THE RIGHT STUFF

US, 1983, 193 minutes, Colour.
Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Barbara Hershey, Kim Stanley, Pamela Reed, Veronica Cartwright, Mary Jo Deschanel, John P. Ryan, Royal Dano, John Dehner, Charles Frank, Scott Paulsen, Kathy Baker, Donald Moffat.
Directed by Philip Kaufman.

A 3 hour, multi-Oscar-nominated, tribute to America’s first astronauts, based on the book by Tom Wolfe. It traces the story of the test pilots breaking through the sound barrier, especially Chuck Yeager, played by Sam Shepard. It moves on to the vying with the Russians in the space race, and Lyndon Johnson’s politicking as well as portraying the characters, their training, strengths and failings. The astronauts are led by Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard, Ed Harris as John Glenn, Dennis Quaid as Gordy Cooper, and Fred as Gus Grissom. The film also shows the role of the space wives.
The toughness is a blend of Boys’ Own adventure and natural ambition, almost like a new image resembling the cowboy with his acclaim as hero and legend.
There is spectacular aerial and space photography, patriotism with touches of irony and humor. It is satisfying, informative and exhilarating, a reminder of human potential, skills, dedication and achievement.
The film was directed by Philip Kaufman, director of such films as Henry and June and The Ultimate Lightness of Being.
1. The impact of the film in its time? Now? 1983? The Reagan era?
2. Acclaim, awards? Popular in the US? Around the world?
3. The length, the period covered? The forties to the sixties? The development of aviation? Into the space era? The rousing score?
4. The United States, the development of flight and aviation in the 20th century? The response to the challenge of space? The Russians? NASA?
5. The desert locations, the desert states, the bases, the military? The bar, houses?
6. Strong cast? representing historical characters and events?
7. The prologue, the 1940s, black and white photography, aerial photography? The voiceover? Changing to colour? The sound barrier? The crash and flames?
8. Death as a reality, the funeral, grief, the old man beginning his recurring role during the film, singing the lament?
9. The flyers, their experience and the war? The talk at the diner? Pancho, reacting to the men, the sound barrier, the talk and the bets? Breaking the sound barrier as a goal?
10. Chuck Yeager, his career, casual, in the bar, listening to the sound barrier break, his wife coming in, the role play, in the desert, his fall, the broken ribs, the next day, getting the wooden lever for the plane, the takeoff, dropping the special plane for the mission, the executives, their discussions, watching, the flight, the breaking of the barrier, the shaking of the crockery? Success, meeting the press to publicize it?
11. 1953, Gordon and Trudy Cooper, driving through the desert, the kids, Gordy as optimistic? The new home, a dump? The bar, the boasts with Gus Grissom, Pancho? The sad woman? The barbecue, the wives talking, their regrets, their observation on the men? The contrast with the men talking shop, setting the scene for the relationships between pilots, astronauts and their families?
12. The Mach II tests? The discussions amongst the pilots? The successful pilot and the breaking of this barrier? The press representative and his discussions, his being looked down on? Chuck Yeager and his observations? His wife, the dance? His flight? Breaking the sound barrier, going through Mach II, his inner demon, attempting to break Mach III? The blackout, the psychedelic colors? The extreme drop? Ultimate success? The ethos of the fifties test pilots?
13. 1957, the USSR, the visuals, the Sputnik, the secret filming by the Americans, the rockets, the German scientist and his success?
14. The American response? The meeting with Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson? The assistants runnng up the corridor, looking at the film? The comment about the Russians? The space race? Johnson and his bigotry and ignorance? The German scientists? The prospect of the chimpanzee in space?
15. Glenn and the other pilots? The boffins visiting, the diner, their ignorance? Yeager and the others watching? The issue of college education, Yeager and the pioneers not eligible? The comment that a pilot should not just be a ballistic missile? The historical role of test pilots? The journalist and his continued presence, discussions with Yeager?
16. Grissom and Cooper, watching? Their self-confidence? Being seen as stars? Audience interest in the space race? Ed Sullivan and the television comedy? Eddie Hodges on television with John Glenn? The audience response to Glenn? His charm?
17. The aircraft carrier, Allen Sheppard and his party, the boffins and their being on deck, sick?
18. 1959, Albuquerque and the tests? Shepherd and the test on his arm, having to lift his hand? The others handling the tests? Grissom and Cooper, blending in, jokes about Russian agents? The navy and the Marines? Seven spots available? Shepard and his talking with the Hispanic accent? Schirra and the jack in the box? The test with them blowing, Cooper and his complacence, Glenn and Carpenter and their success?
