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Steven Spielberg (written by)
(more)
16 November 1977 (USA) more
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
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
Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 30 nominations more
X2 scribe Michael Dougherty details his vision for X-Men 3
(From The Geek Files. 8 November 2009, 2:37 PM, PST)
The Fourth Kind | Review
(From SmellsLikeScreenSpirit. 6 November 2009, 11:31 AM, PST)
Aliens in Muncie make for Spielberg's Best Film Ever more (245 total)
| 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 | |
| George DiCenzo | ... | Major Benchley | |
| Amy Douglass | ... | Implantee | |
| Alexander Lockwood | ... | Implantee | |
| Gene Dynarski | ... | Ike | |
| Mary Gafrey | ... | Mrs. Harris | |
| Norman Bartold | ... | Ohio Tolls | |
| Josef Sommer | ... | Larry Butler | |
| Rev. Michael J. Dyer | ... | Himself | |
| Roger Ernest | ... | Highway Patrolman | |
| Carl Weathers | ... | Military Policeman | |
| F.J. O'Neil | ... | ARP Project Member | |
| Phil Dodds | ... | ARP Musician | |
| Randy Hermann | ... | Returnee #1 Flt. 19 | |
| Hal Barwood | ... | Returnee #2 Flt. 19 | |
| Matthew Robbins | ... | Returnee #3 Flt. 19 | |
| David Anderson | ... | Air Traffic Controller | |
| Richard L. Hawkins | ... | Air Traffic Controller | |
| Craig Shreeve | ... | Air Traffic | |
| Bill Thurman | ... | Air Traffic | |
| Roy E. Richards | ... | Air East Pilot | |
| Gene Rader | ... | Hawker | |
| Eumenio Blanco | ... | Federale | |
| Daniel Núñez | ... | Federale (as Daniel Nunez) | |
| Chuy Franco | ... | Federale | |
| Luis Contreras | ... | Federale | |
| James Keane | ... | Radio Telescope Team | |
| Dennis McMullen | ... | Radio Telescope Team | |
| Cy Young | ... | Radio Telescope Team | |
| Tom Howard | ... | Radio Telescope Team | |
| Richard Stuart | ... | Truck Dispatcher | |
| Bob Westmoreland | ... | Load Dispatcher | |
| Matt Emery | ... | Support Leader | |
| Galen Thompson | ... | Special Forces | |
| John Dennis Johnston | ... | Special Forces | |
| John Ewing | ... | Dirty Tricks #1 | |
| Keith Atkinson | ... | Dirty Tricks #2 | |
| Robert Broyles | ... | Dirty Tricks #3 | |
| Kirk Raymond | ... | Dirty Tricks #4 | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Basil Hoffman | ... | Longly (uncredited) | |
| J. Allen Hynek | ... | Himself - Smoking Pipe at Landing Site (uncredited) | |
| Monty Jordan | ... | Special Forces Commander / Helicopter Pilot (uncredited) | |
| Stephen Powers | ... | UN Observer (uncredited) | |
| Howard K. Smith | ... | Himself - TV News Anchor (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Steven Spielberg | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Steven Spielberg | (written by) | |
| Hal Barwood | uncredited | |
| Jerry Belson | uncredited | |
| John Hill | uncredited | |
| Matthew Robbins | uncredited | |
Produced by | |||
| Clark L. Paylow | .... | associate producer (as Clark Paylow) | |
| Julia Phillips | .... | producer | |
| Michael Phillips | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| John Williams | (music by) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Vilmos Zsigmond | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Michael Kahn | |||
Casting by | |||
| Shari Rhodes | |||
| Juliet Taylor | (as Juliette Taylor) | ||
Production Design by | |||
| Joe Alves | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Daniel A. Lomino | (as Dan Lomino) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Phil Abramson | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Edie Panda | .... | hairdresser | |
| Bob Westmoreland | .... | make-up supervisor | |
| Sharleen Rassi | .... | hair stylist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Clark L. Paylow | .... | unit production manager (as Clark Paylow) | |
| Baba Shaik | .... | production manager: India (uncredited) | |
| John Veitch | .... | executive in charge of production (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Jim Bloom | .... | second assistant director | |
| Charles Myers | .... | assistant director (as Chuck Myers) | |
| Eric Stacey | .... | key second assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Sam Gordon | .... | property master | |
| George Jensen | .... | production illustrator | |
| Bill Parks | .... | construction manager | |
| Stan Cockerell | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| David Coleman | .... | assistant property master (uncredited) | |
| Ralph McQuarrie | .... | conceptual artwork (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Neil Burrow | .... | sound effects editorial staff | |
| Gene S. Cantamessa | .... | production sound mixer (as Gene Cantamesa) | |
| Richard Friedman | .... | dialogue editorial staff (as Dick Friedman) | |
| Sam Gemette | .... | sound effects editorial staff | |
| Gary S. Gerlich | .... | sound effects editorial staff | |
| Robert Glass | .... | re-recording mixer | |
| David M. Horton | .... | sound effects editorial staff (as David Horton) | |
| Bill Jackson | .... | assistant dialogue staff | |
| Stephen Katz | .... | sound supervisor: Dolby (as Steve Katz) | |
| Robert Knudson | .... | re-recording mixer (as Buzz Knudson) | |
| Don MacDougall | .... | re-recording mixer | |
