Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Parker Lewis I saw Capricorn One before 1994, and it still stands the test of time as a quality and thought provoking movie, and one can't help think of the "conspiracy theories" about the moon landing when watching Capricorn One.Peter "2010" Hyams wrote and directed Capricorn One, and it's well ahead of its time. Sam "The Killing Fields" Waterston and O.J. "the Towering Inferno" Simpson appear as two of the astronauts, along with the lead astronaut James "Westworld" (the original movie) Brolin. The final scene with the investigative journalist, played by Elliott "MASH" Gould, was very moving and emotional big time. You can imagine the ramifications of the lid being lifted off the conspiracy, and whether heads would roll in NASA and the White House.

Maddyclassicfilms Capricorn One is written and directed by Peter Hyams and has music by Jerry Goldsmith. The film stars James Brolin, Elliot Gould, Hal Holbrook, Sam Waterson, O.J Simpson, Telly Savalas, Karen Black and Brenda Vaccaro.NASA's first manned flight to Mars is about to lift off. The three man crew Charles Brubaker(James Brolin), Peter Willis(Sam Waterston)and John Walker (O.J Simpson)are removed from the capsule before takeoff. They are flown to a remote base far away from any inhabited area.Demanding answers they learn that the capsules life support system was shown to be faulty, revealing that and cancelling the mission would have given the government a perfect opportunity to end the space programme on the grounds of financial cost. Dr. James Kelloway(Hal Holbrook)is a high ranking NASA employee, he threatens the lives of the Astronauts families and persuades the Astronauts to fake TV transmissions as if they were flying to Mars and landing on the planet. Using recordings of the crew from the test simulations Mission Control thinks the crew are aboard the spacecraft.NASA Technician Elliot Whitter(Robert Walden)suspects something is wrong when he notices strange readouts, he reports this to his superiors. He also tells his friend Robert Caulfield(Elliott Gould)who is a reporter. When Whitter disappears, Caulfield does some investigating of his own.In a TV studio on the base, a fake Martian landscape is set up for the transmissions, the crew must step before the cameras trying to think of some way of communicating something is wrong.When the craft is destroyed in space the crew can't be released because the hoax would be exposed. They try and escape but are pursued by agents intent on killing them.This is a real tense thriller. Goldsmith's score fits well with the film and the cast are all quite good. Telly Savalas is hysterical as a rude crop duster who helps Caulfield. Brenda Vaccaro is moving as Brubaker's wife Kay, the scene where she reads to her children while trying not to cry is very touching.I liked the film but have a couple of complaints. One is with the ending, yes you can argue that at that moment the truth is out but I wanted more. It couldn't have hurt to make the ending a bit longer and show us justice being done. Secondly it seems that the crew didn't put up enough of a fight when they are ordered to take part in the hoax, yes their families are threatened but they are shown no proof to back up what they are told, we are also never shown proof of what Kelloway tells them regarding their families. How did they know that it wasn't just a bluff? Apart from those things though this is a really good film. One of my favourite films from the 1970's.

rooprect "Capricorn One" is one of the last great 70s thrillers, alongside "The China Syndrome", "The Andromeda Strain", "Coma", heck maybe even "The Exorcist". Perhaps taking their cues from Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, Clockwork Orange, etc), all of these classics are presented with an artistic, slightly off-kilter, brightly creepy vibe that encapsulated the end of 60s flower-power optimism and the beginning of 70s cold cynicism.Stylistic examples include wide angle shots and slow, mechanical camera movements that give the viewer a disturbing feeling of voyeurism or disconnection from humanity (à la "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." "I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid can't do that."). This quiet yet bone-chilling style is the opposite of MTV-type filmmaking which made heavy use of flashy, closeup, disorienting camera shots cut together so quickly that you feel like someone slipped some magic pixie dust in your Kool-Aid. No, the 70s classics, in particular "Capricorn One" and other films by Peter Hyams, instead give you long, deliberate shots from a distance, allowing you to absorb every bizarre detail that was meticulously laid out for you.If you get bored easily, then this isn't for you. But if you're looking for a film that slowly reels you in without any gimmicks, carefully building momentum for the 1st hour leading to an explosive, roller-coaster finale, then look no further. It's best if you know nothing about the story, so I won't say anything about the plot except that it centers around a mission to Mars. But this is not a sci-fi flick, it's closer to a political thriller."Capricorn One" won't necessarily scare the pants off you like some of the other films, but the story will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen. The director never telegraphs the ending, so you're never quite sure if things will turn out good or if it'll be a miserable tragedy. You have to ride it out to the very last scene.Two things won me over immediately. First is the careful, artistic approach to cinematography which is evident in the opening scene: a slow rusty sunrise behind the colossal silhouette of the Capricorn spacecraft. Many other shots are as powerful, whether they're outdoors or indoors. Hyams frequently does a neat little trick where he establishes a shot and leaves the camera where it is but slowly, over the course of 2 minutes or more, moves the camera in or out of the action, creating a thick suspense.The 2nd thing that won me over was something many thrillers overlook: HUMOR. There are some priceless scenes that had me rolling, and it's all due to the great script and lines delivered by great actors. Telly Savalas makes an appearance as a grumpy old airplane pilot, and his rapid fire volley of dialogue with Elliot Gould is like something straight out of a Cary Grant-Catherine Hepburn comedy. Another hilarious rapid-fire comedic scene is Elliot Gould arguing with his boss, played by David Doyle ("Bosley" on the original Charlie's Angels). Big laughs without disrupting the tension of the story. It takes a bold filmmaker to put such comedy in a serious film, and Hyams & his acting troupe succeeded brilliantly.A final note that's worth mentioning: there's a scene where a snake meets with an unfortunate fate. While the snake is real (hats off to James Brolin for having the guts do the scene), the snake's stunt double was a dead carcass they had found. No snakes were harmed. So animal lovers as well as 70s thriller lovers, have no fear. Once you start watching "Capricorn One", nothing will make you Sat-turn the channel! (wow that was lame)

airun_71 I absolutely love this film. I could watch it over and over again and never get tired of it, even after so many years. Is not just the non plus ultra of photography-cinematography, but also one of the best film ever made to my humble opinion, in terms of story, characters depth, dialogues, production design, wonderful music. Every scene is perfectly balanced. It's entertaining and thought provoking. The interaction between the characters is fantastic. All the actors have done a great performance. I strongly recommend this film to anyone who haven't seen it yet. My vote is not 10, just because I wish it was even longer to do justice to the storyline.