Review of The Right Stuff (1983) by George L — 28 Mar 2009
ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.
Outside of wars, the 2 biggest epoch events in the 20th Century were the sinking of the Titanic and putting a man on the moon. Everything related to the space program is exciting, full of science, drama, adventure, and opening up man's knowledge of the universe like nothing else.
The scene that really did it for me is when NASA / federal gov't officials are meeting to discuss what type of person to put into space - circus stuntman, pilot, etc. Then a Navy steward comes running down the hall, his hard shoes kloppy-klop along the floors, and burst into the room announcing, "The Russians have put someone (Yuri Gagarin) in space." Thus, the SPACE RACE begins.
"The Right Stuff" is very much a product of Hollywood, etched with that stamp of romanticism that remains elusive to any other studio locale in the world. The acting is great, and the plot weaves and winds between the science of reaching the moon, competition with the Russians, the selection of astronauts, each astronaut's personal odyssey, the astronaut rapport, and a sometimes overlooked aspect -- the German scientists (including Wernher von Braun) who made it happen.
What really grounds this movie is Chuck Yaeger, arguably America's greatest test pilot. The scenes in the Air Force training grounds build the movie viewers connection to these times, early on in the movie. There are some great scenes in the desert diner. It's the simple movie elements at work, character change and dialog, that starts your blood pumping with the romanticism of it all.
Another great scene is the horse race in the desert between one of the Air Force pilots and his girlfriend.
For a regular movie, perhaps coming in long at about 3 1/2 hours, this is THE BEST MOVIE about the space race. It is only surpassed by the HBO Mini-Series "From the Earth to the Moon", which will always hold the position as the best video encapsulation of The Apollo Program and subsequent moon landing.
Nothing that I know of in the 21st Century exceeds as mankind's greatest moment. Houston, "The Eagle has landed.".
This review of The Right Stuff (1983) was written by George L on 28 Mar 2009.
The Right Stuff has generally received very positive reviews.
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