Plot: What’s it about?
At the very beginning of the Cold War, actually, even before it began, was that of a bigger need. That need was to get into outer space before the Russians did. No where is this more perfectly illustrated than in one of the opening scenes of The Right Stuff. Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) has just broken the Sound Barrier (750 mph) and, it being big news, the local reporters decide to phone it into the larger papers. Having being cut off from telling the news, we start to wonder just what it is that the United States might be up to. Hindsight, as we know, is 20/20 and looking back we know that we were in direct competition with the Russians as a major world power. So why was the breaking of the sound barrier so important? Simple. We wanted to be the first country in space. But we weren’t…
The Right Stuff focuses on the commencement of the “Space Race”. Us versus the Russians, so to speak. This leads us in the very early days of 1948 to the days when launching space capsules was nothing that even made the papers. Chuck Yeager might have started it all, but the Mercury Seven astronauts were the ones that made the headlines. The film shows just how crazy these guys were (not just the seven who “made it”, but all who even volunteered), but the dedication to their respective branches of the armed forces and to their jobs in particular. Naturally we all know of Scott Carpenter, Alan Shepard, John Glenn and the rest of the gang, but this paints a portrait of all of them as they were as people. We don’t see them as individuals, but rather as members of the same team going on to the much bigger race of reaching for the stars. The Right Stuff is just that, it’s a movie that documents the creation of NASA and of the space race in general and it does it in a way that is entertaining and “great” at the same time.
With a cast of then “Unknowns”, the movie tried to do what none other did…it had a true plot that relied on the writing to carry it, while at the same time using the development to carry the show. Ed Harris as John Glenn, Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard and so on. This movie showed how a film can be more than three hours long and not have an audience member look at their watch. While we may take space travel for granted now, it’s these men who risked (and in some cases, gave) their lives to further advance the United States in the space race. Though the Russians and a monkey beat us into orbit, we have clearly shown that it was our foresight that made space what it was. Showing a more human side of the astronauts was what made the movie that much more watch able and showing the training they went through to even be considered was what made you appreciate the fact of what it was they were trying to accomplish. This film was awarded more on the technical side when it came to awards time, but trust me when I say that you’ll not regret seeing this film. Twenty years old doesn’t really matter when you’re watching a masterpiece.
Video: How does it look?
As one of the earliest films on DVD, The Right Stuff somehow fell into that category that some of Warner’s DVD’s fell into…it didn’t receive an anamorphic transfer. And, at the time, we didn’t really care. The soundtrack was re-mastered and sounded awesome (more on that in a minute), but the sheer “upgrade” from Laserdisc to DVD didn’t seem to matter that much to people. After all, this was six years ago and the 16:9 television wasn’t nearly as prevalent as it is today. Thankfully, Warner has seen fit to give this a makeover (their “2 Disc Special Edition” no less) and has finally given it the transfer it so well deserves. Compared to the original release, which, until recently, I had in my collection; it has a very sheen look to it. The colors are much more rich and the whole movie has more of a film-like look to it. This is all good. The black levels are on target as well and though there are a few instances in which the transfer doesn’t seem up to snuff, there are many more in which it improves tremendously over its previous version. I’m sorry, but if you own the original version, then you’ll have to upgrade if just for the video transfer alone.
Audio: How does it sound?
The film was the winner of a few Academy Awards and one of the was Best Sound. Granted, movies that are twenty years old, regardless of how they sounded then, don’t hold a candle to the films of today. It doesn’t matter. The movie has a re-mastered 5.1 soundtrack which sounds amazing, especially if you’ve never seen the film. The surrounds are used most all of the time, especially when you’re dealing with planes and spaceships (think Top Gun meets Apollo 13) whizzing by at 1000 miles per hour. The dialogue, as can be expected, sounds as we might expect and no real “dating” can be heard in terms of distortion. Though this won’t compare to the modern soundtracks, those of us who remember seeing it in the theater will be turning our heads each time a plane whizzes by. And that’s a good thing…
Supplements: What are the extras?
As if the better picture and sound weren’t enough to make you buy this disc, there’s a second disc devoted solely to extras to whet your whistle. John Glenn, having gone up in space again (just a few years ago) get his own segment and there are some screen-specific commentaries by the cast and crew entitled “Journey and the Mission”. A somewhat familiar name, Phillip Kaufman, lends his own .02 and the result is a great feature. Several documentaries are shown in “Realizing the Right Stuff”, “T-20 Years and Counting” and “The Real Men with the Right Stuff”. I’ll leave it to you to figure out who belongs to which. Needless to say, all are interesting and are an added bonus to the DVD. 13 Additional scenes are also included and though they don’t add a wealth of information to the movie, it’s a nice touch. Also included is an interactive timeline with NASA footage that puts everything in its place. The original theatrical is also included. Bottom line: this is a movie that no collection should be without. Re-buy this disc if you already own the original and all will be well!
