MovieChat Forums > The Right Stuff (1984) Discussion > Question about a scene

Question about a scene

posted 14 years ago by hccman2000
18 replies | jump to latest

First off, I love this film. They just do not make them like this anymore.
What was going on when Sam Shepard is riding the horse on base and he comes down that hill to see the orange experimental jet and fuel truck there? I believe the jet was on and way out on the flight line. Where they just doing tests on the jet or did the director mean it to have some kind of meaning? It was just weird to me because they just showed the jet and truck all alone. I was in the AF in the 90s and worked quite a bit on the flight line, which was heavy guarded.

It would have been cool to ride horses on base when I was in. Some idiot probably ruined that for everyone long ago.

You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity-Snatch 2000

[–] captchas-1 14 years ago

I always thought a menacing X1 was depicted in that scene. That airplane taunts Yeager, 'I dare you to get in and ride me'.

Notice the presentation of those early days of supersonic research. It's a loosely managed 'seat of the pants' operation. That environment becomes more structured with the passage of time. Suddenly, an obvious theme emerges .. pre Sputnick vs post Sputnick when flying instantaneously transforms into a space race.

Historically, Yeager didn't just show up and fly that thing. There were several flights culminating in the sound barrier record.

It's a rather funny scene in a rather funny movie.

--- CHAS

[–] jaystarstar 14 years ago

It was symbolic.

As you know, the X-1 did not and could not take off from the ground.

[–] hccman2000 14 years ago

Well thanks for the responses in a timely manner. I think both responses helped me to understand that particular scene. Thanks for your time.

You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity-Snatch 2000

[–] peter-mcgill-1 14 years ago

actually, Ridley planned one flight from the ground and back. Yeager's autobiography relates one flight where they had the X-1's tanks half full (to give it a light enough weight for a take off). It was all about making the aircraft 'official' in it's supersonic ability and being a 'true' aircraft that can take off under its own power. But only once.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

The early pilots were frequently seen as cowboys and this scene adds a little more substance. I also like the symbolism of the knight vs the dragon as discussed above.

Authentic or not, I loved the scene of horse and rider picking their way around the jet and associated vehicles.

[–] bigal_a 14 years ago

I always think the scene symbolises the coming of the new technologcal age: the contrast between Yeager's horse and the hissing, growling rocket plane.

[–] hccman2000 14 years ago

Bigal a, I like your take on this part of the movie. Maybe some others will have a opinion about this part. I really liked all of the comments made so far.
You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity-Snatch 2000

[–] lwi101 13 years ago

I agree with the symbolism of the x-1. That being said, keep telling yourself, It's only a movie.
Flight test was not haphazard back in those days. The Commander of Edwards (Gen. Al Boyd ?) was a stickler for procedure. The ground takeoff of the X-1 was a dig at the Navy. The Douglas D-558II was scheduled for the first ground takeoff rocket flight, and Yeager, Hoover and Ridley figured a way to beat them to it. If you get a chance read the Lonely Sky by Bill Bridgeman. He gives a good explanation of what went into planning a flight and a test program.

[–] sparker1 13 years ago

That scene always brings St. George and the Dragon to mind for me. We are told that engineers believe that the sound barrier is an absolute and anyone who tries to break it will die. One man has the courage to challenge it, so the knight rides out to meet the dragon that sits in the desert roaring and breathing fire.

[–] Porpoise01 13 years ago

I always hated the scene because it was so incredibly unrealistic.But it's the first scene Roger Ebert cites in his review, and from the comments here I can see why others might like it.

I always want my "TRrue Stories" to be TRUE. Maybe I should stick to documentaries for my filmed history.

The voices in my head are telling me to do things.
But they're telling me to do nice things.

[–] tea-rex 13 years ago

I don't know how realistic Chuck Yeager's visit on horseback is, but the fueling of the X-1 actually took place the way it is depicted in that scene.
Far away from the flight line, engines burning with inactive fuel pumps to prevent accumulation of highly explosive vapour clouds.

[–] lwi101 13 years ago

The Right Stuff was never intended to be "TRUTH". It was inside gossip about a program many Americans had forgotten about. Many of the original seven were against the book and movie because they did not like the way they and the program were portrayed. Most of the info came from the second nine, who may not have always loved the original seven, seen through Tom Wolfe's unique prism and turned into a Hollywood movie. Truth? It was always meant to be fun. Compare Yeager's book "Across the High Frontier" with his autobiography and you can see how truth evolves over time. For all that is false, there are elements of truth under it all, and Yeager may have seen the X1 as beast. In across the high frontier he talks about night mares, and dreams of being trapped in a burning ship. None of that is in the autobiography. Which one is truth? Even documentaries are told from a point of view.
L

[–] orangewarm 13 years ago

I've studied a lot of literature and it seems to me this is a knight/dragon scene. He's on a horse and he's seen the dragon, resting, breathing and he's wondering to himself if he can defeat it. "A demon lives in the sky..." He's a guy who is constantly testing himself and the new plane is a test. Notice the plane is breathing fire, like a dragon, resting.

[–] rwsmith29456 13 years ago

I think this was more symbolic than realistic.

[–] greenleafie 11 years ago

Did anyone notice the Icarus symbolism, when Yeager flew the F-104, constantly toward the sun? The sun then "melted" his wings and caused him to crash.

[–] MannLaw 9 years ago

My memory is not perfect, and this might be wrong, but I think Chuck was riding a horse. I think you could see the breath coming out of the horse's nostrils. The Bell X-1 also had gas coming out of it. The point: We have come a long, long way from horses to jets.

[–] mpoconnor7 8 years ago

It was symbolism: the transportation of the past (the horse) and the future (the rocket).