Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

After an encounter with UFOs, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer:

Steven Spielberg

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr

Won 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Roy Neary
François Truffaut	...	'Lacombe' / Claude Lacombe (as Francois Truffaut)
Teri Garr	...	Ronnie Neary
Melinda Dillon	...	Jillian Guiler
Bob Balaban	...	David Laughlin
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Project Leader
Warren J. Kemmerling	...	Wild Bill (as Warren Kemmerling)
Roberts Blossom	...	Farmer
Philip Dodds	...	Jean Claude
Cary Guffey	...	Barry Guiler
Shawn Bishop	...	Brad Neary
Adrienne Campbell	...	Silvia Neary
Justin Dreyfuss	...	Toby Neary
Lance Henriksen	...	Robert
Merrill Connally	...	Team Leader

Storyline

Roy Neary sets out to investigate a power outage when his truck stalls and he is bathed in light from above. After this, strange visions and five musical notes keep running through his mind. Will he find the meaning of the visions, and who - or what - placed them in his mind?

---

Plot Keywords:

vision | ufo | military | close encounter of the third kind | desert | 

---

Taglines:

Now There Is More (USA 1980 special edition re-release)

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Sony Pictures Home Entertainment [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish Hindi

Release Date:

16 November 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

CE3K

Filming Locations:

1613 Carlisle Drive East, Mobile, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,400,870 (estimated)

Gross:

$128,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, EMI Films, Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min 132 min (special edition) 137 min (director's cut) 135 min (original)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Spielberg had approached Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, and Gene Hackman for the role of Roy Neary. Jack Nicholson was also considered.

---

Goofs

When Roy's family leaves him there is a low angle shot as he and his neighbors stare at each other. There is a Big Wheel at the end of the drive way. The Big Wheel is no longer there in the long shot showing him leaving the area.

---

Quotes

Ronnie Neary: All right, everybody to bed!
Toby Neary: No, wait! Dad said we could watching The Ten Commandments!
Ronnie Neary: Roy, that movie is four hours long.
Roy Neary: I said they could watch the five commandments.

---

Connections

Referenced in 3rd Rock from the Sun: Hotel Dick (1996)

---

Soundtracks

"When You Wish Upon a Star"
(1940)
Words: Ned Washington/Music: Leigh Harline
© 1940 Bourne Co.

User Reviews

Mixed feelings

When I saw this first in the theatre I was blown away. It affected me profoundly. I thought the whole concept was fresh and new, the family strife, the yearning for and then actively seeking a higher concept for one's life, the mental breakdown of the main character as he tries to visualize what's inside his head: messages from alien beings.

Richard Dreyfus, Francois Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, all perfectly cast. Along with Cary, the child actor who is brilliant.

As a microcosm of life in the seventies, the film is amazingly evocative, the perfect young family suburb, the children, the stay at home wife, the backyard barbecues. The husband who is a dreamer and when he starts to act it out, shatters this perfect home life.

Then the action moves to the mountain where the aliens are preparing to land. This scene got me in the theatre and gets me now. It is highly emotional. The music, the lights, the response of the mother ship. Highly charged cinematic moments.

However, and it is a big one. The transition of Richard Dreyfuss's character is far too sudden, he turns his back on children he obviously adores without any reflection whatsoever. How on earth would they survive in a seventies world without his income? Also Bob Balaban and Richard Dreyfuss are almost twin like in appearance and I kept getting them mixed up.

Francois Truffaut gave a fine performance as did many of the minor players. And the special affects - way before modern CGI - are breathtaking for their time.

Sometimes one is better leaving a movie seen in a theatre on its release exactly there: a one time viewing only. Seeing it for a second time removes the wonder and awe of that first viewing.

I would have given it a 9 the first time, this time a 6 so I calculated a 7 out of 10 to be fair.