Hidden figures that is written at the end of the film. “Hidden Figures”: another tolerant story. Based on real events

print version

In the history of cinema, there are a huge number of works based on real events, and many of them are curtseys - about women who changed history.

The director's new film Theda Melfi"Hidden Figures", released on the big screen just the other day, will leave a mark in the hearts of an impressionable and caring public. The movie turned out not to be a grandiose exception, not a masterpiece creation, but inspiring and of high quality.

Before us appears America in 1961, when it was still normal to divide a person by skin color, when a woman was in second place, or even completely in the shade, when Yuri Gagarin flew into space. The plot is based on the need to get ahead of the Russians and launch the spaceship first.

The prototype of the main character is a genius of mathematics Katherine Johnson which was played on the screen Taraji P. Henson(films "Kid", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"). The girl got the role of a computational nerd prodigy and a heroine suppressing feelings of feminism. This character is central, she is transferred to the department in which they are engaged in trajectory calculations and other calculations for space flight. Here she shows herself from the best side, having fallen under the guidance of a sensitive Al Harrison. Her two friends are the more perky Dorothy Vaughn ( Octavia Spencer known for the film "The Help", for which she received an Oscar, other films: "Fruitvale Station", "James Brown: Way Up") and Mary Jackson ( Janelle Monae, by the way, shines in the Oscar-winning film "Moonlight", best known as a singer) depicted independent women with revolutionary views and fighting for women's rights on the screen.

Despite all the qualities of the heroines, Dorothy is denied promotion, but she practically already manages her department, consisting of black colleagues. And Mary, passionate about becoming an engineer, is waiting for tests ahead. She will fight on the legal fields and defend her right. Gifted girls are excellent mathematicians, but their work and knowledge are noticed only at the end of the film. Throughout the tape, they with dignity withstand pressure and neglect from the “whites” (in the context they are forced to quote - approx. - ed.). And their gift in computational mathematics allows the Americans to achieve their goal. Pleasantly surprised Kirsten Dunst as Vivienne Mitchell. The secondary role did not diminish the talent of the actress at all, and she managed to convincingly show hostility towards African Americans and portray an evil, internally unhappy woman, a NASA employee, who is one step higher on the career ladder.
The director shows the viewer a thorny path to a career and an enchanting reward in the finale for all the humiliation and oppression. The theme of discrimination based on gender and color passes in the film in passing, fortunately, without taking the main part of the time of the tape. The director clearly sets priorities, as if saying that his picture is mainly about brave girls devoted to science. The predictable end in the form of a late recognition of the genius and courage of a black woman does not spoil the overall impression of the picture. After all, the film itself does not claim to be an effect of amazement. The plot flows calmly, smoothly, according to the laws of drama and biography. The tape reaches its peak at the moment of Katherine's outburst of emotions. “There is no toilet for me here. There are no colored toilets in this building or anywhere else on west campus! Our toilet is far away. Did you know this?" she turns to Mr. Harrison. And he found out, and with a few blows in front of everyone, the plate “Toilet for colored people”, and in the end he gave a string of pearls to Catherine (it was not allowed to wear jewelry around the neck, except for pearls), which personifies his human qualities.

However, like many biographical works about discoveries, the greatest heroes, this film does not go beyond and does not offer anything new. The picture is useful for those who are not familiar with this part of the story, who will learn something new for themselves. However, the tape is presented in the old manner, and the style of narration is not new. The main thing here is the linear development of the plot and the life of an ordinary person. A lot of time is devoted to the development of the plot with Katherine, and, for example, Mary's struggle for the right to study in college with whites is not revealed. This line is limited to a bright episode in the courtroom and a bombastic speech about a discoverer. The story line with Dorothy is also pretty straightforward. For the most part on the screen, she looks like a grumbler, since the character of the character was slightly opened in the finale, when she coped with the computer and did not leave her black colleagues. Against the background of the brilliant minds of the main characters, the “whites” personify the stupidity and inability to make correct calculations. Grown men in formal suits sit in the office like a scenery in NASA for the masses. Of the entire team of specialists, Mr. Harrison is perhaps the only person capable of thinking. He is remembered mainly by the manifestation of a certain amount of rebelliousness.
The director dilutes the narrative of the race for space exploration by inserting the everyday life of the heroines into the story, shows their little joys, and introduces them to their families. And what about without a romantic love story between the main character Katherine and the officer played by Mahershala Ali(by the way, he won the main award "Oscar" for the best supporting role in the film "Moonlight"). In "Hidden Figures" he did not excel in the game, he got a loving, pleasant young man.

