Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer:

Steven Spielberg (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

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

Plot:

After an encounter with UFOs, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

Plot Keywords:

Vision | UFO | Desert | Military | Close Encounter Of The Third Kind

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 30 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Roy Neary
François Truffaut	...	Claude Lacombe
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	...	Sylvia Neary
Justin Dreyfuss	...	Toby Neary
Lance Henriksen	...	Robert
Merrill Connally	...	Team Leader

Also Known As:

CE3K (USA) (informal short title)
The Close Encounter of the Third Kind (USA) (working title)
The Special Edition: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (USA) (reissue title)
Watch the Skies (USA) (working title)
Närkontakt av tredje graden (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Rencontres du troisième type (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Bliskie spotkania trzeciego stopnia (Poland) [pl]
Blizka setkani tretiho druhu (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Contatos Imediatos de Terceiro Grau (Brazil) [pt]
Contatos Imediatos do Terceiro Grau (Brazil) [pt]
Encontres a la tercera fase (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Encontros Imediatos do 3º Grau (Portugal) [pt]
Encuentros cercanos del tercer tipo (Argentina) [es]
Encuentros en la tercera fase (Spain) [es]
Encuentros en la tercera fase: Edición especial (Spain) (reissue title) [es]
Harmadik típusú találkozások (Hungary) [hu]
Incontri ravvicinati del terzo tipo (Italy) [it]
Kolmannen asteen yhteys (Finland) [fi]
Michi tono sôgû (Japan) [ja]
Nærkontakt af tredie grad (Denmark) [da]
Stenes epafes tritou typou (Greece) [el]
Stenes epafes tritou typou: Special ekdosi (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Steven Spielbergs Unheimliche Begegnung der dritten Art (West Germany) (complete title) [de]
Tehlikeli iliskiler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Unheimliche Begegnung der dritten Art (West Germany) [de]
Unheimliche Begegnung der dritten Art - Die neue Version (West Germany) (director's cut) [de]

Runtime:

132 min (special edition) | 137 min (director's cut) | 135 min (original version)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | French | Spanish | Hindi

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Spain:T | Netherlands:12 (original rating) | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | South Africa:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Iceland:L | Norway:12 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Ireland:PG

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The entire landing strip complex behind Devils Tower was actually constructed and filmed in an abandoned aircraft hangar at Brookley AFB in Mobile, Alabama.

Goofs:

Continuity: License plate(s) on the station wagon as Roy and Jillian drive through roadblocks.

Quotes:

Ronnie Neary: All right, everybody to bed!
Toby Neary: No, wait! Dad said we could watching The Ten Commandments!
Ronnie Neary: Roy, that movie is four hours long.
Roy Neary: I said they could watch the five commandments.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ray Charles (#3.5)" (1977)

Soundtrack:

LOVE SONG OF THE WATERFALL

Great sci-fi

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is the story about a man who has a close encounter with aliens. However, no one seems to believe that it really happened except a woman who's son was abducted. They both have a similar vision apparently put in their minds by the aliens, and they set off together to go meet up with the aliens one more time.

I've never been a huge Spielberg fan. Sure, he's made some good movies, but I just never saw anything real great about most of his movies. That is, until I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This movie had me so entranced in the story that the 2 hours and 15 minutes flew by. I'm not even a big sci-fi type of guy. The cinematography, acting, music score, and directing are all top-notch. The special effects, although obviously sub-par by today's standards, were phenomenal when released in 1977 and is still good enough to not make the movie look cheesy by today's standards.