Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

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

Writer:

Steven Spielberg

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Roy Neary
François Truffaut	...	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

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

alien | mothership | close encounter of the third kind | single mother | vision | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is possible to see an upside down R2-D2 (from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), etc) in part of the large spacecraft that flies over Devils Tower. The SFX people needed more detail, and so supposedly there are many more such items, such as a shark from Jaws (1975) (also directed by Steven Spielberg), etc. R2-D2 is visible as Jillian first sees the mothership up close from her hiding place in the rocks.

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Goofs

Lacombe says that the hand signals were developed by Zoltan Kodaly, to teach music to the deaf. They were, in fact, developed by John Curwen, to teach tonal content in music to British schoolchildren.

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Quotes

Ronnie Neary: [the Neary children watch The Ten Commandants on TV] You know, that movie is four hours long.
Roy Neary: I said they'd only watch five.

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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."

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Alternate Versions

A final version of "Close Encounters" was released to video in 1998 (and then on DVD in 2001) as "The Collector's Edition". It is basically Spielberg's final 137-minute re-edit of the original version plus some sequences from the 1980 "Special Edition". It contains.....

• The Neary family's alternate longer introduction.
• The 5-second flyover of the power company truck.
• The scientists discovery of the freighter in the Gobi desert is included.
• The scene where Roy Neary argues with his wife and locks himself in a shower.
• The Air Force base press conference scene has been restored from the original version.
• The scene where Roy throws dirt, plants and bricks through his kitchen window has been restored from the original version.
• This version does not contain the mothership ending from the "Special Edition", and retains the original 1977 end title music.

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Connections

Referenced in Alien Evolution (2001)

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Soundtracks

Chances Are
(1957)
Words and Music by Al Stillman and Robert Allen
Published by International Korwin Corp.
From the Columbia Records album "Johnny Mathis' All-Time Greatest Hits"

User Reviews

A must see!

This is one of the major turning points in cinematic history. If you have never seen it, you are missing out on a fantastic movie, as well as a pivotal role that shaped the film industry.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish Hindi

Release Date:

14 December 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

CE3K

Filming Locations:

Mobile Civic Center, Civic Center Drive, Mobile, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,767,758, 3 September 2017

Gross USA:

$135,189,114

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$306,899,494

Company Credits

Production Co:

Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips Productions, EMI Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min (Special Edition) 135 min (Theatrical Original) 138 min (Director's Cut)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1