The Right Stuff

Basic information:

1983 (release date: February 17, 1984)

Production Company: The Ladd Company (financed by Warner Bros)

Director: Philip Kaufman

Writers: Philip Kaufman (written for the screen by), Tom Wolfe (based on the book by)

Genres: History, Biography, Drama

Certification: PG

Top Cast: Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris

Taglines: By flying higher and faster than any other man had ever dared before, Chuck Yeager set the pace for a new breed of hero. Those that had just one thing in common…THE RIGHT STUFF.

Box Office:

Budget: $27,000,000 (estimated)

Gross US & Canada: $21,192,102

Gross Worldwide: $21,192,315

Academy Awards, USA, 1984:

Winner: Best Sound; Best Film Editing; Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing; Best Music, Original Score.

Nominee: Best Picture, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, etc.

Comments:

(From IMDb top reviews) The Right Stuff is terrific: exciting, complex, funny, crammed with memorable scenes, unforgettable lines, and wonderful actors…

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!

Characters:

The Right Stuff tells a story that once truly happened in the American history, the Project Mercury, the first manned space program in the USA. It’s a story of seven brave astronauts as well as uncountable fearless pilots, a story about how they punch through the barrier and how they break the edge of human beings. With a running time of 3 hours 13 minutes, this movie stresses the spirits of those pilots and astronauts again and again.

There are many people with different character and positions in this film. It’s a necessary to understand this movie from some typical roles.

Yeager: The protagonist of the movie, fearless, strong-willed, emulative.

When he saw the Bell Aircraft for the first time after attending a funeral of the pilot who sacrificed in the test flying, Yeager knew that he must have a try to break the sound barrier (a phenomenon that aircraft can’t work when its speed is close to the velocity of sound). Even though he realized that is extremely dangerous. He is fearless and determined. Finally, he made it, becoming the fastest man on earth.

But when the government asked him to become one of the Mercury’s astronaut, Yeager refused. At that time, He didn’t believe in the space mission’s reliability. However, in my opinion it’s the former great success he made in the test flying that makes him be afraid of failing, trying new challenge. He lived in his former glory.

Then after his pilot teammates, Gordon, Gus and Slayton succeeded in the space mission, he realized that he couldn’t dwell on past successes with his wife’s words (the old Beer bar’s being burned in the fire symbolizes Yeager’s former glory was gone and he had to go forward). “I guess I liked the kind of man who could push the outside of the envelope. But I never could stand a man who was one of those, ‘remember-whens’.” So, Yeager flied again. He was going to find where the limit of human beings lay.

Gordon: supporting role, the Mercury astronaut, hubris, confident.

When the press asked Gordon who was the best pilot in the world at the beginning of the movie, he said, “You are looking at him”. He is hubris that time. But then after he saw his teammates finish those dangerous missions and saw clearly what is hidden behind the government officers’ public masks—no respect for the lives of astronauts and pilots, he changed his words. He said, “It’s those who put their hides out on the line, hang the aircraft out over the edge, push back the outside of that envelope and haul it back here.” The best pilots are those can be fearless and determined.

The astronaut’s wife: fearless as well.

Their husband is engaged in one of the most dangerous job, risking life every time on mission. Gus’s wife, for example, she was looking forward to meeting president’s wife after Gus returned from space mission. But things went contrary to her wises, and she collapsed. Astronauts’ wives suffered great pressure. Fearless pilot needs fearless wife. At the same time, without their wives’ support, those astronauts won’t be such brave and determined.

In conclusion the movie is not going to figure out just one hero character. It stresses that the spirit of bravery in human beings. In addition, the director wants to tell us that the advance of human civilization is achieved not only through scientists’ hard work but also those who explore with their life, fearlessly.

Theme:

Main theme:

Americanism

This movie talks about a story, a group of American people about individualistic heroism. In another word, it’s a film of American “Main Melody”. And individualistic heroism in the movie is expressed as bravery, challenging the limit, and sacrifice.

By setting some big challenges like breaking the sound barrier, flying to the space and landing safely for the characters in the movie, and describing their feelings as well as behaviors when facing those challenges, the director makes the people such as Yeager become fearless and eager to challenge the limit.

Other themes:

The history of Cold War

Anyway, this is a history movie. The movie’s story is mainly in the 1982-1965, when the cold war between USSR and USA was on. The Project Mercury as well as the Star War Program, was outcome of that time.

And in this movie, director uses a method of editing that mixing the movie picture with some real historic videos in order to make the film look more real. For example, a piece that vice president Kennedy standing with the astronauts. Also, there are some pieces trying to satirize the soviet union’s space project. Of course, the story itself is based a real history in 1980s.

The relationship between human beings and universe

This is not an apparent theme. Human and universe are connected in some ways. And as human beings explore the outer-space with great bravery, the universe is waiting for humankind to find out its beauty and mystery.

It’s a small detail. In the latter part of the movie, when the astronaut John Glenn flying in the low-earth orbit, there appeared a lot of sparks like glowworm outside of his spacecraft. And at the same time on earth, some aborigines who specialized in observing the stars were performing mysterious rituals around the campfire. And the campfire was reeking of many sparks just like that in the space outside of John Glenn. It is trying to express some connection, I think.

Conclusion:

It’s a movie about bravery, exploration and heroism. With excellent editing, music and score as well as amazing frame, it tells story based on the real history. It’s a “Main Melody” movie. But what makes it special is that while telling a integrated story about American heroism it also raises some question about humankind, universe, and love.

References:

Douban (豆瓣), //www.douban.com/.

“The Right Stuff.” Ladd/WB, 1983.

“Ratings, Reviews, and Where to Watch the Best Movies & TV Shows.” IMDb, IMDb.com,

//www.imdb.com/.