Wednesday, April 11, 2012

#604. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)


Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr




Tag line: "We Are Not Alone"

Trivia:  SFX man Douglas Trumbull created the cloud effects by injecting white paint into tanks of salt and fresh water







There you are, alone in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, and without warning, you're face-to-face (face-to-headlight?) with an unidentified flying object.  A UFO. Visitors from another planet.  

What thoughts race through your mind?  

Are you afraid?  

Curious?  

Excited?  

In one thrilling sequence from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where repairman Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), sitting in his work truck, has an encounter he cannot explain, we learn the most likely reaction will be all of the above. 

This extraordinary run-in with beings from another world occurred while Roy was out one evening making emergency repairs. His wife, Ronnie (Teri Garr) doesn't believe his account of what happened, and begins to worry when Roy's behavior shifts from merely confused to highly erratic. 

There were others who saw it, though, including single mother Julian (Melinda Dillon), who is just as perplexed as Roy. 

What neither of them realizes is the U.S. Government has also gotten involved, and, with the help of French researcher Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut), are trying to determine the reasons behind this otherworldly visitation. 

While the bureaucrats are busy denying everything, Roy and Julian’s fascination grows, leading them to think and act in ways they would have never dreamed possible.

There’s plenty of excitement in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, including one of the most unusual chases ever committed to film, not to mention intrigue, with government cover-ups and military operations designed to pull the wool over an unsuspecting public's eyes. 

Then, of course, there’s the drama, the families torn apart by events they can't understand. Yet, above all, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is about the wonder, and how regular, everyday people like you and I might react when faced with the unbelievable. 

Before his encounter, Richard Dreyfuss’ Roy was an everyman. He planned family outings, argued with his wife, and had a hard time getting his kids to go to bed. In a single night, Roy became a different person, and the experience stirred within him - whether consciously or subconsciously - a desire to know more. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is his journey, and all the turmoil, all the special effects wizardry, even the magnificent musical score of John Williams, is there to tell his story. He is the common man who will, for all intents and purposes, never be common again. 

Astonishment, confusion, elation; these are a few of the endearing characteristics of Steven Spielberg's films. Whether taking us through the air on a boy’s bicycle, opening the Lost Ark of the Covenant, or walking with dinosaurs, Spielberg has shown us, time and again, and especially in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, that not only is the amazing possible, but it can happen to just about anybody.







9 comments:

Kevin Bachelder said...

I remember being blown away by this movie when I saw it in theaters. I was a BIG fan of UFOs when I was a kid.

DVD Infatuation said...

Kevin: I was the same way: 1st saw this in theaters, and I thought it was incredible!

I even went out and bought all the trading cards they put out for the movie (and got in a mess of trouble when I put the sticker that came with the cards on the 100-year-old desk in my room!)

Ah, memories!

Thanks for the comment, and looking forward to my next appearance on the show!

Barl3y said...

Great movie, loved the ending as a kid.
Spawned many day dreams about being taken in a alien spaceship. This and Flight of the Navigator..... 8)

DVD Infatuation said...

@Barl3y: I'm with you! The ending really started my imagination to spinning as well back in the day!

Thanks for stopping by again! Have a great day

AK Williams said...

Loved this movie. I think its one of Steven Spielberg's classic. I went to see it when was 14 with my mother who didn't like it as much as me. However the hype for this movie was huge & you felt you had see it.
My favourite scene when Roy gets lost & he's looking at the maps & waves the UFO to go around,still makes me laugh.

DVD Infatuation said...

@H.E.: I also caught this one in the theater (though I was only around 7 at the time), and the scene you describe as your favorite is one of the ones that stuck with me as well.

It is certainly a classic! Thanks for the comment

beep said...

I, of course, liked this when it came out. But some years later, I accidentally wandered into the mashed potato scene on TV and just immediately assumed that it was a parody. It wasn't. I don't think this thing holds up very well at all!

DVD Infatuation said...

@Beep: Maybe its the "nostalgia factor" (I first saw it in the theater when I was a kid), but I still really enjoy the movie. It holds up for me, anyway. Thanks for the comment!

Starshiptrooper said...

Loved in when it came out and still do. One that has stood the test of yime