Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1exp 10/6/83; site ihlts.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!houxm!ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe
From: rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies,net.space
Subject: The Right Stuff
Message-ID: <249@ihlts.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Oct-83 14:17:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlts.249
Posted: Mon Oct 24 14:17:05 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Oct-83 00:35:49 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 60

"The Right Stuff", while it is a very good movie, was something of a
disappointment to me.  Perhaps I was expecting too much because of my
special fascination with the subject matter but then again I think the
movie does not wholeheartedly succeed even for those with lesser expectations.

Nothing but the highest praise can be given Phil Kaufman for his direction
and (to a much lesser degree) writing.  His skill is evident in virtually
every scene.  These scenes work far better in the movie than they did in
Tom Wolfe's book.  The failing point of the movie is that it is too much
like Wolfe's writing.  I perceive this to be the fault of the editors.
"The Right Stuff" had FIVE editors, and it looks like they all worked
independently, throwing their edited footage together at random.  There is
no coherence, no fluidity to this movie.  Some points are repeated all too
often while others (which needed to be made) are all but ignored.  I should
also mention that Kaufman could have written it better had he not used so
many "Wolfe-isms".  Wolfe's unique style, while rather interesting to read,
just grates on the ears when one hears the words spoken.

On the acting level, the movie is excellent considering the difficulties
inherent in a story with no main character.  They've chosen to emphasize
John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and Gordon Cooper at the expense of Wally Schirra
and Deke Slayton.  If you see the movie, count the number of lines spoken
by Schirra (Lance Henriksen) and Slayton (Scott Paulin)--you'll be surprised
how small the number really is.  But this is all but unavoidable here.
The actors themselves are all very good, most notably Ed Harris (as John
Glenn), Sam Shepard (as Chuck Yeager), Scott Glenn (as Alan Shepard), and
Fred Ward (as Gus Grissom).  Dennis Quaid (as Gordon Cooper) and Charles
Frank (as Scott Carpenter) should not be forgotten for their more than
adequate performances, and as I've said Henriksen and Paulin just weren't
given enough opportunity to show how well they can act.

Credit for the story has to be given to Wolfe.  He has done an incomparable
job of presenting a side of the first seven astronauts seldom seen before
his book was published.  He has also shown how much effect these men had
on the direction and philosophy of the manned space program.  The movie
does a better job than the book does in showing how the similarities and
differences in these seven personalities contributed to this end.  

There is little noteworthy about the special effects.  They are more
"artsy" than accurate and, while pleasing to look at, detracted from the
authenticity of the movie.  I do have to give credit for the achievement
of depicting aircraft in flight when years have passed since the last of
these relics actually flew.  There are many inaccuracies and inconsistencies
which aviation fans will spot easily.

They have also gone too far with the humor in this movie.  I disagree with
Walter Cronkite that they made LBJ look like a buffoon--while very funny,
I think it was probably not too far off target.  But they depict government
workers and German scientists collectively by caricaturizing them.  This
time could have been better spent giving the viewer more historical details
of the Mercury program.

One thing I will say for this movie is that it did not bore me.  The three
hours (plus!) passed by more quickly than two often do, even faster than
another long (but good) movie such as "Gandhi".  I do recommend it,
particularly to those who read Wolfe's book and didn't hate it.

***% (that's three and one half stars out of four)
-- 
		Roger Noe		...ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe