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Close Encounters of the Third Kind

  • 19771977
  • PGPG
  • 2h 18m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
198K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,427
846
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Theatrical Re-Release Trailer for Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Play trailer2:32
6 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Sci-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
198K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,427
846
  • 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
    • 492User reviews
    • 229Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 15 wins & 39 nominations total

    Videos6

    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
    A Guide to the Films of Steven Spielberg
    Clip 2:31
    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"

    Photos326

    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
    "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)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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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
    • alien
    • mothership
    • close encounter of the third kind
    • single mother
    • vision
    • 160 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 reviews492

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    A terrific movie about alien contact.
    Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a film about aliens landing on earth, but instead of descending into the usual laser-gun confrontations between humans and aliens, this one dares to remain "peaceful". It is a film about contact, not conflict. It is also a wonderfully thoughtful film and a prime example of compelling story-telling. If there is a weakness with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, it is that the director Steven Spielberg occasionally allows sentimentality to enter into the proceedings, but in truth it is a very minor weakness and it doesn't significantly spoil this tremendous movie experience.

    Several missing aircraft turn up over 30 years after they were reported lost. More baffling still is the fact that they vanished over Florida but have turned up, in pristine condition and without pilots, in the middle of Mexico. Other weird things happen: an aeroplane pilot reports a near collision with a brightly lit spacecraft; a Navy warship missing for decades is found in the desert; thousands of Indians report a light in the sky which "sang" to them; and across America there are scores of inexplicable UFO sightings. Electrician Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is a normal family man who sees one of the UFOs. Soon after, he is tormented by a vision apparently implanted in his mind by the aliens. His torment becomes obsession as he tries to figure out the meaning of a hill-like shape that has become embedded in his mind. As his marriage collapses, he desperately tries to find answers and is finally gratified when he discovers that the picture in his head is trying to tell him where to go in order to witness an extra terrestrial landing.

    The fact that Roy Neary is just an everyday guy cast into the most incredible of circumstances gives this film a real human dimension. Roy could represent any one of us - you, me, your next door neighbour, your father, whoever. Spielberg tells his story very carefully, adding clues and more layers of mystery before actually revealing where the story is heading. It is probably the most controlled and skillfully paced of Spielberg's '70s films. The ending, featuring the alien arrival, is a technical tour-de-force, but it works well on an emotional level too because the viewer has grown to know Roy and has been drawn into his quest for answers. John Williams provides yet another legendary music score - including an iconic five-note tune which the aliens and humans use to communicate with each other. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a classic sci-fi film, as fresh and absorbing now as it was back in 1977.
    helpful•63
    33
    • barnabyrudge
    • Apr 20, 2005

    FAQ15

    • 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
      2 hours 18 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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