My Favourite Movies: Capricorn One
I think I saw this 1977 movie at the cinema and probably
with my older brother who, like me, was a great movie goer back then. The story
would have certainly appealed to me at the time and I doubt that I would have
only seen it years later when I brought home a borrowed video player.
Anyway, whenever I saw it I remember that it had a lasting
effect on me. Probably prompted by persistent and nonsensical conspiracy
theories about a faked Moon landing, Capricorn One told the story of man’s
first flight to Mars. A 16 year dream for NASA director Dr James Kelloway
(played by Hal Holbrook) he faces a tough decision when, weeks before the
launch they discover that the life-support system has a fault that will kill
the three astronauts long before they reach their destination. With NASA’s
reputation, and funding, on the line Kelloway decides there is only one
alternative – fake the landing to save the programme. Minutes before take-off
the 3 astronauts are whisked away to a secret location and blackmailed into
taking part in the deception. All is going well until, during re-entry into the
Earth’s atmosphere, the heat shield accidently detaches and the crew are
‘killed’. The living crew are now not only an embarrassment to Dr Kelloway but
a threat to the organisations that receive billions in funding for the Space
programme. It’s about time that the ‘dead’ astronauts, so inconveniently alive,
follow their fictional counterparts to the grave. But Willis (Sam Waterston),
Walker (O J Simpson) and Brubaker (James Brolin) have other ideas even if they
have to cross a desert as inhospitable as the surface of Mars to do it.
Although now badly dated – and not just by the fashions – I
still remember the interesting impact this film had on me. Not only did it
highlight the possibility that, with sufficient will and technology, anything
can be faked on TV (helping to deepen my growing scepticism of especially
‘approved’ images) but may have even planted the germ of an interest in survivalism
which I have maintained a nodding relationship with. I did enjoy the part of
the movie where the three escapees tried out their various skills in the
blazing desert with various degrees of success. One other thing that I really
liked was the sinister way a pair of helicopters was filmed as if they were
living alien creatures hunting down the fleeing humans. There was definitely a
deliberate use of their insect like qualities to add an extra dimension to the
chase. Finally there was a rather funny cameo by Telly Savalas as the
half-crazy crop duster hired by journalist Elliot Gould to search for the men.
The movie is not exactly ‘top draw’ but I’m not reviewing the best films ever
made but those which have, in large or small ways, stayed with me over the years
and still have fond memories associated with them. Capricorn One probably won’t
win any awards but I enjoyed it 35 years ago (now that doesn’t bare thinking
about!) and I still enjoyed it last weekend. That alone should mean something.
2 comments:
I've never seen this, but would like to. It's all an intriguing idea.
I think you'd like it.
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