Capricorn One (1977)

A great sci-fi political thriller reflecting the increasingly prevalent cynicism of the 1970s through to the present day

Directed by Peter Hyams
Written by Peter Hyams
Produced by Paul N. Lazarus III
Cinematography: Bill Butler
Edited by James Mitchell
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Production company: ITC Entertainment
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Running time: 124 minutes
Budget: $5 million (approx.)
Box office: $12 million (US and Canada rental)

Cast

Elliott Gould as Robert Caulfield
James Brolin as Charles Brubaker
Brenda Vaccaro as Kay Brubaker
Sam Waterston as Peter Willis
O. J. Simpson as John Walker
Hal Holbrook as Dr. James Kelloway
Karen Black as Judy Drinkwater
Telly Savalas as Albain
David Huddleston as Hollis Peaker
David Doyle as Walter Loughlin
Lee Bryant as Sharon Willis
Denise Nicholas as Betty Walker
Robert Walden as Elliot Whitter
Alan Fudge as Capsule Communicator

Trailer

“Capricorn One,” NASA's first manned mission to Mars.

Seconds before the launch, the crew is pulled from the capsule!

The rocket leaves earth unmanned!

The life support system is faulty!

NASA fears the publicity of a scratched mission!

An unthinkable plot is hatched!

An investigative reporter puts pieces together of an unthinkable mystery involving..

Humanity’s greatest achievement

OR

Its greatest....

Hoax?

Read on for more.....

12 to the Moon (1960)

A somewhat laughably entertaining sci-fi film with ordinary special effects, acting and direction while a variety of plot devices at least keeps the action going.

Directed by David Bradley
Written by Fred Gebhardt, DeWitt Boden
Produced by Fred Gebhardt
Cinematography: John Alton
Edited by Edward Mann
Music by Michael Andersen
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Running time: 74 minutes
Budget: $150,000

Cast

Ken Clark as Capt. John Anderson
Michi Kobi as Dr. Hideko Murata
Tom Conway as Dr. Feodor Orloff
Anthony Dexter as Dr. Luis Vargas
John Wengraf as Dr. Erich Heinrich
Robert Montgomery Jr. as Dr. Rod Murdock
Phillip Baird as Dr. William Rochester
Richard Weber as Dr. David Ruskin
Muzaffer Tema as Dr. Selim Hamid (as Tema Bey)
Roger Til as Dr. Etienne Martel
Cory Devlin as Dr. Asmara Markonen
Anna-Lisa as Dr. Sigrid Bomark
Francis X. Bushman as Secretary General of the International Space Order

Trailer

(Spoilers follow below.....)

“Hello the world”

12 To The Moon opens with shots of the launch of a rocket and rocket plane missiles from different cities around the world. Suddenly a gavel bangs down before we cut to the title and credits.

Any self-respecting science fiction movie from that era and beyond would as expected begin with a serious and authoritative-sounding narration either admonishing humankind for its careless disregard of itself and its planet or extolling the virtues of human technological progress and the necessity of exploring the unknown. In the film, the Secretary General of the International Space Order delivers the latter type of narration as he begins to explain that a program to launch a rocket to the moon is presently underway:

“I am speaking for the International Space Order in the first worldwide radio and telecast in history. At this moment over two billion people in every part of the world are focusing their attention on this program. Every nation of the earth in a magnificent effort is contributing of its people and resources in an attempt to reach the moon and proclaim it international territory. The rocket ship Lunar Eagle Number One represents the culminating achievement of the world's leading scientists. The men and women who will fly her have been hand-picked from the world's leading specialists.”

Read on for more......

Countdown (1968)

A rather dry, less than exciting but well-acted snapshot of the space race during the Cold war period of the late 1960s. The film deals with complex emotions and human behavior instead of technology but suffers from a lack of tension and suspense.

The Soviets are about to launch a manned mission to the moon.

A desperate bid by the US to land a man on the moon before the Soviets do.

An Apollo moon program that isn’t ready to launch yet. 

A rushed preparation to send a single astronaut in a modified Gemini capsule to land on the moon.

He is to remain alone on the moon in a lunar shelter for a year until an Apollo mission can rescue him.

BUT.....

Who will be selected for this hastily prepared and perilous mission and can it succeed?

Directed by Robert Altman
Produced by William Conrad
Screenplay by Loring Mandel
Based on “The Pilgrim Project” by Hank Searls
Music by Leonard Rosenman
Cinematography: William W. Spencer
Edited by Gene Milford
Production company: A William Conrad Production
Distributed by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
Running time: 101 minutes

Cast

James Caan as Lee Stegler
Joanna Moore as Mickey Stegler
Robert Duvall as Chiz Stewart
Barbara Baxley as Jean
Charles Aidman as Gus
Steve Ihnat as Ross Duellan
Michael Murphy as Rick
Ted Knight as Walter Larson
Stephen Coit as Ehrman
John Rayner as Dunc
Charles Irving as Seidel
Bobby Riha as Stevie Stegler

Trailer

(Spoilers follow below....)

We are transported back to the late 1960s, a time we recall being one of change, the rise of counter-culture and impending social and political turmoil. Shielded from all of the ructions of the times within the bubble of the Gemini and Apollo moon programs, we find three astronauts training in an Apollo 3 simulator with their main concern consisting of having their session being aborted abruptly with the “third orbit coming up.”

The astronauts inhabit a world of buzz and crew-cutted, skinny-tied, narrow-trousered and short shirt-sleeved mission focused dedication to the achievement of a history-making goal: sending a man to the moon.  

♪♪ Johnny we gotta make a moon shot

Or the Russians will leave us behind

So get ready soon and we'll drop you on the moon.. ♪♪

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