I would love to see THE RIGHT STUFF on the big screen someday when it's safe to go back to the movies. The film was nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture, and won 4! I really feel it should have won Best Picture instead of TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. Also, THE RIGHT STUFF was the number one film of 1983 by Siskel & Ebert.
For the life of me I cannot figure out why I didn’t see The Right Stuff in the theaters back in 1983. My (long late) childhood best friend and I loved the film and the space program in general, which makes our not having seen The Right Stuff all the more maddening.
I did watch the movie on cable, though—endlessly! My grandfather and I loved the comedic elements of the film as well as how cool the jet pilots were.
Ive probably told this story before. I saw the film on opening weekend. Absolutely loved it. It was a packed house. The audience was really into the film.
Afterwords I remember telling my friend, "This is how you make a real space docudrama that will captivate the general audience."
For the life of me I cannot figure out why I didn’t see The Right Stuff in the theaters back in 1983. My (long late) childhood best friend and I loved the film and the space program in general, which makes our not having seen The Right Stuff all the more maddening.
I did watch the movie on cable, though—endlessly! My grandfather and I loved the comedic elements of the film as well as how cool the jet pilots were.
“I wanted to talk to Jackie...about things.”
Hilarious!
"What do you have to do get your picture on the wall?" "You gotta die sweetie."
With all this talk about The Right Stuff on both sides of the board I decided to watch the film last night. Well not only did I get the itch to watch the film again, first time in forever, my very annoying neighbors were having a party, so I turned up my sound system and watched a three hour plus movie to drown out all the their noise. blaring music and loud chatter.
While some two hour plus films can drag on this really felt like a two hour movie. It whizzes by. Sure there's some slow sequences but they compliment the busier scenes. I didn't even take a pee break!
I still don't own the Blu Ray but got the digital copy off of iTunes. While the picture quality was good I was a bit surprised how soft it was. The film was a bit out of focus and washed out. There were some anomalies that kinda stood out. Not sure if they were mean to be on film or not.
The model work remains amazing. Sure, you know when they used motion control for some of the capsule shots but all the flying shots with airplanes remain extremely convincing. In fact it's almost impossible to tell the difference between the model work and real footage. The choice to film "in camera" most of the time really makes the effects timeless. Plus you don't have to deal with those awful matte lines that plagued most films shot with motion control in the 80's. I'm also especially fond of the artistic license the director gave the effects crew which gave some visuals a surreal effect. Art should be the imitation of life, not an exact copy. That is what makes art special. An artists interpretation of the real world. All of this was fully covered in Cinefex magazine during the release of the film.
I also gotta give a special shout out for the sound design. The sound effects were very dynamic and at times added a mysterious edge. Sound designers were at their peak in the 70's and 80's.
Finally, love the progression of some of the characters. While Yeager liked to make fun of the space program and the astronauts, he did give Gus Grissom props even after a botched splashdown. Same with Gordon Cooper who loved to brag he was the best pilot he's ever saw, tried to make a serious statement to the press at the end of the film complimenting not only the Mercury Seven but all those that came before him. Both men manned up and went from egotistical to sympathetic.
Knowing a lot more about the space program nowadays some of the historical inaccuracies really stand out though. But that's a minor issue.
The film also has a lot of heart which you don't expect for a space film. I wasn't fortunate enough to see this in the theater, hopefully it will be reissued for the 40th Anniversary! I love this film!
I kind of enjoy the film despite the fact that it never even approaches the greatness that is the Wolfe book. If you've read THE RIGHT STUFF, Kaufman's wise ass take on the subject matter can be borderline grating but the rough and ready approach to the special effects are a bracing change from the motion control that was all over films by that time and the cast works very hard to pull it all together. It's also one of Conti's best scores, fighting the director's attachment to his temp score that won out in a few instances.
This film rivals FURY ROAD with me, I just love it! I just ordered the movie poster and will have it professionally framed!
Great movie poster, back in the days when they hired real illustrators to paint them.
Yeah, I've always loved the poster! The top portion of the poster has the great artwork, and the bottom half has the photo of all 7 Mercury astronauts with the film credits.
I now love FURY ROAD and THE RIGHT STUFF equally! THE RIGHT STUFF is Gene Siskel's 3rd best film of the 80's, and Ebert's 2nd best film of the 80's! I'll try and post the video.
Manages to be both mythical and satirical. Brilliantly made, too, apart from some dubious optical effects. Clearly should have won the Oscar for Best Picture over TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (which is good, btw). But its scathing contempt for the media and the political class is probably the reason it didn't receive its just rewards.
I now love FURY ROAD and THE RIGHT STUFF equally! THE RIGHT STUFF is Gene Siskel's 3rd best film of the 80's, and Ebert's 2nd best film of the 80's! I'll try and post the video.
I knew they both liked the film, but had no idea it was that far up on their list of best films of the 80's.
"What do you have to do get your picture on the wall?" "You gotta die sweetie."
Ah, Kim Stanley...
Her Poncho character was one of her last film roles and, although her part was rather brief, she was excellent and made a strong impression.
Check out the film FRANCIS starring Jessica Lange. Stanley plays the mother from hell to end all mothers from hell. Also, she was the voice of Scout (as narrator) in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
I now love FURY ROAD and THE RIGHT STUFF equally! THE RIGHT STUFF is Gene Siskel's 3rd best film of the 80's, and Ebert's 2nd best film of the 80's! I'll try and post the video.
I knew they both liked the film, but had no idea it was that far up on their list of best films of the 80's.
The only films Siskel liked more was SHOAH and RAGING BULL, and the only film Ebert liked more was RAGING BULL.
