Product Details

• Directors: Leo De Boer
• Writers: Leo De Boer
• Producers: Pieter van Huystee
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: White Star
• DVD Release Date: April 15, 2003
• Run Time: 78 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008DDRG
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,649 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Documentary > Space Exploration

• For more information about "The Red Stuff - The True Story of the Russian Race for Space" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Between 1957 and 1965, the Russians had one success after another in their space program, including the first artificial satellite, the first space walk, and both the first living creature and first man in space. They were streets ahead of their archrivals--the Americans. But these successes were soon overshadowed in 1969, when the Americans became the first to set foot on the moon--and were hence deemed to have won the space race. The Red Stuff: The True Story of the Russian Race for Space is a film about the first heroes of the cosmos from those early years of Russian space travel. Who were the people behind these first successes? Unique archival material reveals the bravery and the unsurpassed stamina of the cosmonauts. What is true and what is false in our view of Russian space exploration? How do those involved look back on their work and their enforced role in the Soviet political machine? Now that the military secrecy and national propaganda of the Soviet Union has crumbled, see the real story of the other side of the space race.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Far from the "True Story", February 23, 2005

By	Laurenc SVITOK (Bratislava Slovakia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Red Stuff: True Story Russian Race for Space [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was quite looking forward to this material (VHS)expecting some consolidated story of the early soviet manned programms. Date of release -2003- evoked the hope of seeing rare footages because the story is quite well known - not only never secret propaganda films from triumphal welcome of cosmonauts by top rank party leaders. I am heavily disapointed. The "story" is a compilation of several inteviews with first soviet cosmonauts revealing nothing new, not even K.Feoktistov's dislike of Comunist Party and G.Titov's not being happy not getting the first Vostok seat. The footages used are not always related to Vostok, using Soyuz footage when speaking of Vostok is really for beginners only. Author's added commentary on last moments of V.Komarov (screaming, accusing ...) is based on fairy tale, interestingly, here he did not bother to ask the interviewed cosmonauts.
The bonus part of the tape, The Starman, the life story of Y.Gagarin, is at least a content story using original footages from Vostok programm. On the other hand, majority of interviewed people remained nameless, you see somebody speak but you do not know who it is.
If you want to know the true story of the soviet early manned space program read better some books, you find a lot of excellent ones in Amazon. This compilation is far from it ...

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NO Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova WHY????, February 23, 2004

By	Craig A. SAUNDERS "Master Reader" (woodbridge, va) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Interestly the DVD surprised me with the ommission of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova the first women in space there was no mention of her except in passing WHY?,it would been nice to see the film footage of her in training and in space,to add a further insult they mentioned the first dog in space with film footage but not her???.Other that that this DVD has put a piece of puzzle together about the Russian Space program that was hidden from the west and also the Russian public.,I would have like to see more interviews with some of the other Cosmonauts and find out what happened to some of the one's that washed out of the program .The interviews are candid and they talk about some of the problem with the program .The added bonus is a documentary about Yuri Gargain that is worth the price of this DVD..I give 4 stars because of the ommision of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova.I hope the producers go back and update this DVD.

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth seeing, but more for the subject than the content, April 21, 2009

By	Leon Baradat "Homebrewer" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's refreshing to see a documentary about the Soviet space program! Yet it turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. It has a substantial array of interviews with surviving cosmonauts, plus others who were involved in the program. But the documentary has almost no narration; it seems to be trying to rely on the interviews to do the narration for it, which often didn't work. My wife said she would have been lost if I hadn't kept filling her in on the details as we went along. The DVD has a bonus film, Starman, about the life and career of Yuri Gagarin. If you watch The Red Stuff and are disappointed, don skip Starman thinking itl be more of the same. It well-narrated and well-explained, and well worth watching. Starman was really what The Red Stuff should have been.