19. The cabin and the gas, the tests, the severity of the supervising woman? The man wanting to get out, Cooper asleep? The sperm maturity factor and tests? The woman wanting to see Cooper’s wife, his hesitation? Driving her from San Diego, persuading her to support him, his promise of going all the way to the top? The meeting with the woman, Trudy lying?
20. The newsreel material and the collage of tests? In reality, shepherd and the need to pee, Gonzalez and his revenge?
21. Washington, DC, 1959, the manager of the project, the announcement of the names, the press conference, the journalist who knew the pilots and his comments? Yeager and the fellow pilots watching the television? The pride, the MC and his applause=rousing? The questions, the laconic answers, Glenn taking over her giving a personal response, Cooper and the PR style? The Hallelujah Chorus? The photo poses? Life magazine, the interviews with Henry Luce, the bylines of authorship?
22. The wives, their becoming a group, Glenn’s wife and her stammer, people thinking she was snobbish? The tender scene of her conversation with her husband?
23. The tests, July 1960, rockets exploding? The atmosphere the period, the summer, La Bamba, the beach, more television and Ed Sullivan, Grissom and Cooper and the girls? Glenn and his speech against playing around? Shepherd and his objections, use of morality? The arguments? The turning of the discussion to the issue of the chimpanzees and the pilots being used as chimpanzees?
24. The change of control, the tests, the chimp and the tests, the issue of no hatch and the use of the word capsule, the scientists in conflict with the pilots, the control for the pre-entry procedures? The film offering a behind the look at the issues?
25. 1961, the program continuing, the montage of life magazine? Yeager and the pilots looking at the past, anticipating the sixties?
26. The shock of the Soviet Union’s success, Yuri Gagarin the first into space? The US project manager on the ‘first free men into space’? The press, everybody fired up? Expectations, the media? The choice of Alan Shepard, the others and working the controls? Presence of the minister who had been at the previous trials in the desert? The wives, the phoning of Mrs. Shepard? The irony of Shepard waiting, wanting to urinate, the fear of the short circuit, the images of boiling coffey, the hose, the water machine…? The decision to have the flight? The success? JFK and the acclaim?
27. Grissom, philandering, the souvenirs, taking them to space? The photographs and the wives? His ejection, the issue of the hatch, unable to get out, the hold, sinking, the discovery of the souvenirs? The inquiries and his responses? The low-key medal, his wife and her anger, humiliation at the treatment? The photos? Yeager and watching the television, the comment to the journalist, Yeager saying test pilots were not monkeys, and his praise of Grissom?
28. Kennedy, the political issues of the times? The fire at the diner, Yeager on horseback, his wife, talking about the past and its being destroyed? Yet his wife, her love, but her threats about leaving?
29. The issue of Glenn’s flight, the wives, Mrs. Glenn not wanting to meet Lyndon Johnson, Johnson in the car, Texan boasting, looking foolish, Glenn’s support of his wife? The aborted mission?
30. The pilots and the conflict with the manager of the project? His backing down?
31. The Australian sequence, the kangaroo, thinking that Hank Williams wrote Waltzing Matildar? Cooper, meeting an aboriginal, the discussions about the flight, the Elders and their ability to fly? The elder giving his hand to Cooper? The lights of Perth, Rockingham? The guide who is with the flight, the aboriginal fire, the sparks, the mystical touch, Glenn’s cleans response? The realism of the dangers?
32. The media, the scientific background, the explanations, the following orbits? Shepard and the technical team? Bringing Glenn down? The intensity of the descent, the fire, his arriving safely?
33. The transfer from Cape Canaveral to Houston, Texas? Johnson, the Texan style, the astronauts as celebrities, the discussion about perks, food, the question about who was the best pilot, Cooper almost naming Yeager then going back to himself?
34. The final reaching to the skies, Yeager, the flight in contrast with the Russians’ record? To break the record? His flying high, the intensity, the flight ejection, his walking from the wreckage? The irony of this action intercut with the Texan celebration, the close-ups on the astronauts while the fan dancer was performing?
35. May 1963, Cooper asleep, success, his going for 22 orbits?
36. The film celebrating the achievement of these astronauts up?