IMDb > The Right Stuff (1983)
The Right Stuff
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The Right Stuff (1983) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 3 NEW)
The Right Stuff (1983) -- The original US Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program.
The Right Stuff (1983) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Right Stuff (1983) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   22,954 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 18% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Philip Kaufman
Writers:
Tom Wolfe (book)
Philip Kaufman (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Right Stuff on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 October 1983 (USA) more
Tagline:
They were ordinary men and women who shared a common ambition and what they achieved together captured the imagination of the world [UK Theatrical] more
Plot:
The original US Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations more
User Comments:
far out in space, for the first time... more (145 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
193 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Russian
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Allegedly composer Bill Conti wrote about three different scores for this film. The first consisting of his own original work. The second one being one that featured Holst's The Planets as inspiration. The final score purely copied the film's temp track which was primarily The Planet's peace under the condition that if 'Philip Kaufman' used that portion of the score he would've had to credit Gustav Holst, the real composer of the music knowing that he was plagiarizing it for Kaufman's benefit and did not want to take credit for something that was written by someone else. They had a compromise in the end, using the middle score that Conti wrote inspired by Holst, and the incorporation of "Wild Blue Yonder" during the Yeagher's Triumph sequence and Henry Mancini's White Dawn track stayed in the film. Conti would go on to win for Best Original score despite the fact that it was somewhat of an adaptation of The Planets. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: During some of the failed shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral, what the ground crew are watching is clearly footage of the real events and not an actual explosion. The picture quality is noticeably different and grainier. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Narrator: There was a demon that lived in the air. They said whoever challenged him would die. Their controls would freeze up, their planes would buffet wildly, and they would disintegrate. The demon lived at Mach 1 on the meter, seven hundred and fifty miles an hour, where the air could no longer move out of the way. He lived behind a barrier through which they said no man could ever pass. They called it the sound barrier.
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Disaster! (2005) more
Soundtrack:
The U.S. Air Force more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
33 out of 40 people found the following comment useful.
far out in space, for the first time..., 21 July 2004
Author: jlpicard1701E from Lugano, Switzerland

I always loved anything connected to science fact and science fiction and this movie is no exception.

I already owned the Laserdisc version of it, but the DVD is even better.

I love this movie, but I must consider the interest of the public and I honestly cannot say that this is one for the vast public.

The theme alone is a difficult one and deals with the history of the Space Age, as it began from an American perspective, and by telling the story of the astronauts involved in the Mercury project.

Being very long, it might not fit the modern view of a quick-fix movie. This one has to be watched as if your were watching "JFK" or "Gettysburg", therefore with the outmost attention.

It has spectacular recreations of the actual launches, combined with more private moments, involving the astronauts, their loved ones and those who trained them.

This is not Science Fiction and it is not an Adventure movie, this is truly a history lesson about how the Space Race got started, how, with whom and why.

It is a very thoroughly researched movie, although it is not to be confused with a documentary. It is an intelligent movie, with good dialogues, good character recreations, with humor and moments of sadness and tragedy. The heroism of the first astronauts is not represented by their fabulous deeds, but rather by the sacrifices they had to make, in order to be successful.

If you can bare to sit in front of your TV for 3 hours and 15 minutes without unnecessary interruptions, then this documentation may make it clear why men and women risk so much in going "where no one has gone before".

But, as I stated before, this is not an easy going movie and is reserved for all those who want to enjoy a good movie in peace.

I would recommend its showing in every school of the United States, and why not, also throughout the world. Many children would then really appreciate what the conquest of space is all about.

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Message Boards

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