The Right Stuff
1983 Directed by Philip Kaufman
Synopsis
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
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Let me tell you about my all-time favorite movie.
How did it all start? I was on leave from the army and probably was above average interested in such matters and characters as the film describes. Still I sat down at the movie theatre not expecting anything and therefore quite relaxed. Suddenly the film had lasted for one and a half hours and it was time for intermission (those were the days)! It is pointless to mention that I could hardly wait for the rest. After it all was over I remember feeling pretty overwhelmed. Later I have revisited the film at least 20 times but never again on the big screen.
It must be admitted, the theme is rather…
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What a great film.
Why didn't I see this earlier in my youth days.
Imagine being in their shoes being told the US wants seven of you to be the first to fly into space.
I know I would jump at the chance.
A great cast with nice tiny touches all the way through and lots of funny and moving scenes. This is what made the length of the film feel like it lasted for 1 hour and a half, not 3 hours.
Being a fan of Ed Harris was a plus, seeing him step into the cock pit and than taking over flight control. After this film finished I think they left him in that seat waiting for the next role (Apollo 13). ;-).
Pure quality. -
This movie is 193 minutes long.
Not one second is wasted.
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Excellent telling of the space race America had with Russia, seven pilots bond as they train to be the first American in space.
I loved how close the men became and how they stood behind each other when challenged, the stand out for me was the relationship between John Glenn (Ed Harris) and his wife Annie (Mary Jo Deschanel).
My only negative was the lack of Sam Shepard, but he wasn't really invloved in the main part of the story, so it is understandable.
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In my opinion it is far easier to make a perfect film when things are kept small. With a limited amount of characters, a short amount of time and with a clear narrative less is left to chance. There can be far greater control. Once you go beyond that, things become drastically more difficult. It becomes a delicate balancing act and things can easily become unwieldy. Lots of big films come come extremely close to victory only to fumble at the last minute. I was so relieved when this film didn't burn up on re-entry. Despite the three-hour plus runtime, you absolutely do not feel it at all. And like the best long films (Apocalypse Now, The Great Escape, Seven…
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I'm sorry boys, but I'm going to be really sexist here and say that I didn't find this film about the race into space especially thrilling and perhaps that's because I'm not male. Or I could be racist and say that it's because I'm not American. It should have been a fascinating film, covering a bit of history that is neglected by those who find the moon more saleable than merely going into space. The science was mildly interesting but all the human interest stuff wasn't.
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This movie is 193 minutes long.
Not one second is wasted.
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One of my favorite movies of all time.
Mythic and satirical in equal measure.
Beautifully photographed.
With a great soundtrack.
Several ridiculously charismatic performances.
And entertaining as hell.
A great film. -
Admiring but never pushing idol worship, The Right Stuff is an extraordinary portrait of average Americans doing great things. Expertly made on every front, it's moving where it could have been cloying and funny where it could have been precious. A marvelous film.
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Gosh. I really needed a movie like this, you know? Huge, heroic, funny, ‘merican… a “yee-haw” kinda movie. Good. Clean. Fun.
YAY SPACE!
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Corny and genuine at the same time. Flawed, endearing.
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This get's a solid four stars.
I loved it. Don't need to watch it again. I just put it in without checking it was over three hours. I loved so many tiny things throughout it. I liked how during the end when Gus Grissom's (Middle name Ivan) name is announced that they show a closeup of a giant roast beef carcass. I laughed more than I should have.
I loved that even during the first scene with everyone standing in a field, that there's a closeup of a car, and right in the distance is a tiny moon.
The moon just dangling there like the biggest carrot man could dream up.
In middle school I studied a lot about the…
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This movie gave me a certain sense of... What's the opposite of shame? Pride? No, that's too far from shame... Less shame? Yeah.
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Wow, much of the space race was generated by petty competition between alphas.
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A wonderful film about pushing the limits of humanity and the necessary courage and determination of those pioneers and their families. There are many moments of sublime beauty when another barrier is surpassed. A really awesome and inspiring movie.