows his character or in the choice of edits (watch as the chimps, being spin around in that big circular thing are cut with Glenn spinning around). That it's also one of those outstanding ensembles helps a great deal too.

It's exciting and refreshingly bittersweet Hollywood cinema, and at the least of the must-see pictures of 1983.

Flash_back

Many are quick to announce a particular film as important but are reluctant to consider why they stand by such a film. For me, even though there are other films that people would adamantly admit are much better I can not think of a better one in the past 25 years than THE RIGHT STUFF. Now, let me give you three reasons why (much of what I will say has already been said by Roger Ebert but I cannot word it any better).

1.) Very few movies do a better job referring to the topic of heroism and courage (two important American topics). In the beginning of the movie we see a cowboy riding through the desert as he stumbles across the X-1 plane(the first plane to break the sound barrier). By the end of the movie the seven Mercury astronauts are cheered for what they have done. Those two images say everything about the movie because they show that what we perceive as heroism has changed. The original American heroes (cowboys) were loners. The heroes of today are team players who act as public-relations people where the one or two spokesmen are the ones credited for their efforts. The fact that this movie does a great job demonstrating that our ideals have changed (no necessarily for the better or worse) is testament to how such a great American film this is.

2.) The movie manages to do a lot without going off track. It manages to be a comedy, an action-adventure film, a social and political commentary, a docu-drama, and a satire. The fact that this movie is able to do so much while, at the same time, pull it off is an incredible feat.

3.) The movie also showcases a lot of talent; Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey, Pamela Reed, J.P. Ryan, Kim Stanley, Veronica Cartwright all give some of their best performances to date. Even some of the best films of all time have two or three standout performances. THE RIGHT STUFF has several times that number.

I think that by my three reasons I have justified why THE RIGHT STUFF is the best American film of the past 25 years.

Quemal

Here was a director and a writer who knew that they had a real story that needed a minimum amount of added-on work to make a fine movie. The time passing early on being marked by the fighter-jets evolution was very subtle. The haunting looks back at Edwards Air Force Base and Chuck Yeager's career seemed to ground the movie and remind you where all these heroes came from... and that there were MORE heroes waiting. Sam Shepard's portrayal of Mr. Yeager was particularly good, and I enjoy watching this film... every October 14th.

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