THE RIGHT STUFF

Tom Wolfe's book "The Right Stuff" was, first and foremost, a great piece of journalism that had the ability to make the reader interested in stuff, right or otherwise, that he or she might otherwise have found forbidding, (in this case the space race). It seemed inevitable that it would be filmed while, at the same time, not really being the kind of book that might work on screen yet Philip Kaufman's film is a triumph. Kaufman is canny enough not to sentimentalise the material while still giving his heroes and heroines their dues, (the wives are as much a part of the picture as their husband/fliers), and he has assembled a stunning cast. Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, (a terrific John Glenn), Fred Ward, Pamela Reed, Mary Jo Deschanel, Barbara Hershey and Veronica Cartwright are all outstanding and there are nice turns from Kim Stanley as the woman who runs the small bar where the men drink and from Donald Moffat as LBJ. Technically brilliant, the film won four Oscars, (Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Editing and Best Original Score). It should also have won Best Picture. It's also very funny and finally very moving, which is just as it should be.