Taglines: The mission was a sham. The murders were real.
Capricorn One — the first crewed mission to Mars—is on the launch pad. Just before liftoff, the crew of Brubaker, Willis, and Walker are suddenly removed from the spacecraft. Bewildered, they are flown to an abandoned military base in the desert. The launch proceeds on schedule, with the public unaware the spacecraft is empty.
At the base, NASA official Kelloway, informs the astronauts that a faulty life-support system would have killed them in-flight. He says they must help counterfeit the televised footage during the flight to and from Mars. Another failed space mission would result in NASA’s funding being cut and private contractors losing millions in profits. Kelloway threatens their families to force their cooperation.
The astronauts remain captive during the flight and appear to be filmed after landing on Mars, though they are inside a makeshift TV studio at the base. At the command center, only a few officials know about the conspiracy until an alert technician, Elliot Whitter, notices that ground control receives the crew’s televised transmissions before the spacecraft telemetry arrives.
Whitter reports this to his supervisors, including Kelloway, but is told it is due to a faulty workstation. Whitter partially shares his concerns with a TV journalist friend, Robert Caulfield. Whitter suddenly vanishes, and when Caulfield goes to his apartment the next day, he discovers someone else living there and that all evidence of Whitter’s recent life has been erased. As Caulfield investigates, several attempts are made on his life.
Upon returning to Earth, the empty spacecraft burns up during atmospheric reentry due to a faulty heat shield. The captive astronauts were supposed to be placed in the returned capsule before being recovered by the Navy. After it is destroyed, they realize officials will never release them. They escape in a small jet which quickly runs out of fuel, forcing a crash-landing in the desert. They split up on foot to increase their chances of finding help and exposing the plot. Kelloway sends helicopters after them; Willis and Walker are found, while Brubaker evades capture.
Caulfield interviews Brubaker’s “widow” after reviewing a televised conversation between the astronauts and their wives. Mrs. Brubaker had seemed confused when her husband mentioned their last family vacation. She explains that the family had actually gone to a different location where a western movie was being filmed. Brubaker was intrigued by how special effects and technology made it seem real.
Caulfield believes Brubaker would never make such a mistake and may have been sending his wife a message. Caulfield goes to the deserted movie set and is shot at. As he investigates further, federal agents break into his home, arresting him for possessing cocaine that they planted there. His exasperated boss bails Caulfield out, then fires him.
Capricorn One is a 1978 science-fiction thriller film that narrates a government hoax created to deceive the public on a supposed Mars landing. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade’s ITC Entertainment. It stars Elliott Gould with James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O.J. Simpson as the astronauts.
Filming started in January 1977. Filming took place at Cinema Center Films in Studio City and in Red Rock Canyon. Hyams later joked, “O.J. Simpson was in it, and Robert Blake was in (Hyams’ first feature) Busting. I’ve said many times: Some people have AFI Lifetime Achievement awards, some people have multiple Oscars, my bit of trivia is that I’ve made films with two leading men who were subsequently tried for the first degree murder of their wives.”
Capricorn One (1978)
Directed by: Peter Hyams
Starring: Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Brenda Vaccaro, Karen Black, Sam Waterston, O. J. Simpson, Hal Holbrook, David Huddleston, David Doyle, Telly Savalas, Denise Nicholas, Robert Walden
Screenplay by: Peter Hyams
Production Design by: Albert Brenner
Cinematography by: Bill Butler
Film Editing by: James Mitchell
Costume Design by: Patricia Norris
Set Decoration by: Rick Simpson
Art Direction by: David M. Haber
Music by: Jerry Goldsmith
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: June 2, 1978 (United States)
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