The Right Stuff

Rating:
Summary: Truly is THE RIGHT STUFF!!
Review: What can i say!Seeing yeagar doing the sound barrier thingy is truly awsome.And the mercury project is so cool! This makes the best prequal to Apolo 13. See this movie first if u havent seen apollo 13 yet!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: Truly one of the best films of the early eighties! This film makes a good prequal to the highly rated Apollo 13. If u have'nt seen apollo 13 see this film fist!! Oh yeah DVD is the only to see this film! The best scenes are of yeagars BELL-X1 test flights & Alan Shepards first solo flight!

Rating:
Summary: Not history...it's superb sylistic storytelling.
Review: See The Right Stuff for what it is. The reviewer here who described the epic story as a fable hit the bullseye. The movie isn't "accurate" history, but it captures the feeling of both the times and the adventure in a most compelling way. The characters are caricatures, wonderfully done. This is one of a handful of movies that I can enjoy on each repeat visit.

Rating:
Summary: The birth of America's Space Program
Review: Extremely well made movie on the birth of America's Space program with a good cast of actors playing the roles.The story of Chuck Yeager is also given a new human insight in this film, and shows that while he never went into space, he also had the "Right Stuff".

Rating:
Summary: An Epic Look At The Beginning Of The Space Program
Review: This film should have been a hit. I was suprised that it wasn't. It accurately depicts (despite a few little inaccuracies) the beginning of our journey into space. The visual effects were great for the time period. The storyline moves fast but well written. Bill Conti's music for the film was inspiring. The cast (Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Lance Henriksen, Jeff Goldblum, etc.) was well picked. This film, despite some inaccuracies, should be recommended viewing for High schoolers (along with "Apollo 13," and the war films "Saving Private Ryan," and "The Patriot."). 5 stars and above.

Rating:
Summary: The way it was
Review: Although the movie does not follow the book (most never do) to the letter, it is an outstanding adaptation of the feeling and sense of urgency of the roots of the space race. Visually stunning and, for the most part, historically correct, THE RIGHT STUFF has it all...great acting, FX (excellent for pre-APOLLO 13), and period design. Most highly recommended. Should be required viewing in schools. It will show you who the real heroes are, and especially the man who truly did have the right stuff - General Chuck Yeager.

Rating:
Summary: In the spirit of Wolfe's book and American history
Review: The scope of this film is huge. It draws on the test-pilot programs, where Chuck Yeager earned his fame, and the Mercury program, which brought the US into the space race. The movie also has the difficult task of compromising its representation of Tom Wolfe's book, and its often sarcastic/cynical bent and the fact that the characters in this movie are some of the most famous heroes in the US in the last 50 years. This is done successfully. We see the personalities that Wolfe wants us to see, and even while they are sometimes negative, they earn our overall respect. I appreciate how the film always returns to Chuck Yeager. His lack of a college education left him out of the running in the Mercury program, and it is nice to see that this is not repeated by letting him fade from the movie as it progresses. Lastly, don't forget about Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, and Deke Slayton. The film focuses on the other four astronauts, but the contributions of these three are significant as well.

Rating:
Summary: The Right Stuff -- A Great American Film
Review: Epic films have a tendency to collapse under their own weight. The directors have a tendency to concentrate on visual style and production value so much they neglect the screenplay and character development. Epics like Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia and Patton are rare. All too often, epic films turn into a bloated critical and financial disaster.

Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff avoids all of these pitfalls and tells the stories of the very human figures involved in the birth of the U.S. space program. Covering the period from Chuck Yeager's historic, but, at the time, overlooked breaking of the sound barrier in 1947 to the end of the Mercury program in 1963, The Right Stuff inspires awe through its stunning visual effects and scope while still maintaining its characters' humanity. The recreations of the early space flights are stunning with visual effects that still hold up well today. In addition, Kaufman obtained permission to film many sequences at AMES-NASA in California, adding realism and scope that no set designer would likely be able to match. Kaufman recreates the era perfectly -- clothes, cars, etc. feel just right. And Bill Conti's musical score, one of the most memorable in film history, is exhilirating. It's a flawless production that doesn't miss a single technical step.

All of this, however, would be meaningless if Kaufman had cardboard characters to work with. But he instead portrays the characters as human beings with human flaws. Chuck Yeager is racked with self-doubt and regret over his non-participation in the space program. The astronauts are not Charlton Heston types -- clean cut cardboard cutouts with impeccable moral values. These astronauts womanize, drink heavily and sometimes behave as if NASA is a big frat party. Showing these flaws, however, does not alienate the audience and instead makes us identify with and sympathize with them. The astronauts' wives are each given their own identity with their own insecurities and fears. The film, however, is not a soap opera. In fact, The Right Stuff is very funny in some sections. The film has the confidence in its vision and doesn't fall into the trap of solemn sobriety that bogs down so many other epics.

The cast includes Scott Glenn as Alan Sheperd, Ed Harris as John Glenn (a dead ringer if I ever saw one), Sam Sheperd as Chuck Yeager, Barbara Hershey as Glynnis Yeager, Dennis Quaid as Gordon Cooper, Fred Ward as Gus Grissom, Veronia Cartwright as Betty Grissom, Pamela Reed as Trudy Cooper and cameos by Kim Stanley, Eric Sevareid and Chuck Yeager himself. Each part is perfectly cast.

The Right Stuff is three hours and 13 minutes long, but doesn't feel like it's that long at all. It's one of the most memorable films of all time and makes you proud to be an American. It's certainly the most human epic I've ever seen. It's a shame that the film didn't win more recognition from either the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or the American Film Institute (I would certainly rank this film higher than Dr. Zhivago). Like Roger Ebert said, The Right Stuff is a great American film.

The DVD is clear, with great sound. My only complaint is that halfway through the film, the viewer has to turn over the DVD to side B. This, however, is probably made necessary by the film's length. Otherwise, however, it's a fine DVD.

Rating:
Summary: one of the greatest films of the 80's
Review: How Kaufmann managed to combine an almost metaphysical lyricism with a wry cynism is a wonderful mystery.

The acting is first class. The script is sublime. The story is compelling. The cinematography is beautiful and the pacing is perfect. The fact it bombed at the box office is a terrible shame and a sad reflection on the taste of 80's movie audiences.

This is one of the truly great films. But great with a great deal of fun. The over three hours flies and i have to agree with the reviewer who felt s/he could wish it 3 hours longer.

It's a also a crime that Kauffmann is not directing more projects.

Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Movies
Review: This movie is one of my favorites if not my favorite movie of all time. It is refreshing to see movies based on actual historical events instead of generic Hollywood action movies with little or no historical basis to them. This movie plays like fiction but what makes it more interesting is the fact that is based on actual historical events. This movie does take some liberties in presenting events and gives "Hollywood's" slant to certain events but overall it does give the viewer a good picture of the events involved in the space race. And above all, the acting was SUPERB! It combines humor, action, excitement, emotions, and historical drama all in one movie. It is a great movie to watch. I highly recommend it both for its entertainment value and its historical value. Rarely can Hollywood combine those two factors so well in one movie as in the Right stuff!