He fell in with a group of misfits who learned not only how to turn scraps of metal into sophisticated rockets but how to sustain their hope in a. A perfect hollywood opening scene, the story behind the hit film october sky is all the more remarkable because it is drawn from the real life of former engineer homer hickam. In a 1950s mining town called coalwood, homer hickam is a kid with only one future in sight, to work in the local coal mine like his father. October sky is a film that will steal your heart, fill your mind with vivid imagery, and lift your spirit. Unlike homer hickam, the hero of october sky, i didnt go on to become a nasa. October sky 1999 soundtrack complete list of songs. A sumptuous production of an oldfashioned crowdpleaser. Weatherford award in 1998, the year of its release. October sky is the story of how homer hickam sees sputnik fly over his small mining town and begins to dream big. Faced with an uncertain future, homer hickam nurtured a dream. The movie teaches this lesson by showing homer, the main character, trying to be successful by going to college and getting a.
October sky liane speaks with nasa engineer and author, homer hickam, junior, and director joe johnston about the newlyreleased film, october sky universal. Click here to see the internet movie database imdb listing for october sky. Homer hickam, the man whose life became the basis of the film october sky, takes us through some of his inspiring accomplishments. October sky does good job of telling homer hickam jr. The tale of homer hickham and his dream of creating a rocket seem so simple at first, especially when the film is set in a mining town, where the future is as clear cut as the lumps of coal in the mine. However in october 1957, everything changes when the first. Its seen through the eyes of their leader, young homer hickham jake gyllenhaal, who sees the speck of light in the sky and starts reading the science fiction of jules verne. October sky is a simple, but heartfelt tale about homer h. Like the hero of october sky, i remember the shock that ran through america when the russians launched sputnik on oct. Later editions were published as october sky as a tiein to the 1999 film adaptation it is a story of growing up in a mining town, and a boys pursuit of amateur rocketry in a coal mining town.
After teen homer hickam sees sputnik race across the sky, he is determined to build rockets. Especially, this movies teaching me that never giving up just following my dream. The true story of homer hickam, a coal miners son who was inspired by the first sputnik launch to. It was 1957, and the small mining town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. October sky is a 1999 film directed by joe johnston, starring jake gyllenhaal, laura dern, and chris cooper. October sky is a great movies which is based on the truth story of homer hickam. One of the main lessons the movie teaches is that you should never give up on a dream no matter how hard it seems to reach. This ignites a passion for rocket science in him and he sets out to follow his dream and escape. This is the true story that inspired the feature film october sky. Hickman, a man who i never knew existed prior to this films release.
October sky, by homer hiram, was published in 1999. Jake gyllenhaal in october sky 1999 chris cooper and jake gyllenhaal in october sky. October sky tells the story of four boys in a povertystricken corner of appalachia who are determined to build their own rocket, and help get. In coalwood, west virginia, all the boys grow up to be coal miners. It also motivated many people who went on to be the unseen heroes of the nasa program those who worked behind the scenes to get those astronauts and their rockets into space and the wonderful, feel good film, october sky, tells the truelife story of one of them. October sky, originally published as rocket boys, tells the story of how the author decided to build rockets as a high school student in coalwood, west virginia. Parents need to know that october sky is a moving drama based on a true story centers on a very difficult, tense fatherson relationship. Inspired by the universal pictures film and rocket boys by homer h. It was originally published under the title rocket boys in 1998. Hickams body of written work also includes several additional bestselling memoirs and. Originally titled the rocket boys when hickam wrote it in 1998, the book can also be found under the title october sky which was released in conjunction with the movie tiein in 1999. Chapterbychapter october sky summary rocket boys by.
Posted jul 23, 2014 reel vs real, october sky and rocket boys 7. Overcoming a poor education, a tough father chris cooper and a series of misfires, homer turns his dreams into reality in this incredible true story of hope, determination and triumph. Homer grew up in a small town, but dreams to live a life better. Find out where october sky is streaming, if october sky is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. October sky is a 1999 american biographical film based on the true story of homer hickam, a coal miners son who was inspired by the launch of sputnik 1 to take up rocketry against his fathers wishes, and who eventually became a nasa engineer. In one scene, a drunken stepfather beats up one of the main characters friends. The film is set in coalwood, west virginia in the year 1957. The film tells the true story of homer hickam, a teenager with nothing special going for him until one night he witnesses a rocket soar through the sky. Their main challenge is the fact that they live in a. Brought up by his father to follow in his footsteps to the mine that their small town has been built around, young homer hickhams ambitions are radically altered the day he watches sputnik, the first rocket launched into space. With jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, laura dern, chris owen. I enjoyed to watch the movie because it had many lessons and touches on some issues such as building the rockets, in life with friends and family problems to solve.
Author homer hickam talks differences in rocket boys and film october sky updated jan, 2019. Here we have pinpoint acting, marvelous directing, and an inspiring story about tolerance and following your dreams. Hickmans memoir rocket boys, this film begins in 1957 with russias historic launch of. Homer hickam talks about building rockets and the october. The true story of homer hickam, a coal miners son who was inspired by the first sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his fathers wishes. October sky is the first memoir in a series of four, by american engineer homer hickam jr. John hickam chris cooper, the mine superintendent, loves his job and hopes that his boys, jim scott miles and homer jake gyllenhaal, will one day join him in his mine. This article will give you a chapter by chapter october sky summary. His 1998 memoir rocket boys also published as october sky was a new york times best seller and was the basis for the 1999 film october sky. All 15 songs from the october sky 1999 movie soundtrack, with scene descriptions. The movie relates his struggles against his town, his family, and the stereotypes of his time. Otherwise, despite its based on a true story opening credit, this earnest, nostalgic film has a way of seeming too good to be true. October sky 1999 fullhd movies, october sky 1999 fullhd movies, october sky 1999 fullhd movies, october sky 1999 fullhd movies dvd quality october sky 1999 fullhd movies dvdrip online free. Jake gyllenhaal and laura dern star in this inspiring true story about a teenager living in a west.
The movie teaches this lesson by showing homer, the main c. Youll laugh with it, cry with it, and go away absolutely loving it, says robert butler knight ridder news service of the critically acclaimed october sky. October sky tells the story of four boys in a povertystricken corner of appalachia who are determined to build their own rocket, and help get america back in the space race. Listen to and download the music, ost, score, list of songs and trailers.
The coal mine is the towns largest employer and almost every man living in the town works in the mines. Jake gyllenhaal and laura dern star in this inspiring true story about a teenager living in a west virginia mining town who dares to reach for the stars after seeing the sputnik satellite. The film october sky tells the story of a group of american boys in the late 1950s who are inspired to build and launch their own rockets. It would be entirely accurate, but perhaps a bit offputting, to describe october sky as a uniquely american success story, or a brandnew variation on an oldfashioned horatio alger story. The beloved film is now a triumphant new american musical that will send your heart soaring and inspire your whole family to reach for the stars. October sky is one of the most inspiring and well done biopics ive had the privilege to witness. The universal pictures film october sky was filmed primarily in east tennessee around knoxville, oak ridge, oliver springs, petros and wartburg.
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