CAPRICORN ONE

Greg Kulon revisits Capricorn One (1978), the cult American thriller in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and, under duress, the crew themselves...

James Brolin as astronaut Charles Brubaker, running for his life in Capricorn One (1977)

As I expect most people would agree, today’s world is filled with conspiracy theories of all kinds. One of the more popular ones that has been around for decades is that the moon landing never happened. Going deeper, the theory usually states that the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hired Stanley Kubrick to provide the fake footage that was televised around the world. Film buffs often take that jokingly one step further by acknowledging the assignment but adding that Kubrick was such a stickler for accuracy he insisted that all the moon footage be filmed on location.

A few years after the moon landing, a young writer/director took note of how many people believed things with little evidence beyond what they saw on the television, and he began to explore the topic. This young filmmaker was Peter Hyams. To some it may be a funny coincidence, but others may take it as a hidden message that Hyams was born on the same day of the year (July 27th) as the elder acclaimed director, Kubrick, although separated by 15 years (1943 versus 1928).

In the spring and summer of 1977, when a new film called Star Wars (1977) was beginning to find its audience, a news article by Jerry Ruck was published by the Associated Press. The article discussed Hyams’ idea and how it had progressed.

James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, and Sam Waterston as the crew of Capricorn One. Is that Stanley Kubrick in the background in the studio mock-up?

Director Peter Hyams on the Mars set

Rucker quotes from a conversation with Hyams on the film he had just shot and was beginning to edit. “It struck me as an interesting premise that if you could tamper with what you see on television, you could alter beliefs.”

The article would go on to say that Hyams had written a script for the film 6 years earlier, but the studios took no interest in the project at the time. However, with the unfolding of the Watergate break-in and cover-up, that position began to change.

With the new political climate, Hyams hooked up with producer Paul N. Lazarus III. Lazarus had two recent successes producing science fiction films of a pessimistic nature with Westworld (1973) and Futureworld (1976). The latter film was especially relevant, having involved interaction with NASA for the use of facilities and a story about journalists investigating a grand and growing conspiracy. They would get help with financing the new project from Sir Lew Grade. Grade had founded the Incorporated Television Company (ITC) in 1954 to produce shows that would take advantage of the American television market. His efforts included many notable projects including Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds and Space 1999 as well as Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show. In the mid 1970’s he was expanding the domain of ITC entertainment into theatrical films. He became interested in Hyams’ idea and the film project was now a go.

Capricorn One was filmed in 1977 before the release of Star Wars but wouldn’t be released until a year later in the summer of 1978. When it came out it would be a much different “space” film than moviegoers had been watching recently. More political thriller than space opera, the film involves a faked mission to Mars and follows the resulting implications to the astronauts who were unwittingly removed from the launch vehicle, their families, and a journalist who begins to question events. As may be expected, problems arrive which push the limits of exactly how far those involved may go to protect the secret.

SOMETHING UNEXPECTED

The film begins on the morning of the launch of Capricorn One, the first manned mission to Mars. For those who lived through the Apollo mission to the moon, the events start out as you might expect. With the clock ticking down and VIP’s descending to the viewing area, the three astronauts are presented with a Bible from an emotional NASA technician who worked hard for years for this day.