An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff
By A Mystery Man Writer
Last updated 16 Jul 2024
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://interactive.wired.com/www-wired-com__2014__11__oral-history-of-right-stuff/2d_rightstuff8_g.jpg.4)
Before writer-director Philip Kaufman brought Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff to the big screen in 1983, onscreen astronauts were little more than alien quarry or asteroid bait. In Kaufman's hands, however, spaceflight became a far more human pursuit—a story not of external threats but inner resolve. With its three-hour-plus run time and unconventional structure, the film—which tells the story of test pilots like Chuck Yeager and Gordon Cooper as they break the sound barrier and launch toward the exosphere—was almost as daring as its subject. (Kaufman calls it “the longest movie ever made without a plot.”) But it introduced an entire cinematic genre, what Quentin Tarantino has called the “hip epic,” inspiring everyone from Michael Bay to James Cameron, who hired its cinematographer for Titanic. Its dialog has become a go-to signifier of human accomplishment; director Rian Johnson celebrated landing his Star Wars gig by tweeting a clip from the movie. “Phil really pulled it off,” George Lucas says. None other than Christopher Nolan has called it “an almost perfect movie.
Before writer-director Philip Kaufman brought Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff to the big screen in 1983, onscreen astronauts were little more than alien quarry or asteroid bait. In Kaufman's hands, however, spaceflight became a far more human pursuit—a story not of external threats but inner resolve. With its three-hour-plus run time and unconventional structure, the film—which tells the story of test pilots like Chuck Yeager and Gordon Cooper as they break the sound barrier and launch toward the exosphere—was almost as daring as its subject. (Kaufman calls it “the longest movie ever made without a plot.”) But it introduced an entire cinematic genre, what Quentin Tarantino has called the “hip epic,” inspiring everyone from Michael Bay to James Cameron, who hired its cinematographer for Titanic. Its dialog has become a go-to signifier of human accomplishment; director Rian Johnson celebrated landing his Star Wars gig by tweeting a clip from the movie. “Phil really pulled it off,” George Lucas says. None other than Christopher Nolan has called it “an almost perfect movie.
Before writer-director Philip Kaufman brought Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff to the big screen in 1983, onscreen astronauts were little more than alien quarry or asteroid bait. In Kaufman's hands, however, spaceflight became a far more human pursuit—a story not of external threats but inner resolve. With its three-hour-plus run time and unconventional structure, the film—which tells the story of test pilots like Chuck Yeager and Gordon Cooper as they break the sound barrier and launch toward the exosphere—was almost as daring as its subject. (Kaufman calls it “the longest movie ever made without a plot.”) But it introduced an entire cinematic genre, what Quentin Tarantino has called the “hip epic,” inspiring everyone from Michael Bay to James Cameron, who hired its cinematographer for Titanic. Its dialog has become a go-to signifier of human accomplishment; director Rian Johnson celebrated landing his Star Wars gig by tweeting a clip from the movie. “Phil really pulled it off,” George Lucas says. None other than Christopher Nolan has called it “an almost perfect movie.
Before writer-director Philip Kaufman brought Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff to the big screen in 1983, onscreen astronauts were little more than alien quarry or asteroid bait. In Kaufman's hands, however, spaceflight became a far more human pursuit—a story not of external threats but inner resolve. With its three-hour-plus run time and unconventional structure, the film—which tells the story of test pilots like Chuck Yeager and Gordon Cooper as they break the sound barrier and launch toward the exosphere—was almost as daring as its subject. (Kaufman calls it “the longest movie ever made without a plot.”) But it introduced an entire cinematic genre, what Quentin Tarantino has called the “hip epic,” inspiring everyone from Michael Bay to James Cameron, who hired its cinematographer for Titanic. Its dialog has become a go-to signifier of human accomplishment; director Rian Johnson celebrated landing his Star Wars gig by tweeting a clip from the movie. “Phil really pulled it off,” George Lucas says. None other than Christopher Nolan has called it “an almost perfect movie.
Before writer-director Philip Kaufman brought Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff to the big screen in 1983, onscreen astronauts were little more than alien quarry or asteroid bait. In Kaufman's hands, however, spaceflight became a far more human pursuit—a story not of external threats but inner resolve. With its three-hour-plus run time and unconventional structure, the film—which tells the story of test pilots like Chuck Yeager and Gordon Cooper as they break the sound barrier and launch toward the exosphere—was almost as daring as its subject. (Kaufman calls it “the longest movie ever made without a plot.”) But it introduced an entire cinematic genre, what Quentin Tarantino has called the “hip epic,” inspiring everyone from Michael Bay to James Cameron, who hired its cinematographer for Titanic. Its dialog has become a go-to signifier of human accomplishment; director Rian Johnson celebrated landing his Star Wars gig by tweeting a clip from the movie. “Phil really pulled it off,” George Lucas says. None other than Christopher Nolan has called it “an almost perfect movie.
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691865740i/126132210.jpg)
A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune. An Oral History. by Max Evry
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/814eZHco3PL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg)
A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune. An Oral History.: 9781948221290: Evry, Max: Books
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2009/07/20/science/space/14mission-a1.ready/14mission-a1.ready-articleLarge-v3.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
On Hand for Space History, as Superpowers Spar - The New York Times
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/8b/8a/ef/8b8aef0262f69a2c720f1eee4a66fd45.jpg)
Zhao Buwin Chen Character portraits, Portrait, Portraiture
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/spacejam_legacy_main.jpg)
The Oral History of 'Space Jam': Part 3 - Reflections on A Beloved Film
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SpaceJam_Part1_main-1280x600-580x326.jpg)
The Oral History of 'Space Jam': Part 1 - Launching the Movie
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/apolloreturn-1563908440.jpg?crop=0.6663270504330107xw:1xh;center,top&resize=1200:*)
How NASA Got the Apollo 11 Astronauts Home
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://media.wired.com/photos/593235aeb8eb31692072e266/3:2/w_1280%2Cc_limit/nolan-letter-ft.jpg)
Magazine-22.12, Latest News, Photos & Videos
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Nu2UrgzwkZUSe8auS7rAKA-1200-80.jpg)
Flash Gordon at 40: An oral history of the epic space opera
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://media.wired.com/photos/59269404af95806129f4feb6/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/1.jpg)
John Glenn, the First American Astronaut to Orbit Earth, Has Died at 95
![An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff](https://media.wired.com/photos/5932348326780e6c04d2a499/3:2/w_1280%2Cc_limit/5d_euler_f.jpg)
Magazine-22.12, Latest News, Photos & Videos
Recommended for you
You may also like