The Real Right Stuff tells the remarkable true story of the nation’s first astronauts, the original Mercury 7, and pulls from hundreds of hours of archival film and radio broadcasts, interviews, home movies and other rare and never-before-seen material to catapult viewers back to the late 1950s. The two-hour documentary, from National Geographic, complements the Disney+ original scripted series The Right Stuff which will premiere its season finale on the same day.
Reaction
I am big fan of documentaries that use as much primary sources as possible. This documentary is nothing but one single piece of a primary source only using sound bites and clips during the time of the Mercury Project. Sometimes documentaries get drowned by historian or celebrity accounts that witnessed the event but weren’t part of the actual event. The Real Right Stuff transports you back in time to the late 1950’s and into the birth of NASA and space exploration. What was once considered a simpler time is exposed in this documentary as sense of heightened alert.
Thrown right into Cold War this documentary does a great job of showing the sense of urgency the United States went through to catch up in space race. When the Soviet Union was able to send Sputnik into space the sense of fear across the United States pushed the government into overdrive to get a man into space. This documentary does a great job of showing clips of government officials, news reports and common people about how the United States was caught off guard from the news of Sputnik.
When Project Mercury was launched a group of seven test pilots were chosen as the first candidates to travel to space. The casual American may only know of John Glenn’s name as the first man in space but if you were to ask about Alan Sheppard or Gus Grissom most wouldn’t know who they are. The Real Right Stuff is different from other documentaries on Project Mercury in that it shares the focus on all the astronauts and their importance of each Mercury mission.
For young and old that are passionate about space this is a great documentary to show the real accounts of the men and women that got us into space. What is also great about this documentary is it shows how resilient this country is during tense times. It gives me a sense of hope that we as a country can replicate this determination and drive during such hectic times.
Also Check Out: Disney+ ‘The Right Stuff’ Reminds Us What This Country Is Capable Of
Directed and produced by Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings (“Apollo: Missions to the Moon,” “Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes”), The Real Right Stuff is a gripping account of NASA’s Project Mercury program, which revolutionized America’s role in human space exploration and inspired future generations of space enthusiasts. Free of modern-day narration and interviews, the special uses Jennings’ signature style to give viewers unparalleled access to the early days of the space race.
The Real Right Stuff premieres Friday, November 20th on Disney+
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