Right Stuff, The (Special Edition) (UK)
How the future began
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 185 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Winner of four Academy Awards, The Right Stuff chronicles the story of the pioneering Mercury astronauts: men names Shepard, Grissom, Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra, Cooper and Slayton, the first Americans to ride a primitive spacecraft solo into a new frontier. Preceding them in the history books was the legendary Chuck Yaeger who, far removed from the awesome media spotlight that would focus on the "spacemen" a decade later, became the first man to break the sound barrier piloting the fabled X-1. Sam Shepard (as Yaeger), Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Barabara Hershey, Fred Ward and others in a marvellous ensemble cast make director Phhilip Kaufmans`s sweeping saga (based on Tom Wolfe`s book) funny, touching and bracingly human.
Special Features:
Cast commentary. Filmmakers commentary. Additional scenes. Interactive timeline to space. `Do You Have the Right Stuff?` interactive featurette. `John Glenn: American Hero` feature. Theatrical trailer.
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitle Tracks:
French
Romanian
English
Spanish
German
CC: English
Dutch
Arabic
Bulgarian
Directed By:
Philip Kaufman
Written By:
Tom Wolfe
Philip Kaufman
Starring:
Fred Ward
Dennis Quaid
Ed Harris
Scott Glenn
Sam Shepard
Casting By:
Toni Howard
Lynn Stalmaster
Soundtrack By:
Garth Hudson
Robert Crawford
Bill Conti
Todd Boekelheide
Director of Photography:
Caleb Deschanel
Editor:
Douglas Stewart
Stephen A. Rotter
Tom Rolf
Lisa Fruchtman
Glenn Farr
Production Designer:
Geoffrey Kirkland
Producer:
Irwin Winkler
Robert Chartoff
Executive Producer:
James D. Brubaker
Distributor:
Warner Home Video
Your Opinions and Comments
This review refers to the non-special edition version.
Did you miss the space race? Did you miss the cold war?
Well here is a chance to catch up on some of what you missed.
The Plot
Based on the book, it tells the story of Americas space-race and the people involved in it.
We start with the test pilots at Edwards, trying to break the sound barrier.
Chuck Yeager does his stuff and sticks with the X program.
Others take up the challenge of getting into space. It ends at the end of the mercury program.
It gives a flavour of the book, showing the troubles they went through (like regularly loosing pilots in the test program).
Chuck breaks the sound barrier with a couple of onlookers.
The severn astronauts in turn can`t go anywhere without massive publicity.
They are also at the mercy of the medical profession, putting them through all manner of weird tests.
Its a pretty good mix of documentary and entertainment, especially if you like this stuff.
It does show how far we`ve come though!
At about 3 hours though, its not short.
The Visuals/Audio
Visuals are ok, its set in the 50/60s and looks about right for that. Has a 5.1 sound track.
The Extras
Nothing on this version - you`ll need the special edition for that.
It has a bucket load of languages though, so I guess its pretty full.
Summary
A fascinating glimpse into what the space race was like, and some of the personalities involved.
How true the characters are I`m not sure, but the facts are pretty good.
I`d go for the special edition though if I were going to get it.