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Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Release Date:
16 November 1977 (USA)
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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 more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 11 wins
&
30 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(54 articles)
Nocturnal Admissions: 2012 versus The Box
(From Quick Stop. 23 November 2009, 2:47 AM, PST)
'70s behind-the-camera greats: How Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond put the cinema in cinematography
(From EW.com - The Movie Critics. 18 November 2009, 12:48 PM, PST)
(From Quick Stop. 23 November 2009, 2:47 AM, PST)
'70s behind-the-camera greats: How Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond put the cinema in cinematography
(From EW.com - The Movie Critics. 18 November 2009, 12:48 PM, PST)
User Comments:
A terrific movie about alien contact.
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
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)
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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)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
132 min (special edition) | 137 min (director's cut) | 135 min (original version)
Country:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Outside of his own films, this is the only time that François Truffaut acted in someone else's film.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Shortly before Barry Guiler is abducted from his house by aliens, we see electrical appliances moving and powering themselves. In the kitchen, the stove rings are meant to be glowing, however they cast a shadow on the rear panel of the stove - indicating that the rings are actually cold, and being lit from underneath with red lights.
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Quotes:
Jillian Guiler:
[on the police inquiring about her missing son] They asked me if I'd seen any strangers in the neighborhood.
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Soundtrack:
THE SQUARE SONG
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FAQ
Did Larry die after being gassed by the helicopter?more
more (245 total)
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Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a film about aliens landing on earth, but instead of descending into the usual laser-gun confrontations between humans and aliens, this one dares to remain "peaceful". It is a film about contact, not conflict. It is also a wonderfully thoughtful film and a prime example of compelling story-telling. If there is a weakness with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, it is that the director Steven Spielberg occasionally allows sentimentality to enter into the proceedings, but in truth it is a very minor weakness and it doesn't significantly spoil this tremendous movie experience.
Several missing aircraft turn up over 30 years after they were reported lost. More baffling still is the fact that they vanished over Florida but have turned up, in pristine condition and without pilots, in the middle of Mexico. Other weird things happen: an aeroplane pilot reports a near collision with a brightly lit spacecraft; a Navy warship missing for decades is found in the desert; thousands of Indians report a light in the sky which "sang" to them; and across America there are scores of inexplicable UFO sightings. Electrician Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is a normal family man who sees one of the UFOs. Soon after, he is tormented by a vision apparently implanted in his mind by the aliens. His torment becomes obsession as he tries to figure out the meaning of a hill-like shape that has become embedded in his mind. As his marriage collapses, he desperately tries to find answers and is finally gratified when he discovers that the picture in his head is trying to tell him where to go in order to witness an extra terrestrial landing.
The fact that Roy Neary is just an everyday guy cast into the most incredible of circumstances gives this film a real human dimension. Roy could represent any one of us - you, me, your next door neighbour, your father, whoever. Spielberg tells his story very carefully, adding clues and more layers of mystery before actually revealing where the story is heading. It is probably the most controlled and skillfully paced of Spielberg's '70s films. The ending, featuring the alien arrival, is a technical tour-de-force, but it works well on an emotional level too because the viewer has grown to know Roy and has been drawn into his quest for answers. John Williams provides yet another legendary music score - including an iconic five-note tune which the aliens and humans use to communicate with each other. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a classic sci-fi film, as fresh and absorbing now as it was back in 1977.