“Hidden Figures” is about specific people following a dream without looking back. In Russian translation, the name of the film takes on a single meaning - an inconspicuous person with courage, bravery and talent. Ted Malfi shot an optimistic and bright picture, not hitting the topic of discrimination, but placing accents on people of any color and gender. Men could have been in their place, and the meaning of the tape would not have changed, but history cannot be changed. The main thing in the drama is a strong man, a discoverer not broken by circumstances, leading to civilization, the modern world without patterns. The breakthrough into outer space is parallel and closely concerns the path of development of the race, the denial of pseudo-correct laws.

Regina Akhmadullina

The picture tells how, on the eve of the triumph of Soviet competitors, workers in the American space industry feverishly tried to catch up and overtake the Soviets, rushing forward and upward. But, as one extremely popular Russian pop singer once sang, something is not right, but it is not clear what.

This, however, is not at all surprising: taking into account the general intellectual level of the agency’s employees, who are under the leadership of the fair, but also close-minded Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), they cannot be trusted to launch not only rockets into space - a tram along a two-stop route. This is especially vividly illustrated by the character of Jim Parsons - a researcher who mostly sits with the look of waiting for the usual off-screen laughter, and the rest of the time he just blunts or frowns intently.

But, as they say, everything changes when they come - three lively black women (Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer), occupying modest technical positions. Only this cheerful, energetic and very, very smart trinity is able to save the unfortunate sharashka from a complete fiasco. They will calculate the required number at the speed of a calculator, and they will get along with the latest complex supercomputer (having stolen the necessary textbook from the library - they don’t give out books to black women just like that, even very, very smart and working at NASA), and in general the whole stellar project that has come to a standstill on its own fragile backs will be pulled out.

They, most likely, would have been able to jump over the USSR - but racism, multiplied by chauvinism, prevented it. Judge for yourself - well, what is the championship in space, when the only employee in the department who is able to think has to run to the toilet on the other side of the city to cheerful music? That's it.

To match the film's caricature of the very dark theme of segregation in the United States - and its culmination. It becomes the solemn destruction of the "racist" sign on the toilet door, which was the result of Harrison's sudden realization that the efficiency of one black employee is higher than the productivity of all his white subordinates combined. And the chief wielding a crowbar at this moment looks - and clearly feels like - Abraham Lincoln, no more, no less. All this is done with such a deadly serious face that the comic effect is instantly tripled.

The film, as stated, is based on real events, and disclaimers before the end credits serve as confirmation of this. It is clear that there is no smoke without fire, and the contribution of talented, but oppressed by an unjust society, ladies to the development of American astronautics is certainly worthy of universal admiration. And the shameful page of history for the United States (which has not been completely turned over), no doubt, requires a comprehensive study.

Only the "progressive public", headlong

"Yeah, they let women do things at NASA..."

"Kevin is a key figure at NASA, based on several people, including then-NASA administrator James Webb," Director Melfi explains. - These guys were extremely interested in launching the Americans into space, and therefore they were more aware of the need to attract new personnel and develop technologies. They welcomed anyone who could help them work on a safe launch into orbit."

Melfi continues: “We were very excited when Kevin joined us; his responsiveness, talent and energy gave a lot to our picture. He has a special personality, and a team is instantly created around him, picking up his mood. He comes to work with the goal of being useful - to his fellow actors, the image he creates, the story he tells. In my opinion, he just can't do anything wrong."

Costner was immediately interested in the script. On him, as on others, the story itself made a huge impression. “We know that the United States was created by the efforts of extraordinary people, but it is surprising that people who have done so much for the country do not always get what they deserve, remaining in obscurity,” he notes. “Let the names of these women not become the property of the whole world, but they were very important for the space program, for the lives of real people and for all of us.”

