Tricolored Reviews

A French-American Movie Critic at Penn State

A Return To When Cinema Had

“The Right Stuff”

Sam Shepard; Ed Harris; Dennis Quaid; Scott Glenn; Barbara Hershey; Jeff
Goldblum; Levon Helm. These names represent both the famous and the
legendary. Some are even immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. All
starred in the 1983 classic, The Right Stuff, a cinematic masterpiece based in
aviation and space exploration that both encompasses and redefines
patriotism, friendship, camaraderie, and the American spirit.

Based on the book of the same title by Tom Wolfe and directed by Philip
Kaufman, The Right Stuff is most definitely among my top five favorite
movies of all time, and I believe it deserves a great deal more renown than
that which it has obtained. Indeed, though seemingly forgotten, this jewel of
a film has aged seamlessly with extraordinary acting and special effects.

The movie spans the first 15 years of the U.S. space program, and it
chronicles both the U.S.-Russia “Space Race” and the early pioneers of
supersonic aviation. Since I was five years old, my favorite airplane was the
orange Bell X-1 rocket plane – now hanging in the Smithsonian National Air
and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. – that was the first to break the
sound barrier (Mach 1) on October 14, 1947. I was first drawn to The Right
Stuff when I learned that the X-1 featured prominently in the film; however,
though the X-1 remains my favorite plane, I now rewatch The Right Stuff to
revisit its fantastic performances and its gritty, human storylines.
The Right Stuff opens in the Southern California desert as test pilot Charles E.
“Chuck” Yeager (Sam Shepard) becomes the first to fly faster than sound in
the X-1. The grounded, unbreakable friendships between Yeager, his Air
Force partner, Jack Ridley (Levon Helm), and his wife, Glennis, quickly
become evident. Scenes featuring Yeager and Glennis on horseback grant the
film a personal, “salt of the earth” feel, and they offer a return to the post-
war heartland of America.

The film’s emphasis on the camaraderie between characters is essential to

its theme: that everyday men can be (and were) heroes. The Right Stuff
effortlessly alternates between Yeager’s test pilot world in California and the
Mercury astronauts’ first exploits – the first days of NASA – in Cape
Canaveral, Florida.

Leading the charge among the Mercury astronauts is Ed Harris as the

handsome, talented, and widely popular John Glenn. The film thrives in
depicting Glenn’s relationship with his loving wife, Annie (Mary Jo
Deschanel), who possesses a clear stutter and speech impediment. Harris’
acting brilliance comes to full fruition when Glenn tells Annie that he will
support her unequivocally if she stands her ground and sends the television
cameras, as well as then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson (whose raging
temper is portrayed hilariously by Donald Moffat) away.

In addition to the familial tumult of an astronaut’s life, the paradox between

the glory and the peril of the job quickly becomes evident. The film’s special
effects are sensational, especially during Glenn’s launch and his first few
orbits. These scenes feature Glenn watching the beautiful sunrise over Earth
before immediately having to reenter the hazardous atmosphere and risk
burning up, hence the aforementioned paradox.
Over the course of the film, Yeager and his pal, Ridley, engage in a recurring
line of dialogue. Yeager asks Ridley whether he has “any Beeman’s” chewing
gum, to which Ridley replies, “Yeah, I might have me a stick,” before the
two set out to prepare Yeager for his next, most daring flight. This humorous
repetition in the face of mortal danger conveys the notion that friendship
can conquer any life challenge, no matter the speed or altitude. The various
pre-flight gum conversations, which are both quite funny and perfectly
acted, can be viewed here.

In the end, the most triumphant aspect of The Right Stuff is its soundtrack,
which I believe to be among the single most underrated movie scores of all
time and possibly the greatest ever. Composed by the unrivaled Bill Conti
(Rocky, The Karate Kid, For Your Eyes Only), the instrumentation is part-
classical chef-d’oeuvre, part-50s rock-and-roll, and wholly American
patriotism. Conti’s steady rises and descents – alternating crescendos and
diminuendos – culminate in a fanfare for the ages. Conti’s main theme can
be found here.