| Richard Oswald | .... | sound effects editorial staff | |
| Robert A. Reich | .... | assistant dialogue staff | |
| Jack Schrader | .... | supervising dialogue editor | |
| Chester Slomka | .... | sound effects editorial staff (as Chet Slomka) | |
| Frank E. Warner | .... | supervising sound effects editor (as Frank Warner) | |
| Raul A. Bruce | .... | boom operator (uncredited) | |
| Ellis Burman | .... | sound restoration engineer (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Roy Arbogast | .... | special mechanical effects | |
| Wayne Beauchamp | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
| Kevin Pike | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Larry Albright | .... | special consultant | |
| Peter Anderson | .... | special consultant | |
| Mona Thal Benefiel | .... | project coordinator | |
| Richard Bennett | .... | special consultant | |
| David Berry | .... | camera operator (as Dave Berry) | |
| Carol Boardman | .... | animation staff | |
| Eleanor Dahlen | .... | animation staff | |
| Cy Didjurgis | .... | animation staff | |
| Don Dow | .... | laboratory technician | |
| Jim Dow | .... | model shop coordinator (as J. Richard Dow) | |
| Ken Ebert | .... | special consultant | |
| Glenn Erickson | .... | project assistant | |
| Eugene Eyerly | .... | camera operator | |
| Rocco Gioffre | .... | assistant matte artist | |
| Joyce Goldberg | .... | production secretary | |
| David Gold | .... | effects electrician | |
| Robert Hall | .... | optical photography | |
| David R. Hardberger | .... | assistant cameraman (as David Hardberger) | |
| Alan Harding | .... | assistant cameraman | |
| Jack Hinkle | .... | laboratory expeditor (as Charles Hinkle) | |
| Robert Hollister | .... | technician | |
| Thomas Hollister | .... | laboratory technician (as Tom Hollister) | |
| Paul Huston | .... | special consultant | |
| Joseph A. Ippolito | .... | editorial assistant (as Joseph Ippolito) | |
| Don Jarel | .... | matte photography | |
| Jerry Jeffress | .... | electronics design (as Jerry L. Jeffress) | |
| Gregory Jein | .... | chief model maker | |
| David Jones | .... | special consultant (as David M. Jones) | |
| Kevin Kelly | .... | special consultant | |
| Tom Koester | .... | animation staff | |
| Jim Lutes | .... | special consultant | |
| Michael McMillen | .... | model maker (as Michael Mcmillen) | |
| Bill Millar | .... | animation staff | |
| Alvah J. Miller | .... | electronics design | |
| Harry Moreau | .... | animator | |
| Conne Morgan | .... | animation staff | |
| Max Morgan | .... | camera operator (as Maxwell Morgan) | |
| Barbara Morrison | .... | effects negative cutter | |
| Dennis Muren | .... | mothership photography | |
| Bruce Nicholson | .... | assistant cameraman | |
| Ron Peterson | .... | camera operator | |
| George Polkinghorne | .... | mechanical special effects | |
| George Randle | .... | special consultant | |
| Marcia Reed | .... | still photography (as Marcia Reid) | |
| Peter Regla | .... | electronics design | |
| Ray Rich | .... | key grip | |
| Eldon Rickman | .... | camera operator | |
| Richard Ripple | .... | assistant cameraman (as Richard Rippel) | |
| Larry Robinson | .... | special visual effects coordinator | |
| Peggy Rosson | .... | production accountant | |
| John Russell | .... | camera and mechanical design | |
| Jeff Shapiro | .... | special consultant | |
| Robert Shepherd | .... | project manager: effects unit | |
| Dan Slater | .... | electronics design | |
| Steven Spielberg | .... | visual effects concepts | |
| Scott Squires | .... | assistant cameraman | |
| David K. Stewart | .... | UFO photography (as Dave Stewart) | |
| Robert Swarthe | .... | animation supervisor | |
| Ken Swenson | .... | model maker (as Kenneth Swenson) | |
| Don Trumbull | .... | camera and mechanical design | |
| Douglas Trumbull | .... | special photographic effects supervisor | |
| Douglas Trumbull | .... | special photographic effects | |
| Jor Van Kline | .... | model maker | |
| Robert E. Worthington | .... | model maker (as Robert Worthington) | |
| Hoyt Yeatman | .... | project assistant | |
| Matthew Yuricich | .... | matte artist | |
| Richard Yuricich | .... | director of photography: photographic effects | |
| Larry Albright | .... | mothership neonlight effects designer (uncredited) | |
| Gregory L. McMurry | .... | visual effects technician (1980 special edition) (uncredited) | |
| Christopher S. Ross | .... | model maker (1980 special edition: mothership interior) (uncredited) | |
| Jonathan Seay | .... | visual effects camera (1980 special edition) (uncredited) | |
| Scott Squires | .... | developer: cloud tank (uncredited) | |
| Robert Swarthe | .... | visual effects supervisor (1980 special edition: inside mother ship) (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Buddy Joe Hooker | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Bobby Bass | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Craig R. Baxley | .... | stunt driver (uncredited) | |
| Jerry Brutsche | .... | stunt driver (uncredited) | |
| Steven Burnett | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Jeannie Epper | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Buddy Joe Hooker | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Monty Jordan | .... | utility stunts (uncredited) | |