He was also attracted by the idea of ​​entering a world where outsiders are rarely allowed - behind the scenes of NASA, where work was carried out on amazing space launches and flights. “Scientists and engineers are a different breed,” says Costner. “So a key challenge for this role was to realize what Al Harrison was up against: He wanted to bring the brightest and sharpest minds to NASA to work together on a vision that was in doubt. Yes, there was a goal: to get into space. However, Harrison needed to figure out how to bring all these different people together so that they would work together towards the same goal.”

Costner realized that it was not easy. “The reality is that when you gather several talented scientists in one place, it turns out that they are big individualists and may not get along with each other. Many scientists are so immersed in their studies that they become "myopic", do not notice other people. And people like Harrison need to not only come up with solutions to mathematical problems, but also deal with manifestations of human envy, indifference and bias, ”he explains.

The hero is also motivated by the desire to surpass the USSR - in the midst of balancing on the brink of a nuclear war, it was very significant. “There was a lot to do with good old-fashioned competition,” Kostner notes.

NASA's Hidden Side: The Scenery

"" takes viewers into a world they've never seen before - a remote, segregated division of NASA known as West Computing, whose existence in Southern Virginia in the early 1960s was combined with the application of Jim Crow laws. To recreate this hidden side of NASA and national history, director Ted Melfi hired a top notch team of cinematographers Mandy Walker, production designer Wynne Thomas, editor Peter Teschner and costume designer Renee Kalfus.

“Visually, the film was able to convey something special about the beauty of these women, their families, their lives,” notes Jenno Topping. - All this had to be approached with great care, so Wynn, Renee and Mandy proved themselves
like true masters of their craft.

Melfi was particularly interested in having the film directed by a female cameraman - of whom there are not yet many in Hollywood. “I don't understand why there are so few women among directors of photography,” the director comments. - Mandy has a brilliant aesthetic sense and a trained eye, she sees the beautiful. She does not need any tricks - she just finds a natural, raw frame with the most effective and organic lighting.

From the very beginning, Walker and Melfi talked about the iconic photographers of the period, in particular Saul Leiter, a pioneer of the so-called New York school of photography, which favored bright, colorful street scenes infused with the humanism of everyday life. They also discussed Melfi's original design.

“For me, the key word that characterizes the meaning of this film was the word “through”. Everything happens through. Women have to fight their way through the obstacles of racial and gender discrimination. United States, to strive through space into space, - explains Melfi. “So we planned to use the camera to shoot through doorways, windows, whatever.

We tried to see beauty and feeling through things. We did not go too far, but whenever possible, we showed things in this way.” Melfi and Walker also made the decision to shoot on film rather than using a digital camera, more in keeping with the spirit of the era when calculations for the space program were done by hand on paper. He also asked Walker
work with warm colors. “I was very excited when Ted told me he wanted to shoot on film,” Walker says. “We understood that we would have a wonderful play of shades of color and light.”

To emphasize the visual appeal of the era, Walker also uses vintage lenses.

“We used the old Panavision Anamorphic series lenses, and we shot with Kodak from old stock,” she explains.

Walker worked closely with production designer Thomas. Thomas says: “We had a lot of ideas about the visual aspect of the film. We spent a lot of time looking at pictures from that era and discussing composition. When you shoot on film, you need a lot more light, so we had to work very closely together to get the right light for Mandy's amazing cinematography."

Thomas, who made the set for the film A Beautiful Mind, which also has a math theme, began his work with intensive research. “I looked at countless photographs of NASA buildings and complexes from that era, as well as various materials from home archives,” he says. “We wanted to not only convey the spirit of the time, but also help to get to know the characters better by showing their surroundings.”

He admits that when portraying East and West Computing at NASA, they sometimes allowed themselves to embellish reality a little to make the film's visuals more attractive. “We didn't try to recreate NASA exactly. We
sought to recreate the spirit of NASA of that time - and this is another matter,” explains Thomas.

Thomas and Walker were especially focused on creating the special, heady atmosphere of the Special Space Group when Katherine Johnson was finally invited to join the elite team of top aerospace engineers.

“Jumping into the Special Space Group has completely changed Katherine’s life, so we wanted to create a space that feels like a different, larger, more significant life, so that Katherine feels a little overwhelmed and overwhelmed by entering this high-tech world that previously seemed out of reach for her."

