Capricorn One (1977)

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.

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writer:

Peter Hyams

Stars:

Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Brenda Vaccaro

5 nominations.

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

Storyline

Charles Brubaker is the astronaut leading NASA's first manned mission to Mars. Seconds before the launch, the entire team is pulled from the capsule and the rocket leaves earth unmanned much to Brubaker's anger. The head of the programme explains that the life support system was faulty and that NASA can't afford the publicity of a scratched mission. The plan is to fake the Mars landing and keep the astronauts at a remote base until the mission is over, but then investigative journalist Robert Caulfield starts to suspect something.

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Plot Keywords:

astronaut | nasa | hoax | investigative reporter | conspiracy | 

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Taglines:

If the action and adventure don't get you, the suspense will.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 June 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Capricorn One

Filming Locations:

Titan Missile Museum - 1580 W. Duval Mine Road, Green Valley, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated General Films, ITC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min 130 min (original)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During his interview in the 2016 ESPN documentary O.J.: Made in America, Capricorn One director Peter Hyams admitted that the studio had given him a mandate to cast O.J. Simpson as John Walker. Hyams said, "I thought there were worthy African American actors who had paid their dues as actors, who had shown their talent. My first choice was either Robert Hooks or Bernie Casey, so my reaction was less than enthusiastic. I had seen The Towering Inferno (1974). I thought [Simpson's acting ability] was not going to frighten Daniel Day-Lewis. O. J. was a celebrity of enormous stature, and somebody who had not shown the chops to play the part. My goal was to see if I could make this guy work for what I wanted. It came time to do his last scene. He's a guy who's parched and delusional. So rather than him acting somebody who was desperately thirsty, I put appliances on his face that made it difficult for him to move and difficult to talk, and it just made him sound like he was in desperate trouble. And he was pretty good. You know, what can I say? He was a charming, terrific guy, he was a positive guy, he tried very hard, and it was clear that he saw a future for himself in film."

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Goofs

A title card at the beginning of the film indicates it is January 4. An onscreen announcer lists the time as three minutes after six, Eastern Daylight Time. Daylight Time normally doesn't begin until April.

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Quotes

Walter Loughlin: You're fired! Oh, I love how that sounds. I love that so much I'm going to say it again. You're fired. You're through. Oh, I love it!

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Connections

Featured in American Moon (2017)

User Reviews

Very entertaining thriller

I thought this was a very well done, and intelligent thriller. A group of astronauts are about to launch to space, they soon find out that they do not have enough funding, so they must fake the mission anyway, somebody issues a report that the shuttle crashed, and left the men dead, this means that the public has to think that these men are really dead. This is the kind of thriller than they dont make anymore, and its too bad. Also includes a huge cast of famillar faces: James Brolin(Westworld), Telly Savalas(TV's Kojak), Hal Holbrook(Men Of Honor), David Huddleston(The Big Lebowski), and many more star in this first rate thriller. *** out of ****.