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IMDbPro

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

  • 19771977
  • PGPG
  • 2h 18m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
205K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
566
1,155
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Theatrical Re-Release Trailer for Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Play trailer2:32
7 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaSci-Fi
Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for ans... Read allRoy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
205K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
566
1,155
    • Steven Spielberg
  • Writers
    • Steven Spielberg
    • Hal Barwood(additional story)
    • Jerry Belson(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Richard Dreyfuss
    • François Truffaut
    • Teri Garr
    • Steven Spielberg
  • Writers
    • Steven Spielberg
    • Hal Barwood(additional story)
    • Jerry Belson(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Richard Dreyfuss
    • François Truffaut
    • Teri Garr
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 513User reviews
    • 232Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos7

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Trailer 2:32
    Watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
    Trailer 1:34
    Watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Trailer 1:14
    Watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Halloween Trick-or-Treating Supercut
    Clip 1:38
    Watch Halloween Trick-or-Treating Supercut
    A Guide to the Films of Steven Spielberg
    Clip 2:31
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Steven Spielberg
    What Movies Make Up the DNA of "Utopia"?
    Interview 2:50
    Watch What Movies Make Up the DNA of "Utopia"?
    "This Means Something"
    Video 0:57
    Watch "This Means Something"

    Photos328

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Cary Guffey in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Steven Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Melinda Dillon and Cary Guffey in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    François Truffaut, Richard Dreyfuss, and Bob Balaban in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    David Anderson, Richard L. Hawkins, Craig Shreeve, and Bill Thurman in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Cary Guffey in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Alien

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Dreyfuss
    Richard Dreyfuss
    • Roy Neary
    François Truffaut
    François Truffaut
    • Claude Lacombe
    • (as Francois Truffaut)
    Teri Garr
    Teri Garr
    • Ronnie Neary
    Melinda Dillon
    Melinda Dillon
    • Jillian Guiler
    Bob Balaban
    Bob Balaban
    • David Laughlin
    J. Patrick McNamara
    J. Patrick McNamara
    • Project Leader
    Warren J. Kemmerling
    Warren J. Kemmerling
    • Wild Bill
    • (as Warren Kemmerling)
    Roberts Blossom
    Roberts Blossom
    • Farmer
    Philip Dodds
    Philip Dodds
    • Jean Claude
    Cary Guffey
    Cary Guffey
    • Barry Guiler
    Shawn Bishop
    • Brad Neary
    Adrienne Campbell
    Adrienne Campbell
    • Silvia Neary
    Justin Dreyfuss
    • Toby Neary
    Lance Henriksen
    Lance Henriksen
    • Robert
    Merrill Connally
    Merrill Connally
    • Team Leader
    George DiCenzo
    George DiCenzo
    • Major Benchley
    Amy Douglass
    • Implantee
    Alexander Lockwood
    • Implantee
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Steven Spielberg
      • Hal Barwood(additional story) (uncredited)
      • Jerry Belson(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the Neary dinner scene, just before Roy piles on the mashed potatoes, the little girl Silvia (Adrienne Campbell) says: "There's a dead fly in my potatoes." This was unscripted and almost caused the rest of the cast to laugh. The scene was kept as-is.
    • Goofs
      The coordinates received by the scientists (40°36'10" N, 104°44'30" W) aren't very close to Devils Tower at all. The coordinates are actually in a farm paddock about 200 yards east of hwy 85, half way between the towns of Pierce and Ault, Colorado (17mi [27km] east of Ft. Collins, Colorado), 276 miles (444 km) due south from the Devils Tower monument (they got the north latitude wrong by 4 degrees, it SHOULD have been 44°35'25"N. In addition the longitude is incorrect, it should be 104°42'54"W)
    • Quotes

      Project Leader: He says the sun came out last night. He says it sang to him.

    • Crazy credits
      Near the end of the credits it starts to reads as follows: "During the filming of all animal sequences, H.L. EDWARDS, Veterinarian of Gillette, Wyoming, was in attendance at all times to aid the filmmakers and the anesthetist in proper treatment of the animals used, and at no time were the animals harmed or mistreated in any way."
    • Alternate versions
      A print of the film screened at the American Cinematheque (Los Angeles) several times features most of the Special Edition's edits, but also includes the Roy's tree-tossing sequence and his climb through the window. What's missing from this version is all of the footage from inside the spaceship.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Dream (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Chances Are
      (1957)

      Words and Music by Al Stillman and Robert Allen

      Performed by Johnny Mathis

      Published by International Korwin Corp.

      From the Columbia Records album "Johnny Mathis' All-Time Greatest Hits"

    User reviews513

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Magic
    On one level, Close Encounters is an archetypal Spielberg film; breathless, thrilling and awe-inspiring. On another level, it carries a profundity and depth which is unparallelled even by some of his biggest cinematic wonders. One thing's for sure; its brilliant storytelling and a dazzling piece of film-making. The superb Richard Dreyfuss is the down-at-heel electrician who becomes obsessed with the UFOs that one night pop up all over his home town, embarking on a journey which takes him literally towards the unknown. Spielberg's childhood fascination with alien life keenly explains why a third-time director handles this epic with such bruava yet the director's own neuroses over his parents' divorce lends an understated but nonetheless effective layer to Dreyfuss' character. All this is tied into an old-fashioned mythical adventure plot line with many implications. Like Kubrick a decade earlier, Spielberg uses the liberty of science-fiction to deliver a visually stunning and three-dimensional piece of cinema.
    helpful•5
    0
    • MovieReporter
    • Jul 12, 2005

    FAQ14

    • Why was Jillian Guiler the only one to be afraid of the aliens?
    • Why & how didn't the bright lights of the spacecraft that Roy Nealy boarded hurt his eyes?
    • Why did the aliens keep the abductees for so many years before returning them but Barry Guiler was returned after only a few days?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1977 (United States)
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Official Facebook
      • English
      • French
      • Spanish
      • Hindi
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, USA
    • Production companies
      • Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips Productions
      • EMI Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 18 minutes
      • Color

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