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Title: Contact (1997)
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| 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 |
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 ... Written by Huggo
This, for me, is a masterpiece. I have enjoyed it more with each viewing.
Carl Sagan was a great man. He promoted science in the way it should be, portraying the profound mysteriousness of our universe with humility, and without dogma. In his book, the Demon-Haunted World, he quoted Einstein:
"All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have".
Contact conveys this simple message in a subtle yet immensely powerful way. The performances are some of the most compelling I have seen, particularly by Jodie Foster and David Morse.
Just magnificent.