Contact (1997)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers (WGA):

Carl Sagan (novel)
Carl Sagan (story) ...

Release Date:

11 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens, who send plans for a mysterious machine.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Radio | Scientist | Faith | Astronomy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 15 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 9	10:00 PM	TNT
Fri. July 10	1:00 AM	TNT

Cast

Jena Malone	...	Young Ellie
David Morse	...	Ted Arroway
Jodie Foster	...	Eleanor Arroway
Geoffrey Blake	...	Fisher
William Fichtner	...	Kent
Sami Chester	...	Vernon
Timothy McNeil	...	Davio
Laura Elena Surillo	...	Cantina Woman
Matthew McConaughey	...	Palmer Joss
Tom Skerritt	...	David Drumlin
Henry Strozier	...	Minister
Michael Chaban	...	Hadden Suit
Max Martini	...	Willie (as Maximilian Martini)
Larry King	...	Himself
Thomas Garner	...	Ian Broderick

Also Known As:

Contacto (Argentina) (Peru) (Venezuela) [es]
Contact (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Kontakt (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Контакт (Russia) [ru]
Contact (France) [fr]
Contact (Spain) [es]
Contacto (Portugal) [pt]
Contato (Brazil) [pt]
Ensimmäinen yhteys (Finland) [fi]
Epafi (Greece) [el]
Kapcsolat (Hungary) [hu]
Kontakt (Poland) [pl]
Mesaj (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Stik (Slovenia) [sl]

MPAA:

Rated PG for some intense action, mild language and a scene of sensuality.

Runtime:

153 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #35448) | Iceland:12 | Brazil:12 | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | Germany:12 (bw) | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (featured in the film) has a club station which, with the permission of Reber, had acquired his old call sign "W9GFZ" earlier in 1997. Robert Zemeckis, learning of this tribute, planned to use the same call sign for Arroway in the movie. However, in the end "W9GFO" was used instead. While viewing the film after release, David Wilson of the Internet recognized this call sign as that of his father Robert (Bob) Wilson from the late 1930s. W9GFO and K4WLD are currently assigned to ham radio operators in the USA.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In a flashback to the early- to mid-'70s, we see a toy horse on young Ellie's nightstand. The horse is made by Breyer Animal Creations, but was produced in the mid to late 1980s.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Old Time Religion

"For Carl"

Reading other peoples' reviews, I see a split 50/50 argument where one side loves the movie and the other hates it. I am not one bit surprised, due to the importance of the film, and I feel this is proof that Contact is one of the most powerful movies of the decade. Like the reaction from the civilians to the machine, a movie with this much heavy firepower is likely to get both loathing and praise from its viewers. I for one praise the film, for its toughness and sensitivity, symbolism and passion, and the fact that it is a rare science fiction film, a gem which was released in a time where scientific intelligence in film has become a nothing short of a joke as the wonder of the universe has been ignored and the mystery of alien life have become a neverending trail of movie villains.

The film of course centers around the science vs. religion theme, the oldest and most frightening of all school debates. Instead of taking the more independent path the book takes, the film takes the more sensitive on the science vs. religion argument throughout the film by telling us that science and religion points to the same direction (the "pursuit of truth") but are misunderstood when studying the nature of their WAY of finding the truth (science uses evidence and answers, religion uses love faith). At the end of it all, the film lets us know that if science and religion stops colliding with each other and starts to combine and compliment each other (listen to Ellie's final words in her testament) the human race might achieve things we can only dream about now.

A perfectly refreshing film, with lots to say, great acting and directing, sound and special effects. Robbed by the Academy.