While filming in Atlanta, Thomas enjoyed using the buildings of Morehouse College as a location for NASA facilities. NASA's research center resembled a university campus in layout, so the filmmakers liked the idea of ​​using one of the nation's oldest black universities for location filming. His enclosures were featured in the film, including the circular Frederick-Douglas Hall. “This round building dominates the architectural ensemble of the campus, so we decided to use it as a building that houses the Special Space Group. In reality, the Special Space Group did not work in a round room, but our solution allowed us to make the space more visually interesting,” notes Thomas.

Melfi was pleased with Thomas' work. “Everything Wynn touches changes like magic,” he says. - You can clearly see how attentive he is to the details used. Wynn skillfully played on the contrast between East and West Computing. East Computing appears neat, cozy and bright, while West Computing is in a dirty and gloomy basement, where various units are piled up everywhere. Wynn did it all in a more intuitive way - but that's how it should have looked."

At the same time, costume designer Renee Kalfus immersed herself in the fashion of the American South in the early 60s, trying to adapt it to the image of the heroines. “It's been great to work on a film where you have three incredible female characters and the ability to create a distinct style for each of them,” says Kalfus. - We used original kits, sewed something in the studio, picked up vintage things. I reviewed more than one ton of clothing catalogs of that time. We had several editions of Sears and Wards, as well as other magazines, and this served as a good help.”

As for Katherine, it was important to Kalfus that her clothes look handmade, as they really were. “It's part of Katherine's history, part of her nature, so it was very important for us to represent handmade clothing as part of her character,” notes Kalfus.

Kalfus asked all three lead actresses to wear corsets to embody the spirit of the era, with her graceful and toned poses, and to reflect the West Computing women's desire to be flawless. “The corset changes your posture,” says Kalfus. - He brings a certain severity to the manner of holding on and even slows down the movements a little. We felt it would really help Taraji, Octavia and Janelle immerse themselves in that era."

Melfi gave Kalfus free rein. “I completely trusted Reni with the whole process,” Melfi comments. - She has a rationale and meaning for each costume. She always starts by asking, “Why is the character wearing these clothes? What does she say about this man? And you see the answers in her work.”

All these details have become a rich substrate for the actors. Kevin Costner says, “When you get on set and you get all this realistic vibes, it gives a lot to an actor. It helps to work, helps to immerse yourself in history.”

The filmmakers hope that the audience will be able to experience the same feeling. "It takes a lot of dedication and passion to make any film," notes Jenno Topping, "and that's exactly the case with Hidden Figures." We all felt it was our responsibility to pay tribute to the real people the film is about. And it has brought an additional purpose to our work: we hope that the audience will learn about these wonderful women and fall in love with them.”

Dynamic soundtrack

Ted Melfi was delighted to have 10-time Grammy winner Pharrell Williams not only produce but also be directly involved in the film, collaborating with 9-time Oscar nominee legend Hans Zimmer and writing several original songs for soundtrack.

“We started talking about music, and I just fell in love with Farrell and his passion for the subject,” says Melfi. Farrell is a big fan of science and women's empowerment, so he was perfect for our story. And his music is great."

In music, Williams has always been drawn to the rhythms of the 60s. “When we first met, he immediately said, ‘I have an idea,’” Melfi recalls. “He sent us test recordings all the time, and every time I thought, damn it, this is just amazing. I really feel that his film score is in tune with his heart."

Williams talks about how excited he was about the project: “This story interested me very much, and I clearly realized that the musical plan should be consistent with it. I hope my songs reflect the source of their inspiration."

Williams' original song "Runnin'" is heard as Katherine G. Johnson runs in search of a "colored" restroom, after her transfer to an elite NASA unit. "Being a man, I still tried really hard to put myself in Katherine's shoes on this song," says Williams. - And I must say that it is difficult. I had to try to imagine what painful feelings reigned in her soul, and express it - in 3 minutes and 30 seconds. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to illustrate her experiences with my music and intonation.”

Another original song, "I See A Victory", was written by Pharrell Williams and Kirk Franklin and performed by prominent gospel singer Kim Burrell, known for her unusually strong voice and distinctive style that combines soul jazz and R&B with traditional gospel inspiration. The soundtrack also features the voices of Mary J. Blige, Alisha Keys, Lala Hathaway and Janelle Monáe, who played in the film.

