CAPRICORN ONE

Capricorn One

Action / Thriller

1978 / US, UK / 123 minutes / Format: 16mm

Directed by: Peter Hyams

Cast: Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Brenda Vaccaro…and many more!

Print Source: Warner Brothers

Conspiracy thrillers were a hallmark of 1970’s cinema, but it was Capricorn One that heralded the era of government cover-up in the space age. Capricorn One is the USA’s first manned mission to Mars. Backed by various multi-million dollar corporations, it promises to open a whole new realm to the capitalist state, as well as build the morale of a country that has become jaded by trips to the moon. NASA has selected three men (Sam Waterston, James Brolin and O.J. Simpson) for this harrowing journey. As the launch grows closer, suspicions mount among the astronauts—especially when they end up being secretly transported to a Mars-looking soundstage, and are forced to perform fake, spacey antics for news cameras. Things become even stranger in this twisty tale of government corruption and corporate greed that is as entertaining as it is bizarre.