Director: Philip Kaufman
My first reaction after watching The Right Stuff was 'why is this film not more lauded?' It is a great story, its long running time immersing us in the early days of the American space program, and the effect of its fame on the astronauts involved. It also gives us Chuck Yeager, the man who broke the sound barrier, who, if he was anything like the portrayal in the film, was one of the coolest, bravest people to ever fly a plane (or even exist!).
The film is filled with great performances, and for a story that could potentially be all about the astronauts' work, pays a lot of attention to their private lives. This adds to the film's impact, developing the men as rounded people and amplifying the stakes - we sit nervously with their wives, waiting to hear if they have survived the mission.
While Kaufman's film is more about what happened on the ground than in space, the few scenes of space travel are still beautiful. John Glenn's orbiting of Earth, though perhaps not as jaw-dropping as Cuaron's Gravity, is a great moment in the film.
If you loved Ron Howard's Apollo 13, you will definitely appreciate this film. Though it has less nail-biting tension, it provides a fantastic background to other science-fiction films, giving us the story of where it all began.
This is in my opinion the best non-sci-fi space movie ever made (with Apollo 13 on a solid second place). There is that sense of adventure that makes small boys want to be astronauts and which is sadly missing today. I watch this one regularly every few years and love it every time.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much that is great in the film that you do need to see it more than once. You are right about the sense of adventure, and it was a new experience for everyone, including the technicians as well.
DeleteMy reaction is the same as yours. I genuinely love The Right Stuff and never find myself bored with it despite its length. This was, for me, the easy pick for Best Picture for 1983 when I covered that category some time ago. I think it's one of the better films of the 1980s, and since that's an incredibly formative decade for me, that's saying a lot.
ReplyDeleteIt has aged really well too, which helps with space films. Though it is epic in scope, and length, its focus on the relationships of the people involved keeps us engaged. It is not just moving from point to point, but stops and considers the impact the space program had on America.
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