This wonderful opportunity to tell the story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson through music was a real treat for Williams, just as it was an inspiration to everyone involved in the film's production.

Summing up, Melfi says: “We were united by the story of how many people at NASA - black and white, men and women - came together to achieve a great goal, managing to ignore all differences. Was it difficult? Oh sure. Was it uncomfortable? Yes, sure. How long did it take? Yes many. But when people unite and work on an equal footing, great things happen.”

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS

KATHERINE JOHNSON (performed by Taraji P. Henson)

A mathematician, physicist and astronaut, Katherine Johnson was born in West Virginia in 1918. She became one of the brightest minds of her generation. Even in early childhood, her brilliant mathematical abilities manifested themselves in a virtuoso handling of numbers. Encouraged by her parents and teachers, Johnson attended West Virginia State College and graduated with honors.

She became the first African-American woman to enroll in a graduate program at West Virginia University when, in 1930, the state abolished racial segregation for graduate studies. Originally a teacher, Johnson was accepted as a "living computer" at NASA's Langley Research Center in 1953. Subsequently, she was assigned to the Flight Research Department, where she became an indispensable specialist in the calculations for the orbital trajectories of the first Mercury flights. Johnson performed trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard, the first American to fly into space. Her calculations contributed to the success
the historic Friendship 7 mission, when astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. One of the first IBM computers was used to calculate Glenn's flight orbit, but its data turned out to be inaccurate, so before the start, Glenn insisted that the "girl" (meaning Johnson) manually verify the numbers. The successful flight marked a turning point in the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Subsequently, the "stellar" mathematician worked on calculations for the Apollo 11 flight to the Moon in 1969, as well as for the Space Shuttle and an artificial satellite for studying natural resources.

Johnson had three daughters from his first marriage to James Goble, who died in 1956. In 1959, she married Colonel James Johnson. In 2015, Katherine Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.

Dorothy Vaughn (performed by Octavia Spencer)

Dorothy Vaughn was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1910. She was a gifted child who excelled academically and musically. Her family moved to West Virginia when she was eight. At the age of 15, Vaughn won a full scholarship to Wilberforce University in Ohio. She married Howard Vaughn. Mother of six children. She worked as a school teacher before joining the Langley Research Center as a "living computer" in the 1940s. She was promoted to a leadership position and became the first black executive at NASA.

Committed to protecting the interests of her employees, Vaughn dedicated herself to fighting for promotions and pay raises for both black and white "computer" women. With the advent of the first electronic computers at NASA, Vaughn realized that the profession of a living computer would soon disappear. Having managed to adapt to new realities, she took up programming, becoming a specialist in Fortran (computer programming language). Vaughn also encouraged the women in her department to study to be programmers in order to keep their jobs. She joined
the newly formed Computing Division (RVO), a racially and gender-integrated group that stood at the forefront of electronic computing. Dorothy Vaughn died in 2008.

MARY JACKSON (played by Janelle Monáe)

Mary Jackson was born in Hampton, Virginia in 1921. She received a degree in mathematics and physics from the Hampton Institute. She married Levi Jackson Sr. Mother of two children. Initially she worked as a teacher. A talented mathematician, Jackson began her career at NASA as a "living computer". Jackson's brilliant engineering skills did not go unnoticed, and NASA engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki encouraged her to complete a training program that would allow her to qualify as an engineer.

Showing resilience and courage, she applied for a court order to be able to attend a segregated white school and take the college courses required for an engineering position at NASA. After winning the fight and completing her training, Jackson went on to become NASA's first black female aerospace engineer, as well as the first black female engineer in the United States. She participated in the women's rights movement and subsequently even went down in her position, becoming a personnel manager. Among the awards she received was the Prize for participation in the Apollo project. For three decades, Jackson was a passionate leader of the Girl Scouts. She died in 2005.

Watch the trailer of the film "Hidden Figures" in Russian online

On the eve of Gagarin's flight, black female mathematicians Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Hanson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) work at the NASA center in Virginia. Since this is a segregated southern state, the heroines have to endure all sorts of humiliations associated with their skin color. Dorothy is not promoted even though she actually manages the "colored" estimators, Mary can't attend the refresher courses that take place in the "white" college, and Katherine is forced to run out of need to another building, because in the building where her planning team works flights, no “colored” toilets. Nevertheless, women faithfully serve the common cause. Their achievements begin to be noticed only when Gagarin's flight puts NASA in time trouble and the authorities do not have time to maintain racial discrimination.

