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    Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    • 19771977
    • PGPG
    • 2h 18min
    IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    189K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,868
    1
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Theatrical Re-Release Trailer for Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Trailer2:32
    7 Videos
    99+ Photos
    DramaSci-Fi

    Roy Neary, an electric lineman, watches how his quiet and ordinary daily life turns upside down after a close encounter with a UFO.Roy Neary, an electric lineman, watches how his quiet and ordinary daily life turns upside down after a close encounter with a UFO.Roy Neary, an electric lineman, watches how his quiet and ordinary daily life turns upside down after a close encounter with a UFO.Roy Neary, an electric lineman, watches how his quiet and ordinary daily life turns upside down after a close encounter with a UFO.Roy Neary, an electric lineman, watches how his quiet and ordinary daily life turns upside down after a close encounter with a UFO.

    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Steven Spielberg
      • Hal Barwood(additional story)
      • Jerry Belson(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Richard Dreyfuss
      • François Truffaut
      • Teri Garr
    Top credits
    • Director
      • 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
    • 472User reviews
    • 242Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 15 wins & 39 nominations total

    Videos7

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Trailer 2:32
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
    Trailer 1:34
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Trailer 1:14
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Our Favorite Easter Eggs in Film
    Clip 4:26
    Our Favorite Easter Eggs in Film
    A Guide to the Films of Steven Spielberg
    Clip 3:08
    A Guide to the Films of Steven Spielberg
    What Movies Make Up the DNA of "Utopia"?
    Interview 2:50
    What Movies Make Up the DNA of "Utopia"?
    "This Means Something"
    Video 0:57
    "This Means Something"

    Photos317

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    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
    "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Space Ship
    "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Melinda Dillon, Cary Guffey

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Dreyfuss
    Richard Dreyfuss
    • Roy Nearyas Roy Neary
    François Truffaut
    François Truffaut
    • Claude Lacombeas Claude Lacombe
    Teri Garr
    Teri Garr
    • Ronnie Nearyas Ronnie Neary
    Melinda Dillon
    Melinda Dillon
    • Jillian Guileras Jillian Guiler
    Bob Balaban
    Bob Balaban
    • David Laughlinas David Laughlin
    J. Patrick McNamara
    J. Patrick McNamara
    • Project Leaderas Project Leader
    Warren J. Kemmerling
    Warren J. Kemmerling
    • Wild Billas Wild Bill
    • (as Warren Kemmerling)
    Roberts Blossom
    Roberts Blossom
    • Farmeras Farmer
    Philip Dodds
    Philip Dodds
    • Jean Claudeas Jean Claude
    Cary Guffey
    Cary Guffey
    • Barry Guileras Barry Guiler
    Shawn Bishop
    • Brad Nearyas Brad Neary
    Adrienne Campbell
    Adrienne Campbell
    • Silvia Nearyas Silvia Neary
    Justin Dreyfuss
    • Toby Nearyas Toby Neary
    Lance Henriksen
    Lance Henriksen
    • Robertas Robert
    Merrill Connally
    Merrill Connally
    • Team Leaderas Team Leader
    George DiCenzo
    George DiCenzo
    • Major Benchleyas Major Benchley
    Amy Douglass
    • Implanteeas Implantee
    Alexander Lockwood
    • Implanteeas Implantee
    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Steven Spielberg
      • Hal Barwood(additional story) (uncredited)
      • Jerry Belson(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Two parallel stories are told. In the first, a group of research scientists from a variety of backgrounds are investigating the strange appearance of items in remote locations, primarily desert regions. In continuing their investigation, one of the lead scientists, a Frenchman named Claude Lacombe, incorporates the Kodály method of music education as a means of communication in their work. The response, in turn, at first baffles the researchers, until American cartographer David Laughlin deciphers the meaning of the response. In the second, electric company lineman and family man Roy Neary and single mother Jillian Guiler are among some individuals in Muncie, Indiana who experience some paranormal activity before some flashes of bright lights in the sky, which they believe to be a UFO. Roy becomes obsessed with what he saw, unlike some others, especially in some form of authority, who refuse to acknowledge their belief that it was a UFO in not wanting to appear crazy. That obsession both for Roy and Jillian is ratcheted up a notch when they begin to have a vision of a mound with vertical striations on its side as a key to what is going on. While the obsession negatively affects Roy's life as he knows it in its entirety, Jillian knows she has to find the answer as to its meaning, especially as it relates to her only child, three year old Barry Guiler, who may be more attuned to what is happening than the adult figures around him. These two stories have the potential to intersect if Roy and Jillian can discover where they've seen that mound before, and if they can overcome what they believe to be the lies perpetrated by those in authority in covering up what is going on. —Huggo
    alienmothershipclose encounter of the third kindsingle mothervision154 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Close Encounter of the First Kind - Sighting of a UFO. Close Encounter of the Second Kind - Physical Evidence. Close Encounter of the Third Kind - Contact. WE ARE NOT ALONE
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    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 reviews472

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Aliens in Muncie make for Spielberg's Best Film Ever
    Steven Spielberg has made huge popcorn blockbusters that gross more money at the box office (i.e. "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," or "Jurassic Park") and are more exciting on a visceral level. As he as aged and matured as a director, he has also made movies that are more important and will hold a more solid place in the chronicles of film as an artistic document of history (i.e. "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan," and "Munich"). For my money, his best film will still always be "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." This film is Spielberg's humanistic and heartfelt answer to Kubrick's intellectual and cerebral look at man's first contact with life from elsewhere in the universe in his 1968 opus "2001: A Space Odyssey."

    "Close Encounters" came early on in Spielberg's career, made in 1977, and has all the hallmarks of his later films played just right before he became so self-referential. Here we have his typical bag of tricks long before they became so typical: familial strife, coming to terms with something bigger than oneself that challenges the male protagonist's view of the world around him, little kids in jeopardy, superb build up of suspense, fantastic visual effects, and a memorable score from John Williams. From the first UFO sightings in Muncie, Indiana to the fantastic finale at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, this is grand entertainment. Lots of films have emulated this movie to varying degrees of success, from Robert Zemeckis' earnest "Contact," to the shameful scam that was M. Night Shymalan's "Signs," and even Spielberg himself recently did the dark natured flip-side to benevolent alien encounters with his remake of "War of the Worlds" (which makes a fantastic double-feature with this). However, nothing compares to this true original. No other film has made me want to believe in aliens more, and I'll never look at a plate of mashed potatoes the same again.
    helpful•138
    80
    • WriterDave
    • Jan 10, 2006

    FAQ12

    • What is 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' about?
    • Is 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' based on a book?
    • What does the title mean?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1977 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Spanish
      • Hindi
    • Also known as
      • CE3K
    • 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
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $135,189,114
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,767,758
      • Sep 3, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $306,889,114
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 18min
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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