Contact (1997)

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

James V. Hart (screenplay by), Michael Goldenberg (screenplay by)

Stars:

Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jena Malone	...	Young Ellie
David Morse	...	Ted Arroway
Jodie Foster	...	Eleanor Arroway
Geoffrey Blake	...	Fisher
William Fichtner	...	Kent
Sami Chester	...	Vernon (as SaMi Chester)
Timothy McNeil	...	Davio
Laura Elena Surillo	...	Cantina Woman
Matthew McConaughey	...	Palmer Joss
Tom Skerritt	...	David Drumlin
Henry Strozier	...	Minister
Max Martini	...	Willie (as Maximilian Martini)
Larry King	...	Larry King
Thomas Garner	...	Ian Broderick
Conroy Chino	...	KOB-TV Reporter

Storyline

Astronomer Dr. Ellie Arroway has long been interested in contact to faraway lands, a love fostered in her childhood by her father, Ted Arroway (David Morse), who died when she was nine-years-old, leaving her orphaned. Her current work in monitoring for extraterrestrial life is based on that love and is in part an homage to her father. Ever since funding from the National Science Foundation (N.S.F.) was pulled on her work, which is referred to some, including her N.S.F. superior David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), as more science fiction than science, Ellie, with a few of her rogue scientist colleagues, have looked for funding from where ever they could get it to continue their work. When Ellie and her colleagues hear chatter originating from the vicinity of the star Vega, Ellie feels vindicated. But that vindication is short lived when others, including politicians, the military, religious leaders, and other scientists, such as Drumlin, try to take over her work. When the messages received ...

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Plot Keywords:

first contact | wormhole | religion | nasa | alien intelligence | 

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Taglines:

Get ready to take a chance on something that just might end up being the most profoundly impactful moment for humanity, for the history... of history.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Co-writers James V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg worked on adaptations of J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan". Hart co-wrote Hook (1991), and Goldenberg co-wrote Peter Pan (2003).

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Goofs

During the first test of the space travel device, all three rings on the device start to move and spin in one shot. In the very next scene, a wide shot, none of the rings are moving.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Ellie: CQ, this is W9GFO. CQ, this is W9GFO here. Come back?

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Crazy Credits

"For Carl"

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Connections

Referenced in Half in the Bag: Shut in and Arrival (2016)

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Soundtracks

Boogie Oogie Oogie
(uncredited)
Written by Janice Marie Johnson and Perry Kibble
Performed by A Taste of Honey
Played briefly during the opening sequence

User Reviews

The 90s was the era of great thought provoking scifi

I had the luck of watching contact at the cinema when it came out . Being young meant that watching a movie of this grandure in a grand movie theatre with massive screen (something that was dying out at the time) means that this movie has been engraved in my mind . But it is not due to nostalgia or corrupt memory . Contact is a thought provoking mind bending movie ahead of its time . In fact it is the Interstellar of the 90s .

Stunning gorgeous visuals , and a storyline and plot asking some hard questions and providing answers that many might not want to accept as the movie battles between science fitction , science fact and religion in a way that in the end no one is left wanting .

This is not just a movie , this is an event !

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish German Russian

Release Date:

11 July 1997 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Contact

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,584,908, 13 July 1997

Gross USA:

$100,920,329

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$171,120,329

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., South Side Amusement Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1