The Right Stuff (1983)

Poor Packaging

I've had this movie on VHS for years and decided I would like to have a DVD version. The movie is outstanding and will always be a classic. However, this DVD lacks in quality of packaging. They have recorded both sides of one DVD rather than making it a 2-DVD version. The case is the cheapest kind you can find. I saw this package in the Walmart 2/$10 bin one time and didn't buy it because it was so cheaply packaged. I would recommend the 2-DVD version sold by Amazon, even if it is more expensive. September 13, 2008

Really the Right Stuff....

This is one of those movies that provides such valuable prospective, that even 25, 30 years after the movie was released, it still stands as one those movies you not only remember, you find you reference and watch over and over again. Read the book first, and then watch the movie, as certain references make more sense, but if you love learning about America's entry into the space race, and still more the Mercury Program, this is for you. It should be noted here that it is not just about the space program, but also about the Air Force, and Chuck Yeager, who broke multiple records while flying for the Air Force. There is SO much more I could say, but seeing the movie (and reading the book by Tom Wolfe) are the biggest things I could say. The cast is beyond anything you could create today: Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Shepard, Lance Henriksen, I could go on. Watch it, but plan on buying it. Enjoy!! August 18, 2008

great movie!

This is a movie about pioneers and explorers in our time. The story really lets you see how it must have all looked and felt in the eyes - and hearts - of the American men who first reached the stars. It all really came alive for me in this movie. I watch it over and over! July 10, 2008

This is just a fantastic movie!

About a month ago, myself and three classmates of mine had to watch this film for our end-of-the-year movie assignment in our U.S. History class. It gives me great pleasure to say that this film blew us all away.

The film, in essence, is really two stories that remain largely unrelated: the first half is the story of Chuck Yeager, the Air Force test pilot who was the first to break the sound barrier; the second half is the story of the first seven astronauts and the struggles they faced. Philip Kaufman wisely chose to combine both films into one very long movie, as the connections between the two parts are extremely contrasting, but are correlated in very subtle but prominent ways.

In the first film, Sam Shepard brings a quiet yet extremely likeable personality to the character of Chuck Yeager, a man who understands the heroism of his role but remains humbled by it and also by the people who surround him, especially his wife (played wonderfully by Barbara Hershey). The very beginning of this segment immediately connects the viewer to the challenges of the test pilot and shows how it affects Yeager and those around him. Yeager handles it all with a nonchalant yet sincerely-acknowledging attitude that is undoubtedly my favorite role in the movie.

The second portion of the movie documents the story of the first American astronauts (who all embodied "The Right Stuff") and the challenges they faced within the face of the government and the Cold War as well as the American press and public. Among the seven astronauts, Dennis Quaid brings an extremely arrogant presence to Gordon "Hot Dog" Cooper (he performs this role so well I couldn't help but grin every time he spoke). Ed Harris brings a sturdy and professional attitude to the most famous of the seven, John Glenn, that is award-worthy. Scott Glenn portrays the first American in space, Alan Shepard, with a dutiful attitude towards his mission.

Throughout the movie, the interweaving of these stories combine for a complete understanding of the innovations of this time period. These two connected stories, along with occasional airflight or spaceflight sequences (these scenes being backed by a fantastic orchestral soundtrack that won an Academy Award, and rightfully so) and real NASA and USAF footage, combine for a whopping 193 minutes that is thick in detail and passion. This is a fantastic film that captures all sides of a prominent time in American history. July 9, 2008

The Right Stuff

How much do you really know about the beginnings of the space program and how it all came about? This movie sets the scene and gives an insight into the brave men who took the Western World into the space age. Chuck Jaeger, the first man to break the sound barrier and survive, makes a cameo appearance while all actors put a human face to those brave Mercury Pilots who not only risked all but gave us the names of the sons in Thunderbirds. Great performances by each of the stars and well worth a look. March 14, 2008

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