Katherine Johnson is the only character in the film who is still alive.

According to the famous dark-skinned comedian Whoopi Goldberg, she was amazed to the core when she saw Nichelle Nichols in the Star Trek series in 1966 as a communications officer on a spaceship. For the first time in her life, she saw on the screen a woman of her skin color, who is engaged in prestigious work, and not busy in the kitchen or sweeping the floor. Caryn Johnson (real name Goldberg) did not even suspect that by that time one of the leading NASA mathematicians was her tribeswoman and namesake Katherine Johnson. Instead of glorifying Katherine and her group as role models for new generations of American women of color, the government hushed up their accomplishments. Years passed before the names of these women became widely known, at least in narrow circles of space lovers.

Shot from the film "Hidden Figures"

The film is based on the documentary book by Margot Lee Shetterly. The writer's father was a NASA scientist, and since childhood she knew many of the heroines of her future work.

The second picture of the director of "Saint Vincent" Theodore Melfi was shot to talk about black women mathematicians and pay them a long-deserved tribute. This is not a psychological drama delving into the spiritual intricacies of women of the past, but almost the life of the saints, which admires the talent, pressure and enterprise of the main characters.

Shot from the film "Hidden Figures"

True, the film was shot in a tragicomic vein, and the heroines sometimes look ridiculous. But this absurdity is due to the insane rules that are imposed on the heroines. Let's say Katherine has to trot to the toilet with a bunch of papers, because the trip back and forth takes more than half an hour, and no one will do the work of a woman for her. Dorothy, on the other hand, is forced to steal a book on programming from the library, since books from the "white" department are not given to blacks, and there is no necessary manual in the "color" department. So, when the film puts the heroines in stupid situations, he mocks not at them, but at racism, the representatives of which are shown with much less sympathy. Katherine's direct boss, played by Jim Parsons, appears petty and nasty, while Kirsten Dunst plays Dorothy's boss as a prim "southern lady" who can express all her contempt for the descendants of her family's slaves with one curve of her lips.

Shot from the film "Hidden Figures"

Luckily, Hanson and Spencer are talented character actresses, and their flair is more than enough to turn the "holy statues" into lively, entertaining women to root for in whatever they do. Monet copes with this task worse, because she is more traditionally beautiful, but her role is less significant than that of her partners. Besides, not a single movie has suffered from a sexy mathematician with intelligent eyes. And by the way, although Monet is mainly known as a pop-funk performer, she never gives any doubt that she is in her place in the cinema, where she does not have to sing or dance provocatively.

It is clear that we in Russia do not really care about who calculated the orbits of the first American manned flights and programmed the first American powerful computers. But Hidden Figures is valuable and interesting because it reflects how legal and pervasive racism was in the US just half a century ago. It is impossible to understand current American tensions without such history lessons, and Hidden Figures also portrays Americans in an unaccustomed role of catching up and never catching up (flight to the moon is left out of the narrative). So the tape pretty much amuses our national pride and at the same time tells a positive, sometimes very funny and rather universal story about people who defend their rights not with rallies and idle talk, but with such impeccable work that even their personal enemies by the end of the film reluctantly recognize their contribution. to astronautics. Although the heroines do not need recognition, they know their worth.

In the 1960s, the first American astronauts Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn went into space. Margot Lee Shetterley's book, "Invisible Numbers: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race," and the film "Hidden Figures," based on the book, pay tribute to employees whose accomplishments have remained in the shadows to this day. Behind the scenes of high-profile victories was the work of "human computers" who manually calculated orbital trajectories at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In 1935 NASA hired 5 women for the first time as "computers". It was necessary to solve problems and make calculations manually, without the use of calculators or computers, which at that time seemed to be. During the Second World War, there was a great demand for aircraft, at the same time there were not enough men due to the fact that many went to the front. Were needed.

At this time, a public figure A. Philip Randolph fought to provide jobs for Jews, African Americans, Mexicans, Poles - groups that were discriminated against. In 1941 the US President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 (Executive Order 8802), which prohibited discrimination against workers in the defense industry or in the public service on the basis of their skin color, race, religion, national origin (although it does not specify gender). And six months later, NASA began hiring African-American women with university degrees.

