SPACE COWBOYS

US, 2000, 128 minutes, Colour.
Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, James Cromwell, Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Loren Dean, Courtney Vance, Blair Brown, Barbara Babcock.
Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Space Cowboys is a title that indicates Clint Eastwood’s themes in his films: Cowboys and the American heritage of the past, while Space indicates he is looking forward to the future.

This is Clint Eastwood’s film of the millennium. After it he made a film version of Michael Connolly’s Blood Work. After that he began what many people call his renaissance in his seventies with Mystic River (2003), an Oscar for Million Dollar Baby (2004), the two films on Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) and The Exchange (2008). Clint Eastwood enjoys himself as a former test pilot for NASA. In 1958 four seemed to be certain to go into outer space. However, they are prevented by their boss (James Cromwell). The other members of the team are played by James Garner, Donald Sutherland and a rather younger Tommy Lee Jones (at least younger than the other stars).

In the 1990s there is a difficulty with a Russian communication satellite going to crash into Earth. Since Eastwood designed much of the guiding system, he is called back to try to help. The James Cromwell character is still present and hostile. However, the engineer insists that he have his old team so that they can go into space at last. Needless to say, there is opposition, difficult training for the old men, a difficult mission – but success. The younger generation is played by Courtney B. Vance and a whiz kid played by Lauren Dean.

An entertaining film in itself but an odd addition to Clint Eastwood’s collection of distinguished films.

1.The impact of the film? Audience interest in space? On the eve of the millennium? 20th century achievement in space? Possibilities for the 21st century? Threats, hopes?

2.The work of Clint Eastwood, director, producer, star? His interest in the range of American genres during his career? Low-key heroics? Tough, age and skills, the space genre and his reworking of it, achievement?

3.The NASA background, the achievements in the past? Budgetary requirements? Bureaucracy? The hands-on people, control, engineers? In the present, the centre, its atmosphere? The simulators and training? The control rooms? The rockets themselves, space? Action in space? Authentic atmosphere? The musical score, rousing and emotional?

4.The title, the contrast between young and old? The old astronauts and their cowboy attitudes?

5.The prologue, Frank and Hawk, their daring flights in the 1950s, going straight up, space, having to bail out, the loss of the spacecraft and the planes? The reaction of the boss? The arguments, the ejection, the press conference, the monkey going into space, the bitterness?

6.The predicament in 1999, the old satellite, Russian, the US technology in it, the decay, going out of orbit, the danger of crash, the secret of the nuclear weapons? The danger? The role of the Russian general, his discussions with his American counterpart? The role of the engineers, Marcia Gay Harden and her staff?

7.The decisions about Frank, the antagonism towards him? Marcia Gay Harden and her visit, seeing him at home, his age, repairing things, with his wife, his life, love? The discussions, his anger? The basic situation, his change, confronting the boss, arguments about the past, the conditions for the flight, getting his team together? The agreement – but the boss and his manoeuvring behind the scenes to prevent them going into space?

8.Tank, as a preacher, his sermon, the congregation? His life? His being persuaded to go? Jerry, the rollercoaster, his engineering work, his being a womaniser? Their both agreeing to come, waiting in the diner, Frank and his meeting with Hawk, Hawk taking the young man up on his birthday flight, the man being sick – and his covering for him for his girlfriend? The exasperation between the two, the recriminations of the past, each blaming the other for not going into space? Frank frustrated – and Hawk being at the diner?

9.Their arrival, the memories of the past, their age, physical condition? The meals and the young men and their jokes at their expense? Ethan and Roger? In the simulator, the bets? The fights? The headlines? The physical training? The boss and his reaction to the headlines? Marcia Gay Harden and her enjoying it? The boss and his instructing Ethan to get all the information and so prevent the old men going into space?

10.The variety of characters, the Clint Eastwood type, in charge, his serious-mindedness? Short temper? Jerry and the problem with his eyes, the visit to the doctor, the reading of the chart, his memorising it? Her getting him new lenses? Hawk, younger, his devil-may-care attitude? The discovery that he had cancer? Tank and his reliability? Hawk and his relationship with Marcia Gay Harden?

11.William Devane as the controller, his character, memories of the past, the clashes, his making the decisions, working in control, celebrating the return to Earth?

12.The discovery about the truth, Frank and his aggression, the boss and his explaining that they would have to go because of the media popularity? Their appearance on the Jay Leno Show?

13.The launch, the family and friends watching, the nature of the mission? Their arrival, the discovery of the truth? The anger? The Russian general and his blaming others, the recriminations, the American denial of responsibility? Ethan and his brashness, going out, the destruction for the spacecraft? The old men using their wits, the tension, the timing, the lack of oxygen, fuel? The possibilities for repair? The image of the moon, Hawk and his cancer, his decision to stay behind – and the irony of his being on the front of the rocket? And the later scene of the debris on the moon and his body?

14.The return, the tension, Tank and Jerry staying, the seeming impossibility, Frank and his skill in guiding the craft through the atmosphere, the landing?

15.The right stuff, experience, skills, the brash young, the bureaucrats, and the success of the old stuff?