“There was one event of really enormous importance that had almost no witnesses. And the only verification we have . . . came from a TV camera”.
Writer-Director Peter Hyams has a point: what if the Apollo 11 moon landing never actually happened?
He used that as the hook for a film that imagined a fakes “Mars” landing!
My year-long deep dive into “70’s Cinema” has a terrific action thriller with a provocative plot!
“Capricorn One” Has The Scoop!
With the 50th anniversary of the moon landing behind us, it’s time to check out this terrific 1977 thriller that asks the question: what if the moon landing was faked?
The destination in the film has been changed to Mars, but the film uses the conspiracy theories around the Moon landing as its basis in reality…
Sam Waterston, James Brolin and OJ Simpson are the three Astronauts who are scheduled to fly to Mars on this historic mission – but are secretly pulled from the capsule at the last minute…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, played by Elliot Gould, starts to suspect something.
Here is the trailer:
Yes, Elliott Gould and James Brolin both star in the film: Barbra Streisand’s two real-life husbands!
The movie is really well done, laying out a plausible conspiracy for “fake” news – yes, it is very prescient – and a really terrific thriller as well!
Here is more great trivia: despite being portrayed as a villain, NASA actually provided technical assistance, including mock-up spacecraft, sets and vehicles for the filmmakers to use!
One last interesting story, according to IMDB:
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.”
Check out “Capricorn One” – one of the 70’s films I am highlighting all year long, like this classic cop chase thriller:
“The Seven Ups” is terrific, and includes what many consider the greatest on-screen car chase ever!
See the film’s trailer and a bit of that car chase – through the streets of New York City – by clicking on my story here:
All year long, I’m looking at some of the great films of cinema’s greatest decade, like this one, which was honored last year in the “Knives Out” sequel “Glass Onion”:
Yes, “Glass Onion” paid tribute to “The Last Of Sheila” in more ways than one – read about this incredibly entertaining murder mystery here:
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Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Hollywood, Movies, Pop Culture
johnrieber 
I totally had forgotten about this film and I loved it
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John, I saw this at the cinema, and adored it! I am a ‘Moon Landings Conspiracy’ believer to this day, and this film provided exactly the narrative I was arguing about at the time. On top of that, it was a full-on action film to enjoy.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, while I do believe we have landed people on the moon, I own this on blu-ray and loved the film!
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