The Right Stuff 4K 1983 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

A brief history of American space exploration from 1947 to 1963, when, after long and tragic trials, Americans finally ventured into space.

Review 4K Movie

The film opens with a rather lengthy prologue: the action takes place in 1947, in the California desert, at a secret test pilot base, where Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier for the first time in history. Years go by, and more and more pilots arrive at the base, but they’re forced to remain in the shadow of their older, more famous counterparts: those pilots have the glory, the honor, and the best planes. From time to time, one of the “old-timers” crashes; his photo is, as is tradition, pinned to the wall of the local bar, and only then does a vacancy open up among the elite. So the newcomers have no choice but to wait for natural selection to give them a chance.

But now a very different kind of selection comes into play. When NASA recruiters arrive at the base to select candidates for the first class of astronauts, they naturally turn to the best pilot—Chuck Yeager—the moment they walk in. But in response, they hear: “You don’t need pilots—you need monkeys to roast in your tin cans, where there isn’t even a control stick.” No self-respecting pilot would agree to such a job. And they don’t. Those who do agree are the ones willing to compromise a bit on their self-respect if it opens up new horizons: the “rookies” from the day before yesterday, already slightly worn down by years of waiting in line for their chance.

From there, the film unfolds in two parallel directions. We follow the astronauts’ lives, their selection, their training—and their long wait for the big moment. They live as if in a gilded cage: always in the spotlight, yet deprived of the freedom known only to test pilots (naturally, they’re no longer allowed to fly). For years, they wait—essentially—for a single flight in which, in reality, almost nothing depends on them. And we follow the life of Yeager, who continues to fly and break records during this time. But no one is interested in that anymore: his test programs are losing funding, and all attention is now on the astronauts. Other elite test pilots may regret having shown such youthful pride in front of the selection committee back then—but not Jager. He’ll simply keep flying as long as he can: freedom is more important to him than anything else. And the astronauts—undoubtedly true heroes—will, deep down, envy him.

Philip Kaufman (who, among other things, is a brilliant screenwriter) found a surprising angle for a film about the first group of astronauts. In fact, when you sit down to watch it, you’re expecting something completely different. The contrast between Jäger and the astronauts is masterfully crafted and nuanced: it’s impossible to say with certainty that any one of them is better or worse, braver or more calculating, or that one made the right choice while another did not. All the characters have their own truth—and yet, this contrast lends the plot an unexpected depth. And the closer we get to the finale, the more bitter the aftertaste of this story about the strong-spirited becomes.

I have no complaints about this film, which far exceeded my expectations as a viewer. Even its three-hour runtime works in its favor—a rare instance where it’s absolutely justified. There are very few (if any) people left capable of making a film like this: it takes someone cut from a special cloth (the right stuff).