Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

4.0

SCIENCE FICTION
U.S. Release Date: 11/16/77
Running Length: 132 Minutes
MPAA Classification: PG (Mature Themes)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Music: John Williams
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Review by: Carter Moulton

02/18/09

Close Encounters of the First Kind: Sighting a UFO. Close Encounters of the Second Kind: Physical Evidence. Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Contact.

All three of these are experienced in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, perhaps the most poetic, majestic look at extraterrestrial life on celluloid. It is one of the rare galactic films to showcase the fact that aliens could potentially be nice. Not giving anything away, I’ll let you find out for yourself. Steven Spielberg explores science fiction frequently—see films like E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Artificial Intelligence: AI, War of the Worlds, and, most recently, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  The memorable achievement about his work here is the way he alters moods and emotions throughout the narrative; he leaves it to us to determine whether the extraterrestrial life is harmful or not until the very end.

The film opens in Mojave desert (Mexico) with a whirlwind of dust and confusion. A collection of military airplanes that had gone missing in 1945 has shown up out of nowhere. Next, we listen in as a commercial airplane pilot notices a bright object in the sky—unidentifiable of course. It doesn’t take long to get surrounded by the mood of uncertainty that Spielberg creates.

Photo © Columbia Pictures.

Enter characters: Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl, Mr. Holland’s Opus) and Gillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon, A Christmas Story, Magnolia) are the two main protagonists. They’re brought together by a Close Encounter of the First Kind (see above). Roy has the closest encounter, as he gets caught amidst the bright lights and metallic manipulation of the spaceship. Metallic manipulation meaning that the crafts seem to bend and control electronic and metal materials. All who see the spaceships get severe sunburns as well. As the story continues, the strange invaders abduct Barry Guiler, Gillian’s adorable son—the imagery in this scene is stunning. As is most of the imagery in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Whether it’s a freighter laying in the desert or one of the jaw-dropping alien vehicles, the images stick. The cinematography (the lone Oscar-winning category, despite its 8 nominations) is gorgeous, each shot looking like a photograph—it helps when most of the film takes place under a starlit sky.

Roy starts acting strange after his encounter, constructing sculptures of an image that is later explained (and which will serve as iconography in our pop-culture forever). He gets fired from his job and his family essentially runs away from him. As the story of Roy and Gillian unfolds, the government is also trying to explain the weird sightings and occurrences. After dissecting a recording of an extraterrestrial signal, they conclude that coordinates are rooted in the message. All signs point to Wyoming.

Spielberg toys with the idea of government conspiracy as he shows the government whipping up a story about a toxic railroad spill—inconveniencing thousands just so they can clear out the area surrounding the coordinates. This area is where the film cements itself in history. The final half-hour of Close Encounters of the Third Kind is nothing short of a miracle. It’s majestic, perplexing, and tranquil. It achieves meditative moments comparable to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I won’t go any further in discussing the plot—the ending is something that must be experienced.

The special effects are compelling. They still hold up well today (better than Star Wars). I’d argue that today’s CGI couldn’t produce an organic, earthly quality like the mapping used here. The spaceships are easy on the eyes, floating through the sky with soft, glowing lights—this only eases us into the meditation that Spielberg wants to create.

John William’s score is some of his best—and unfortunately overlooked—work. The five-tone sequence that the aliens use is embedded in my brain, and Williams finds a way to break free from his all-too-familiar themes (Superman, The Patriot, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones all start to sound the same). Ironically, at one point during the final scene, the alien’s communication sounds like the Jaws theme. But apart from this somewhat humorous observation, it’s a wonderful work from Williams.

Watching and feeling Spielberg masterfully play with our emotions and thoughts is in itself a marvel. In one particular scene, Roy is on the phone talking to his wife (who just left him). At the same time, a news report explaining the so-called “toxic gas” cover-up is displayed on the television. The sound levels are relatively equal. In executing the scene in this way, Spielberg challenges us to choose which information to listen to, which information is more important—the individual human, or the news pertaining to the possible destruction of mankind. With the final half-hour of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg reveals the correct choice. It’s this well-crafted manipulation that provides a preface for one of the most graceful movie endings I’ve ever seen.