Review #651: 'The Right Stuff' (1983)

"Is that a man?" asks the pilot of a rescue plane headed towards the crash site of Chuck Yeager's attempt to reach the edge of space in a Lockheed NF-104A. An outline of a man appears on the horizon, blurred by heat and mirage, his face bloody and burned, walking at pace with his helmet in his hand. Yeager's good friend Jack Ridley sits in the passenger seat, having seen Yeager conquer several near-suicidal flight records, including the first to break the sound barrier. Ridley smiles. "You're damn right it is!". The Right Stuff, adapted from Tom Wolfe's best-selling account of the test-pilots in the Mercury Space Program, shows what it takes to be a man; to have the 'right stuff' inhabited by these fearless men, who were the only ones crazy enough to risk everything, on live TV, to beat the Russians in the space race.

Besides the many fascinating and frequently hilarious vignettes involving the test pilots - played by a stellar cast of Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Charles Frank, Lance Henriksen, Scott Glenn and Scott Paulin - the movie's real ace-in-the-hole is the juxtaposition of this story with that of Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard), a man thought of by his peers to be the finest pilot in the world. Played stoically by an Oscar-nominated Sam Shepard, he is brooding, dusty, a true man's man, but without the college degree needed to join the space program. He is the polar opposite of the 'hot dog's' of the Mercury Program, and when he is not off chasing his wild wife Glennis (Barbara Hershey), he is making sure he is still the fastest man in the world.

Even at over 3 hours, the movie is packed with great and memorable scenes. Director Philip Kaufman managed to retain Wolfe's skill for absurd humour, so we get to see the President crawling on the floor to plug in a projector, two astronauts' slow walk to the bathroom following an enema, and a hilarious moment involving humming and sperm samples. It has an observational aesthetic that America conquered in the 1970's, made even better by some amazing aviation and space travel scenes, easily more exciting than the CGI-laden movies we get nowadays. It's often called the second-best movie of the 1980's behind Raging Bull (1980), and, although I don't necessarily agree with that statement (Blue Velvet (1986), anyone?), it's one of the finest movies to come out of it's era, feeling almost classical despite being modern. Like Shepard's Chuck Yeager, The Right Stuff seems old before its time, encompassing wisdom and poignancy with ease.


Directed by: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, Kim Stanley, Veronica Cartwright, Scott Paulin, Lance Henriksen
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #12: 'Black Swan' (2010)

Seen as a companion piece to director Darren Aronofsky's critical hit The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan is his love-letter to the operatic world of ballet. Similar to The Wrestler, this is a psychological study of a loyal servant to a chosen profession, who are pushed to the limits both physically and psychologically by the pressures of being good and relevant to their craft. Black Swan throws in a bit of mind-fucking and horror for good measure too.

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a gifted dancer who is reaching the make-or-break stage in her career. Always being pushed and encouraged by her mollycoddling mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), she hears about a new production of the Swan Lake to be directed by Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), which requires one actress to play a dual role of both the White Swan and the Black Swan. Nina is an ideal choice for the role of the virginal, elegant White Swan, but Leroy has doubts over her ability to let go and become the darker, seductive Black Swan, a role that would be ideal for newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis). After a talk in Leroy’s office, Nina reacts badly to Leroy's advance and he becomes exhilarated when he catches a brief glimpse of what she could be capable of. And, when the casting is announced, Nina is awestruck when she lands the lead role.

The second act sees Nina engage on a mission to become the Black Swan, and this is when things get stranger. Doppelganger’s, reflections that seem to have a mind of their own, and a dabble in lesbianism start to push Nina towards psychological breaking point. It is unfortunately at this point where the film begins a steady decline, after the highly promising first hour or so. The twists and turns of Nina’s ever-declining mental state feature various strange episodes that I felt very familiar with. It had the same predictability as other films focusing on similar issues (Jacob’s Ladder (1990), The Machinist (2004)) and things rarely come as a surprise. Of course this is a film about the theatrical dramatics of ballet, but it begins to get overwrought and camp, when I feel it would have worked better with the style of the tense, slower-paced first act.

Not to knock the film too much, there is still much to enjoy here. The performances are excellent, namely Portman. She is in practically every scene and is every bit as good as you’ve most likely heard. Her transformation from the sweet, dedicated Nina of the first half to the desperate, troubled one of the second is wholly convincing, and that is down to Portman's acting ability. The scene in the cubicle when she calls her mother to tell her she got the part perfectly captures Nina’s joy mixed with utter disbelief and confusion. She’s always been a very good actress, but apart from 2004’s Closer, she’s never really been given a role she can really chew on. Here she chews with aplomb. Like I stated in a previous post, I would not begrudge her the Oscar if she beats my hopeful Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone (2010).

Black Swan is a very well-made film with amazing scenes of ballet, powerful acting and loose, confrontational camerawork, similar to that of The Wrestler. I just wish Aronofsky had been a bit more original with the horror scenes and offered something genuinely tormenting, similar to what he did with Requiem For A Dream (2000). Probably not for ballet-buffs either, unless you also enjoy scenes of fingernail removal and masturbation.


Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie