Click above to purchase "The Right Stuff" at amazon.com
The Right Stuff
review by James S.
Rated PG
Studio: Warner
Running Time: 193 minutes
Starring Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Fred
Ward and Barbara Hershey
Directed by Philip Kaufman
Retail Price: $19.99
Features: Theatrical Trailer, Production Notes
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, French Dolby Surround, English Subtitles,
French Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, Chapter Search
Shepard, Grissom, Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra, Cooper,
Slayton. These seven names will be etched in history as the
first seven astronauts selected in America. Equally
important in history are names like Yeager and Crossfield,
men who never traded their test pilot wings in for a set of
astronaut wings.
"The Right Stuff", based on Tom Wolfe's book, follows the
careers of these men before and during the beginnings of the
US space program. The movie follows these nine pioneers in
two equally important programs, the Mercury space program
and the continuation of flight test programs such as the X-1
rocket plane. The juxtaposition between of the two worlds,
space and atmospheric, is exquisitely detailed by an
all-star cast. The winner of four Academy Awards®, The
Right Stuff is an exceptional docudrama.
Despite being released back in the early 1980s, The Right
Stuff is enhanced for widescreen televisions. The full
screen image is clear except for a few print flaws which
have developed over the years.
The audio in The Right Stuff has been updated to modern
standards. The soundtrack has been remastered to Dolby
Digital 5.1. The movie contains wonderful dimensional
effects, and the deep rich bass during flight scenes will
have your walls vibrating.
The only weak point to The Right Stuff is the lack of
features. The features are limited to a few sound options
(no commentary track), production notes, and the original
theatrical trailer. In addition, fans of laserdisc can
reminisce, as halfway through the film you'll have to
manually flip the DVD.
Short on features and long on length, content, and
quality, The Right Stuff is a DVD to buy for the drama it
tells. A commentary track with the likes of John Glenn and
Chuck Yeager are certainly desired. Even without such a
feature, this budget DVD is one for every serious film buff.
The back of the case sums it up perfectly, calling it "An instant
American classic."
 (5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
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 (2.5/5, NOT an average)
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