Following the first successful supersonic flight, the US government embarks on Project Mercury, an ambitious programme of space exploration, and sets about finding and training the right men to be America's first astronauts.
Based on Tom Wolfe's non-fiction book, this is a fantastic account of the origins of NASA from Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in 1948 to Gordo Cooper orbiting the earth twenty-two times in 1963. What makes it so good is that it very sensibly doesn't try to change what happened. Too many movies based on actual events change things for whatever reason, but real life is crazy and silly enough not to have to. So, yes, Yeager did break his ribs and couldn't close his aircraft door, yes, John Glenn did see fireflies in outer space, yes, many of the chief scientists on both sides were German (most from the V-2 Rocket project), yes, Cooper fell asleep on the launchpad, yes Lyndon Johnson really was like that. Why make stuff up when truth is stranger than fiction ? Kaufman takes all the juiciest, funniest and most dramatic bits from this incredible endeavour and turns in a film which is a great ensemble piece, an incredible historical document, and an evocative depiction of the wonder and majesty of the exploration of outer space. When Glenn orbits in Friendship 7 and cries little tears of light reflected on his helmet, the movie reaches its most sublime moment, a triumphant distillation of what mankind is capable of. Just as dazzling is the technical artistry which went into the making of this film, invisibly mixing up footage shot twenty years apart, recreating not only the period but incredibly detailed events within it, using visual effects in the most creative way. The big cast is simply one of the best I've ever seen in any movie ever, with Harris, Glenn, Moffat and Reed all just outstanding, but absolutely everybody is good in this (Goldblum and Shearer are a very funny double act). Everything else - music, design, photography, editing, wardrobe - is seamlessly integrated into this incredible story, and Kaufman pulls the very best out his army of people. I find long pictures often drag and are self-indulgent, and anything that comes out at three hours had better be up to Kurosawa standards or I usually want to rip it to shreds (Reds, JFK, most movies by Richard Attenborough). This is different though; both the story and the treatment deserve the long running time, and the end result is a brilliant film which, if nothing else, reminds us what we can achieve. Don't miss it.
Based on Tom Wolfe's non-fiction book, this is a fantastic account of the origins of NASA from Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in 1948 to Gordo Cooper orbiting the earth twenty-two times in 1963. What makes it so good is that it very sensibly doesn't try to change what happened. Too many movies based on actual events change things for whatever reason, but real life is crazy and silly enough not to have to. So, yes, Yeager did break his ribs and couldn't close his aircraft door, yes, John Glenn did see fireflies in outer space, yes, many of the chief scientists on both sides were German (most from the V-2 Rocket project), yes, Cooper fell asleep on the launchpad, yes Lyndon Johnson really was like that. Why make stuff up when truth is stranger than fiction ? Kaufman takes all the juiciest, funniest and most dramatic bits from this incredible endeavour and turns in a film which is a great ensemble piece, an incredible historical document, and an evocative depiction of the wonder and majesty of the exploration of outer space. When Glenn orbits in Friendship 7 and cries little tears of light reflected on his helmet, the movie reaches its most sublime moment, a triumphant distillation of what mankind is capable of. Just as dazzling is the technical artistry which went into the making of this film, invisibly mixing up footage shot twenty years apart, recreating not only the period but incredibly detailed events within it, using visual effects in the most creative way. The big cast is simply one of the best I've ever seen in any movie ever, with Harris, Glenn, Moffat and Reed all just outstanding, but absolutely everybody is good in this (Goldblum and Shearer are a very funny double act). Everything else - music, design, photography, editing, wardrobe - is seamlessly integrated into this incredible story, and Kaufman pulls the very best out his army of people. I find long pictures often drag and are self-indulgent, and anything that comes out at three hours had better be up to Kurosawa standards or I usually want to rip it to shreds (Reds, JFK, most movies by Richard Attenborough). This is different though; both the story and the treatment deserve the long running time, and the end result is a brilliant film which, if nothing else, reminds us what we can achieve. Don't miss it.