BY NICK ANEZ
Universal released The Groundstar Conspiracy starring George Peppard in 1972 and it died
a swift death at the box-office. It is based on the 1968 novel The Alien by L. P. Davies, a British
author whose novels were known for merging the various genres of horror,
science fiction, mystery, adventure and fantasy. The Alien combines mystery and science fiction for an intriguing
plot that takes place in England fifty years in the future and involves
unidentified flying objects, an amnesiac patient who may be from another planet,
espionage, murder and regenerative surgery. The
Groundstar Conspiracy retains the basic premise of the novel but changes
virtually everything else. The screenplay by Mathew Howard (a pseudonym for
Douglas Heyes) transfers the setting to 1972 California, focuses primarily on
the espionage storyline and eliminates the novel’s plot of a possible invasion
from another planet. (In the novel, the UFO landing and alien visitors are
eventually revealed to be fraudulent.)
The film begins with a series of explosions
at Groundstar, a top-secret research government laboratory. Six people are
killed but one man survives, though his face is burned beyond recognition. Despite
his suffering, the severely wounded man finds his way to a nearby cottage
occupied by Nicole Devon who immediately calls authorities. The man’s security
card identifies him as computer technician John Welles. Additional material in
his possession indicates that he set the explosions to conceal his theft of classified
documents. Further investigation reveals that his credentials were forged and
his identity fabricated. All evidence implicates Welles as a saboteur and
murderer. However, he will require medical treatment including extensive
plastic surgery before he can be interrogated.
Tuxan, who is known only by his surname, is
Groundstar’s chief security officer and his primary objective ostensibly is to
force John Welles to reveal the name of the traitors who paid him to commit the
crimes and the location of their spy ring. When his bandages are taken off,
Welles stares in shock at his scarred, unfamiliar face and claims to have
amnesia. He is devastated when Tuxan accuses him of murder and treason. Tuxan asserts
that he is faking his amnesia and subjects him to a series of brutal methods of
coercion, including excruciating shock therapy, to discover the truth. When
these methods fail, Tuxan condemns Welles to a secret prison until he
confesses. However, following an accident, Welles escapes and sets out to
recover his memory. His only clue is Nicole Devon whom Tuxan suspects of being
part of the conspiracy. Though Nicole is emotionally fragile due to recent personal
traumas, Tuxan treats her as another collaborator. The fact that Welles and
Nicole become romantically involved may seem clichéd but there is the
suggestion that, in addition to mutual attraction, they gratify their passion because
they both despise Tuxan. They don’t realize that they are mere pawns of Tuxan’s
strategy which includes secretly filming everything they do – yes, everything.
The
Groundstar Conspiracy
is an ingenious thriller with surprising twists and turns. Due to the film’s
intricate narrative, what appears to be obvious may not be what is actual. Also,
Tuxan may be more deceitful than the suspects that he interrogates. Furthermore,
the abuse that John Welles suffers may be the result of his own actions, of
which he may be totally unaware. If this sounds byzantine, it is intended to
be. The film contains an extremely convoluted plot that is quite clever as well
as challenging. It also raises some troubling questions, including the
recurrent one of whether the good guys have to be more unscrupulous than the
bad guys to achieve victory. In view of Tuxan’s accomplishment, this movie
suggests that the answer is a definite affirmative. However, one of the movie’s
many assets is that the exposure of the principal traitor is only a prelude to
the solution of the story’s central mystery, which is the identity of the man
known as John Welles.
One indisputable fact is that Tuxan is a ruthless
piece of work. He is tenacious about his mission and uses any means, legal or
illegal, to preserve national security. He treats all personnel connected to Groundstar
as suspects, including scientists, military personnel and politicians. He manipulates
people like puppets on a string and equates Welles with cheese used to trap
rats. He torments Welles physically and mentally regardless of his possible innocence.
He believes that the end justifies the means and the end for him is the disclosure
of the spy ring. The fact that he does uncover the traitors validates for him
his brutal treatment of the innocent people that had the misfortune to fall
under his suspicion. Yes, he is a genuine bastard but the key to his
personality is that he is quite proud of this designation.
Lamont Johnson’s confident direction
alternates the swift pace of the action and interrogation scenes with the more
serene interludes of the developing relationship between Welles and Nicole. Johnson
exercises restraint in the torture scenes and doesn’t exploit the grisly
activities. In contrast, he accentuates the suffering of both Welles and Nicole
which suggests sympathy for the lovers. Johnson filmed the entire movie in the
vicinity of Vancouver, British Columbia. With the aid of Michael Reed’s
splendid Panavision and Technicolor cinematography, he highlights British
Columbia’s marvelous coastal locations that substitute for California’s Pacific
Coast; the modernist Groundstar complex is actually Simon Fraser University. Johnson
only directed a dozen theatrical films during his 45-year career and worked
mostly in television, for which he received several Emmy and DGA (Directors
Guild of America) nominations and awards. But this film, along with 1970’s The Mackenzie Break clearly shows that
he excelled in both arenas, especially when he worked with skillful actors.
George Peppard’s forceful performance as
Tuxan is particularly impressive because he doesn’t try to make his character
even faintly likeable. Due to Tuxan’s consistent nastiness and persistence,
Peppard must necessarily give a one-note portrayal. But he does it with admirable
proficiency. His interpretation of Tuxan doesn’t convey a trace of suppressed
softness beneath his merciless surface. He doesn’t suggest even a smidgen of compassion
for the amnesiac which makes his character especially loathsome in view of the
climactic revelation. Even more despicable, the actor suggests a hint of satisfaction
during the torture sequences because of the message his action is sending to
the enemy, whomever they may be. At the finale, when Tuxan is flushed with
success, Peppard still doesn’t allow his character to display any warmth toward
his primary victim. Indeed, he proudly exhibits additional egotism. It is an
audacious performance because it is designed to deliberately alienate audiences.
Nevertheless, Peppard’s innate appeal
makes Tuxan fascinating and persuades those same audiences that people like him
are necessary.
As John Welles, Michael Sarrazin convincingly
expresses his character’s internal anguish and elicits the sympathy that is
necessary to counter Tuscan’s emotional detachment. He believably expresses demonstrative
suffering, due both to the mistreatment that he receives and to the thought
that he might have committed heinous crimes. Christine Belford is equally effective
as Nicole Devon and perfectly conveys her character’s vulnerability. She is
particularly impressive in the crucial scene in which she realizes that Tuxan
has been monitoring her bedroom. The romance between Welles and Nicole develops
rather quickly but is nonetheless credible because of the sincerity with which
Sarrazin and Belford invest their characterizations.
The supporting players are all more than
adequate. James Olson as Senator Stanton, Allan Oppenheimer as General Hackett
and Tim O’Connor as Groundstar supervisor Frank Gossage all register
appropriate outrage as Tuscan forces them into submission. Cliff Potts as
publicist Carl Mosley receives more tolerance from Tuxan perhaps because of his
minor position. James McEachin as Bender, one of Tuxan’s aides, gives the
impression that he might be one of the few people who doesn’t dislike Tuxan.
The
Groundstar Conspiracy
is a terrific thriller containing intrigue, suspense, action, romance and a truly despicable yet appealing protagonist.
Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray is a stunning 2K master with audio commentary by film
historian Daniel Kramer and film critic Scout Tofoya, both of whom are also
filmmakers. The original trailer is also included.
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