Released 40 years ago, this 4-Oscar-winning masterpiece is one of the greatest films of American cinema, but it was a credit to its producers.

After the conquest of the West, the stars… the fabric of heroes gives a mythic, legendary dimension to the last great conquest and those who participated in it. The masterful epic written by Philip Kaufman was crowned with 4 Oscars in 1984 and carried by his stalwarts Ed Harris (John Glenn), Sam Shepard (Chuck Yeager), Scott Glenn (Alan Shepard), Dennis Quaid (Gordon Cooper), Fred. Ward (Gus Grissom) and Jeff Goldblum.

Rich in numerous archival images, The Fabric of Heroes plunges the viewer into a scientific and ideological battle, pitted against scientific miracles and human tragedies. Largely an absolute classic of American cinema since its release, it’s a spectacular and captivating mural that never loses its true emotional power, enhanced by Bill Conti’s unforgettable score. In short, it’s amazing.

From stars to box office busts

The Planets, at least on paper, seemed aligned enough to become a hit in theaters… and the opposite happened: an absolute disaster. Made for $27 million, it didn’t gross more than $21 million internationally. Of course, the duration of the film is 3 hours. 10, which de facto limited the number of testimonials. And he’s faced some pretty solid productions released at the same time, like David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone or Roger Spottiswoode’s On Fire. anyway.

The Cloth of Heroes is produced by The Ladd Company; The company was founded by Alan Ladd Jr. in 1979 after his tenure as president of 20th Century Fox ended. He was the man behind Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner (big fail there too…), Body Fever and Peter Hyams’ excellent sci-fi film, Outland. Works distributed by Warner Bros. by arrangement.

Burdened by a series of major failures, The Fabric of Heroes was the final blow to the company. It would take more than a decade to recover, especially since Warner Bros. terminated the distribution agreement for his films, forcing him to turn to new partners.

Experiencing a very brief revival in the mid-1990s in the 2000s thanks to Paramount and Miramax Films, The Ladd Company was liquidated in 2007. Its separation from Warner Bros. It was truly a blow from which he never recovered.