Movie Reviews: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Title: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Release Date: November 15, 1977
Director: Steven Spielberg
Production Company: Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips Productions | Columbia Pictures |  EMI Films
Summary/Review:

Strange incidents around the world, including the appearance of airplanes and ships that went missing long ago, and French scientist Claude Lacombe (French New Wave director François Truffaut in bizarre but inspired casting) and his American interpreter David Laughlin (Bob Balaban) investigate.  Meanwhile in Indiana, after widespread power outages, electrical lineman  Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is sent out to make repairs and he has an encounter with an alien spacecraft.  Roy’s life is transformed by the experience and he tries to recreate a vision of a mysterious mountain.  His mania leads to his wife Ronnie (Teri Garr) leaving with their children.  But he finds a common interest with Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon), a single mother whose young child Barry Guiler (Cary Guffey) was abducted by the aliens.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind stands out from the blockbuster films of the 70s & 80s for it’s slower pace, big scientific ideas, and willingness to embrace ambiguity.  It feels a lot more like 2001: A Space Odyssey than Star Wars.  But it also has many Spielberg-ian touches, especially in the depiction of the Roy’s suburban family.  The scene when the family falls apart with Roy, Ronnie, and the children all shouting their own fears and anger simultaneously is particularly effective.  The special effects look a little bit dated, even compared to Spielberg’s later works, but are still impressive.  I found the sound design particularly effective as one could hear murmurs of conversation, atmospheric sounds, and the ever present TV and radio advertisements behind many scenes.  And of course there’s John Williams’ score with the unforgettable 5-note musical phrase.

The movie strikes an interesting balance between fear and wonder.  There are some terrifying scenes in this movie, and first contact with aliens causes even some of the scientists to run while others stare in awe.  And while science is at the heart of the movie, art is equally important, from Roy’s sculpture to the music used to communicate with the aliens.  Communication is a key theme of the movie with the breakdown of communication within Roy’s family contrasted with the hopefully more successful attempt to “talk” with the aliens.  I watched this movie when I was young – probably in an “edited for TV” version – but it was great to revisit it with the perspectives of an adult.

Here are some parts of the movie that stand out to me [SPOILERS]:

• Roy’s close encounter in his truck is an amazing scene from the effects to Dreyfuss’ performance.  And when the lights in the rear window rise UP, I always laugh.
• The scene with Barry’s abduction is also fantastically done and quite terrifying in a movie that never quite settles on being horror or optimistic until the very end.
• When the crowd of people in India all point UP at once, what a shot!
• A scientist very seriously and urgently declares “”We’ll need a geodetic survey map of Wyoming.”
• The arrival of the massive mother ship from behind Devil’s Tower is the piece-de-resistance!

Rating: ****