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Capricorn One (1978)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
2 June 1978 (USA) moreTagline:
The mission was a sham. The murders were real. morePlot:
A NASA Mars mission won't work, and its funding is endangered, so they decide to fake it just this once. But then they have to keep the secret... full summary | add synopsisAwards:
4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Check Out the 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt' Trailer (From CinemaSpy. 15 May 2009, 9:10 PM, PDT)
Directors I Like: Peter Hyams
(From Cinematical. 29 March 2009, 5:32 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Good Escapism! moreUS TV Schedule:
| Tue. July 21 | 3:45 AM | TCM |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Elliott Gould | ... | Robert Caulfield | |
| James Brolin | ... | Charles Brubaker | |
| Brenda Vaccaro | ... | Kay Brubaker | |
| Sam Waterston | ... | Peter Willis | |
| O.J. Simpson | ... | John Walker | |
| Hal Holbrook | ... | Dr. James Kelloway | |
| Karen Black | ... | Judy Drinkwater | |
| Telly Savalas | ... | Albain | |
| David Huddleston | ... | Hollis Peaker | |
| David Doyle | ... | Walter Loughlin | |
| Lee Bryant | ... | Sharon Willis | |
| Denise Nicholas | ... | Betty Walker | |
| Robert Walden | ... | Elliot Whitter | |
| James Sikking | ... | Control Room Man (as Jim Sikking) | |
| Alan Fudge | ... | Capsule Communicator |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
123 minLanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 moreCertification:
USA:PG (certificate no. 25000) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:6 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PGFun Stuff
Goofs:
Plot holes: When reporter Robert Caulfield tells his editor about NASA technician Elliott Whitter's disappearance, he says that Alva Leacock claims to have been living in what he knows to be the other man's apartment "for over a year." Even *if* NASA engaged the connivance of the telephone company to change their own current records, they could not possibly have altered and/or replaced every copy of the telephone directory in the Houston metropolitan area, and just a handful would not only put the lie to Leacock's claim, they would also document Whitter's existence. moreQuotes:
Charles Brubaker: This is really wonderful. If we go along with you and lie our asses off, the world of truth and ideals is, er, protected. But if we don't want to take part in some giant rip-off of yours then somehow or other we're managing to ruin the country. You're pretty good, Jim. I'll give you that. moreFAQ
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When I first heard of this movie in high school, about the time of its release (it would be years before I would actually see it), I was under the impression that it was sort of an expose, clothed in fiction, of the "moon hoax." Actually, while the makers of this flick were no doubt inspired by these weird theories, they didn't really subscribe to them, which I was gratified to learn.
In Capricorn One, the head of the U.S. Government space agency (a fictional NASA) learns that a planned mission to Mars cannot be accomplished. So, to keep government funding, he decides to stage the mission on a studio set , and will go to all extremes, including murder, to protect the secret. One of the technicians suspects that something isn't quite right with his readings, and tells his bosses about it. Shortly thereafter, he disappears. The tech's close friend, a reporter, probes his friend's mysterious disappearance, meeting intrigue and danger along the way. (Funny how only one "lowly" technician was able to figure it out!)
There are too many holes in the various "moon hoax" theories (there are several different theories, having in common only that they all say NASA fabricated the Apollo missions) to mention here. Capricorn One illustrates one of these holes, in that a very few people were able to fool the entire world, including the Soviets, who would have screamed bloody murder to the world had they even suspected such a hoax. On even a strictly need-to-know basis, at least hundreds would have to be on the inside, and many others participating in the mission, including the "lowly" technicians, would be able to figure out that something was amiss. Also, in Capricorn One, the astronauts were prepared to spill the beans to the world. Why haven't we heard "the truth" from moon hoax insiders?
It's a fun movie to watch, despite some bad writing and dialogue. Just sit back, have some popcorn, and don't take it too seriously