Clocking in at a lengthy three hours and 13 minutes, The Right Stuff it is not
the sort of film that is commonplace today. However, while today’s viewers
may flock to shorter, “shoot-em’-up” action films for mere entertainment,
The Right Stuff is a movie that all viewers can enjoy – as both entertainment
and an allegory on the human condition and the American spirit.

Nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1984, The Right Stuff won three:
Best Original Music Score for Conti, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing,
and Best Sound Editing. The film was nominated for Best Picture, and Sam
Shepard was also nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Unanimously praised by critics – see its astounding 98 percent rating on
aggregate review site, Rotten Tomatoes – The Right Stuff is a cinematic
masterpiece that will not be forgotten, and that will continue to inspire
Americans such as myself for generations to come.
Verdict: Though I would like my reviews to become more strict (critical), this film
is too good for it not to receive a perfect grade of four stars.

Image Credits (in order of appearance):

1.) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086197/

2.) https://hiveminer.com/Tags/1,nasm/Timeline

3.)http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/04/tomas_olfe_author_of_the_right.
html

4.) https://docublogger.typepad.com/barn_movie/2017/01/film-critic-
linda-cook-gives-4-out-of-4-stars-to-the-barn-raisers.html

sck5271 / September 21, 2018

5 thoughts on “A Return To When Cinema Had

“The Right Stuff””

bnb5361
September 21, 2018 at 1:20 pm

This is one of my all time favorite movies as well! I think it tells the story of
the U.S./Russian Space Race in a less conventional way than you would
expect. While I do enjoy the movie for its main story, I also agree with your
statement about the fact that the group’s unbreakable friendships make the
movie. Your observation about the highs and lows of being an astronaut
were very insightful, and I’m sure that most of the people involved in space
travel both now and then have somewhat of the same feelings. While I didn’t
particularly enjoy the film Interstellar, I tend to associate the scene of
Matthew McConaughey leaving his daughter behind on Earth, knowing that
she’ll grow up without him, yet he won’t age, with the idea of astronauts
leaving their lives behind. That is something I could not imagine doing, even
though I am thoroughly fascinated with space! Once again, I truly enjoyed
reading your reviews and I look forward to more!

Lucas Richardsen
September 21, 2018 at 1:21 pm

First off, this post was superbly written–your style is smooth and concise. I
also found the subject matter interesting, as I was only peripherally familiar
with “The Right Stuff” before reading your blog. The way you evaluate the
themes of the work, while switching between a close-up and overview
perspective is quite seamless. And I will admit, the amount of praise you give
this film has certainly intrigued enough to watch it myself. Overall, great
post–I’d say it had The Right Stuff.

Kendall Heebink
September 21, 2018 at 1:23 pm

Sebastien-
I have not seen The Right Stuff, but after reading this review it seems like
something I would enjoy. In your reviews, you are very thorough and
address every aspect of a movie from its actors to its soundtrack. The Right
Stuff seems interesting in that while it is an action movie, it is historically
based rather than fictional. I feel like so many action movies today are more
fictional and unrealistic, but the fact that this movie was based on a real
time period makes it even more thrilling. One movie I love that your review
on The Right Stuff reminded me of was Interstellar with Matthew
McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. Have you seen that movie? Would you
say the movies are somewhat similar? Overall, your review definitely
motivated me to see this movie- it seems like anyone would really enjoy it.
Great job!
 azj5357
September 21, 2018 at 1:24 pm

This blog post got me hooked on to it. It genuinely felt like watching bits and
pieces of “The Right Stuff” through the description in this blog. It is very
well written and the attention to detail is spot on. It also is a great critical
review of the movie.

cfg6
September 21, 2018 at 1:32 pm

3 hours and 13 minutes?!?! I was very much looking forward to checking this
one out, but this may have to wait until Thanksgiving Break. Nonetheless, I
am still excited to watch it based off of your review. You hit on every aspect I
look for in a great movie, and each aspect of this movie, in particular,
received high praise from you. Even though you weren’t cynical and
pessimistic like all professional critics these days (I don’t know a single one
who’s happy), this was still a highly professional piece. Well done

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