| Stephen Powers | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Sally Dennison | .... | additional casting | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| James Linn | .... | wardrobe supervisor (as Jim Linn) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Charles Bornstein | .... | assistant film editor | |
| Bob McMillian | .... | color consultant (as Robert M. McMillian) | |
| Geoffrey Rowland | .... | assistant film editor | |
Music Department | |||
| John Neal | .... | music scoring mixer | |
| Kenneth Wannberg | .... | music editor | |
| Tommy Johnson | .... | musician: tuba soloist (uncredited) | |
| Paul Salamunovich | .... | vocalist: harmonic chanting (uncredited) | |
| Jim Self | .... | musician: tuba, voice of the mother ship (uncredited) | |
| Herbert W. Spencer | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Bill Bethea | .... | transportation | |
| Chris Haynes | .... | production driver (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Judy Bornstein | .... | second assistant to producers | |
| Charlsie Bryant | .... | script supervisor | |
| Patrick Burns | .... | production staff (as Pat Burns) | |
| Colin Cantwell | .... | technical dialogue | |
| Kendall Cooper | .... | assistant to producers | |
| Al Ebner | .... | publicist | |
| Rick Fields | .... | assistant: Mr. Spielberg | |
| Janet Healy | .... | production staff | |
| J. Allen Hynek | .... | technical advisor (as Dr. J. Allen Hynek) | |
| Joe O'Har | .... | location manager | |
| Dan Perri | .... | title designer | |
| Carlo Rambaldi | .... | realization of 'extraterrestrial' | |
| Gail Siemers | .... | production secretary | |
| Steve Warner | .... | location auditor | |
| Murray Weissman | .... | publicist | |
| Seth Winston | .... | intern: AFI | |
| Noreen Beasley | .... | dialogue translator: French for F. Truffaut (uncredited) | |
| Norman Brokaw | .... | production counsel (uncredited) | |
| Norman Garey | .... | production counsel (uncredited) | |
| Steve Hinton | .... | pilot (uncredited) | |
| Pat Kingsley | .... | publicist (uncredited) | |
| Kevin Von Feldt | .... | assistant: Clark Paylow (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| Johnny Mathis | .... | special thanks | |
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)
more
132 min (special edition) | 137 min (director's cut) | 135 min (original version)
Color (Metrocolor)
2.20 : 1 more
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)
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
Steven Spielberg and other producers wanted Walter Cronkite as newsreader for the broadcast that Neary ignores in the living room sculpture scene. However, CBS would not allow Cronkite to take the role, so producers settled on ABC's Howard K. Smith. Unfortunately, the news cutaway scene to Wyoming reporter was filmed before this decision; as a result, the reporter says Order your steak well-done, Walter. more
Anachronisms: The Mexican officers who appear in the Sonora Desert sequence wear Federal Army uniforms. Those uniforms were used during early the 20th century but not anymore by the 70s. more
Scientist 1:
Einstein WAS right!
Team Leader:
Einstein was PROBABLY one of them!
more
SHE'LL BE COMIN' 'ROUND THE MOUNTAIN more
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Steven Spielberg has made huge popcorn blockbusters that gross more money at the box office (i.e. "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," or "Jurassic Park") and are more exciting on a visceral level. As he as aged and matured as a director, he has also made movies that are more important and will hold a more solid place in the chronicles of film as an artistic document of history (i.e. "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan," and "Munich"). For my money, his best film will still always be "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." This film is Spielberg's humanistic and heartfelt answer to Kubrick's intellectual and cerebral look at man's first contact with life from elsewhere in the universe in his 1968 opus "2001: A Space Odyssey."
"Close Encounters" came early on in Spielberg's career, made in 1977, and has all the hallmarks of his later films played just right before he became so self-referential. Here we have his typical bag of tricks long before they became so typical: familial strife, coming to terms with something bigger than oneself that challenges the male protagonist's view of the world around him, little kids in jeopardy, superb build up of suspense, fantastic visual effects, and a memorable score from John Williams. From the first UFO sightings in Muncie, Indiana to the fantastic finale at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, this is grand entertainment. Lots of films have emulated this movie to varying degrees of success, from Robert Zemeckis' earnest "Contact," to the shameful scam that was M. Night Shymalan's "Signs," and even Spielberg himself recently did the dark natured flip-side to benevolent alien encounters with his remake of "War of the Worlds" (which makes a fantastic double-feature with this). However, nothing compares to this true original. No other film has made me want to believe in aliens more, and I'll never look at a plate of mashed potatoes the same again.