The Right Stuff
Director: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Sam Shephard, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn
1983
Unquestionably one the best American films to emerge in the 1980’s, spicing up a decade that is a veritable wasteland when it comes to Hollywood productions, The Right Stuff is a gripping tale of the early days of the space program, starting with the breaking of the sound barrier in 1947 and ending in 1963 with the conclusion of the Mercury missions.
The film’s major strength is its approach to the story. Chronologically speaking, it’s told in a linear fashion, yet the film hardly fits into a standard Hollywood historical retelling mold. Interesting but seemingly historically unimportant episodes are given heavy weight, while certain historically significant events, such as John Glenn’s dangerous re-entry with a handicapped craft, are not shown. It’s fascinating watching the “behind the scenes” tales play out, and the film feels fresh because of it. It’s not so much about the technology but the people, especially the people. Furthermore, Kaufman is a careful and philosophical director, unafraid to spin off into tantalizing tangents, or to suggest at further, unexplored story lines. What really happened, after all, with those two hot girls at the bar who said, “Four down, three to go”? It’s a small scene that doesn’t have much to do with anything else, but it’s a delicious little hint at other stories left untold. In one of the few truly taut moments, when Gus Grissom (played by Fred Ward) is suffering from claustrophobia inside his water-landed pod, we don’t see whether Grissom blew the hatch himself or whether it happened by accident, as he always claimed. Kaufman cut away to the outside of the shuttle so we don’t know what went on inside. There is a mystery there, and Kaufman wants to preserve it, not resolve it. The intercutting between the NASA developments and Chuck Yeager, test pilot extraordinaire, is vital in shaping the overall film, constantly reminding us of the true roots of the astronauts as their fame and paparazzi following grow to absurd heights.