Human computers were not new at all. In the 19th century, women worked as computers at Harvard University and analyzed images of stars. They made a huge contribution to the history of astronomy - Williamina Fleming participated in the development of a unified star designation system and cataloged 10,000 stars and other objects. Annie Jump Cannon invented the spectral classification that we use to this day (from cold to hot bodies: O, B, A, F, G, K, M). Dava Sobel in the book “The Glass Universe” she wrote that these women were in no way inferior to men in mental abilities, while their working conditions were worse.

"Computers" worked in the Laboratory of Aeronautics. Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Virginia. Even though African-American women did the same jobs as white women and men, they were in the segregated West Wing. “These women were meticulous and accurate, and they could not be paid,” said NASA historian Bill Barry. These women often had to retake courses they had already taken in college and were also not considered for promotions at NASA.

But over the years, computers have become engineers, managers, and with the help of their work it has become possible to send John Glenn into orbital spaceflight in 1962.

The Hidden Figures movie is based on real events and tells about the fate of three girls Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan - African-American women who worked as computers in the West Wing of Langley.

Katherine Johnson

(born 1918)

From childhood, Katherine demonstrated extraordinary mental abilities - at the age of 14 she graduated from high school, and at 18 she received a higher education. In 1938, she became one of three African American students (and the only woman) to attend West Virginia State College. In 1953, she joined NASA, where she subsequently worked for 33 years. Her first big assignment was doing the calculations for Alan Shepard's historic 1961 flight.

Johnson and her team worked to trace the path of Freedom 7 in detail from takeoff to landing. It was designed as a ballistic flight - in this it was like a cannon bullet with a capsule rising and falling in a large parabola. Although the flight was considered relatively easy, it was a huge success, and NASA immediately began preparations for America's first orbital mission.

The film mainly focuses on John Glenn's orbital flight, and many of the details, despite the Hollywood script, are historically correct. For example, Glenn did not quite trust computers, and asked Johnson to double-check and confirm the trajectory and entry points: “Let the girl check the numbers. If she says the numbers are okay, I'm ready to fly!”

In 2015, at the age of 97, Katherine received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

Mary Jackson

(1921-2005)

Educated in two majors - mathematics and, Mary worked as a teacher, and at that time it was considered a worthy career for many women with higher education. Because most of the women stayed at home with their children or did low-paid jobs. In 1951, she was accepted into NASA. Responsibilities included extracting relevant data from experiments and flight tests.

A few years later, Mary became an assistant to the senior aeronautical engineer. Casimir Cherniecki who subsequently persuaded her to become an engineer. To qualify, Mary had to take night classes at the segregated Hampton High School. She had to petition the city council to be eligible to study on an equal footing with white students. In 1955, Jackson became the first female NASA engineer.

In addition to fulfilling her job responsibilities, Katherine supported her colleagues in their pursuit of career success, because sometimes women lacked self-confidence or needed additional education. According to the biography on NASA's website, Mary has inspired many to get promoted.

Dorothy Vaughan

(1910-2008)

At NASA, Dorothy was a respected mathematician, FORTRAN programmer, and the first African-American executive. Her career began as a mathematics teacher, and in 1943, during World War II, Dorothy joined the Langley Laboratory in a temporary position. But thanks to Executive Order 8802 to prohibit discrimination, Dorothy was lucky enough to stay with NASA, as there was a high demand for specialists who could process information. But women of color worked separately from their white counterparts, and white women were the first leaders. After Dorothy became a leader, she assessed the promotions and pay raises of her subordinates based on merit. Vaughan became an expert in FORTRAN programming, contributed to the launch of the launch vehicle for the Scout satellite, while raising six children.

According to the writer Margot Lee Shetterly, these women were doing a job that not only any African-American woman, but in general, no one on this planet had done before them. Shatterly's father worked for NASA, so it was not unusual for her that women made a big contribution to the development of space exploration. To write the book, Margot Lee interviewed Katherine Johnson and other collaborators. They were very surprised by the desire of the writer to tell this story, because they did not think that anyone would be interested. The book and the film inspire more women to dare to follow their dreams and remember: genius has no race, strength has no gender, courage has no boundaries.