Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Roy Neary (Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfuss) was just a mild-mannered Indiana family man working for the power company.  Until one evening while out on the job.....he had an encounter with an unfamiliar being blasting brilliant light into the night sky.  What results for Roy is an increasingly bizarre descent into madness as he not only feels drawn towards seking out these otherworldy beings but also begins to alienate his wife (Teri Garr) and family in the process.  And he's not the only one: there's also Jillian Guiler (Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon) who is also drawn towards seeking out these strange, new visitors.  Both of their journeys eventually lead them Devil's Tower in Wyoming where these "visitors" might be headed.  Also eventually heading this way are two curious scientists (Francois Truffaut, Bob Balaban) who have been trying to figure out the best way to communicate with these extra terrestrials.  It all adds up to a transcendant experience and one of THE greatest films from one of our greatest living directors, Two-time Oscar-winner Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET) as his direct follow-up to the singular phenomenon which was Jaws. 

See below for a link to an extended sequence added to the 1980 "Special Edition" of this film, referred to within this review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqiSIaia-k4&t=197s

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND - 1977

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, J. Patrick McNamara, Warren J. Kemmerling, Roberts Blossom, Phil Dodds, Cary Guffey, Shawn Bishop, Adrienne Campbell, Justin Dreyfuss, Lance Henricksen, and Francois Truffaut

Genre: Sci-Fi Adventure (Audio clip)

Possibly next to Jurassic Park and 'The Last Crusade (which I both saw multiple times in theaters), this is likely the Spielberg opus which I have rewatched the most. And for good reason because of all of his bigger popcorn movies, it's probably the boldest of the bunch! It's entertaining, awe-inspiring, and even often scary.....but it's also genuinely weird and off-putting when it needs to be! Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss in a very challenging performance) is not the easiest character to root for at several points....we are witness this guy's seeming descent into madness. 🙄 The mashed potato incident is just the starting point - dude is OBSESSED with something seemingly unattainable and he's not making it easy for those around him.

Neary's life starts to fall apart mostly triggered by him witnessing what seem to be mostly innocuous joy rides from this batch of ET's....it's of course fun to watch but also a bit troubling. Dreyfuss plays this effectively raw as it drives him away from his family...we also feel for his wife Ronnie (the late great Teri Garr) as after watching her husband lose his job and go increasingly bat-s#$t, she has no choice but to take the kids and leave! It's pretty wrenching to watch and even Spielberg in interviews since then had said that in his more mature years as a father, he never would taken the story in this particular direction. :o I'm still glad he did because it helps make Neary's journey to Devil's Tower THAT much weightier....if you're gonna follow an absurd dream of literally reaching for the stars like this, a price will undoubtedly need to be paid!

And nicely cross-cut with his story is an apparent top secret UN/NASA (I think? It's never quite clear though of course the US military gets involved) worldwide effort to get to the bottom of several very mysterious tangible hints/artifacts left by these extra terrestrials which apparently are in the vicinity....in the form of lost airplanes from forty years prior, sneaky UFO's which mess with passenger airplanes, and - in a true highlight for the film - a massive group of Indian clergyman chanting this surprisingly catchy five note theme which they apparently hear from above. This subplot is lead by the late, great director Francois Truffaut in a rare acting role as the truly mesmerized Claude, a French astronomer partnered with his equally charming translator David played by Bob Balaban....it's SO much fun to watch these unassuming menschy scientists traversing the world to gather different breadcrumbs left by the ET's always seemingly in awe of whatever they find. :) And they're even accompanied by a dapper young Lance Henricksen as Robert who isn't given much in the way of dialogue but makes GREAT use of those eyes in a couple of key moments...

The whole entire sprawling cast is just pitch-perfect....so many great faces! Especially the almost alien-like wide-eyed visage of five-year Gary Guffey playing Barry, the eager little boy of single-mom Jillian living at their big, isolated creepy house in the middle of rural Indiana...where of course the aliens come calling in one adeptly terrifying sequence which feels right out of Poltergeist. :o Electronic toys are seemingly turning themselves on, windows and shutters are being blasted open, blinding lights are shining through key holes.....it's SO well-done that it has you questioning the intentions of these visitors even though it becomes obvious later on that they were just pulling Barry through the doggy door for a play-date! The late great Melinda Dillon does her part as Jillian, not only selling the abject terror of this experience but also portraying her character's descent into madness.

And of course, most of our major characters converge on Devil's Tower in Wyoming for a truly thrilling climax, including beautifully rendered (especially for '77) footage of alien ships interacting with humans on the ground thanks to excellent work from master DP Vilmos Sigmond. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

This HAS to be one of THE most obvious choices in the history of this category…..OF COURSE, it’s that now ICONIC five-note theme, a message sent by the alien themselves.

(Audio clip) 

This theme is introduced to us during one dazzling sequence taking place in Dharmsala, India where Claude and David find a MASSIVE crowd chanting this theme on a hillside, repeating it again and again.  And when one of their leaders finally stops them to ask WHERE they heard this, the reaction of this crowd is pricess: we see several hands pointing their fingers UP at the sky. (Audio clip)   

Of course this theme and the entire score was composed by the Maestro himself….John Williams and I believe that right alongside previous episode Raiders of the Lost Ark, this remains his best collaboration with Spielberg….probably even among his Top Five scores.  It’s SO good that folks often forget that besides the awe and majesty of this film, the score can be quite effectively scary at points too. (Audio clip) 

Regardless it ALL culminates in what likely remains this film’s signature scene towards the end, a dazzling extended jam session between our scientists on the ground and the massive mother ship which happens to have ONE HELL of a sound system! 😁 (Audio clip) 

It should go without saying that the music is so critical to this sequence but beyond that…..how it’s visualized with this giant LCD screen showing different notes lighting up in different colors, similar colors emanating from the base of this mothership, every one’s REACTIONS to all of this….and with the backdrop of Devil’s Tower.  When it comes to sequences portraying FIRST CONTACT, I don’t it gets any better than this. (Audio clip)  

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

I don’t believe that any particular talent involved with this film was wasted though I WOULD like to express what has become a somewhat minority opinion about this film over the past 40+ years….there was a special edition of this film released to theaters in August 1980.  This was because Spielberg himself had always felt that the film was unfinished and in response to pressure from the studio to push for a sequel – which he was dead-set against – he instead worked it out that he would film a few more scenes MOST importantly one more major sequence towards the end taking us inside that alien mothership alongside Roy Neary.   And what resulted was about four minutes of Roy entering the main….LOBBY…you got me…of said mothership and looking upwards as a special ceiling is released upwards revealing lots of smaller alien ships fluttering around. (Audio clip) 

Now Spielberg himself was never crazy about this sequence – he always thought it unnecessary and even hurt the mystery of the aliens – to the point where when a final “Director’s Cut” of the film was released to DVD and video in 1998, he removed it.  And from what I gather, most cinephiles and/or film critics agreed with that decision.  I can respect that but I don’t care because I LOOOOVE this sequence – simply awe-inspiring and for me, one KEY shot clinches that.  The camera pans up a very long array of backlit figures on platforms looking back down on Roy…..we can’t quite make them out but it SOUNDS like they’re talking as they see this strange figure enter their home…..and whereas he was previously BEAMING with excitement, we can now see that Roy is COMPLETELY overhwhelmed and for a brief second….dare-I-say TERRIFIED?  Maybe that’s just my interpretation but I feel like just that 45 seconds of the upward panning shot of those alien creatures – literally hundreds and hundreds of them – and then Roy’s reaction, it’s just TOO good to not see.  And I’ll include a link to this entire sequence in the show notes. (Audio clip)   

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

The legendary Douglas Trumball was responsible for several of this film’s then-groundbreaking visual effects and the manner with which some brightly lit alien scout ships are deployed early on is SUCH a kick to watch....these extra terrestrials seem to be messing with our protagonist in the most playful manner.  One of the TRUE highlights for me remains early on when Neary is stuck in front of that railroad crossing, lost and trying to read his maps in the front seat of his truck. All he can see behind him (and the camera's POV) is a small series of headlights of cars coming from behind....and we watch as he waves off each pair of lights which then just drive around him. So apparently an smaller alien vehicle has a similar set of headlights and does the same thing...so when Neary waves IT off, we see this vehicle pull UPWARD behind Neary's truck. :) It's an indelible image which has always stuck with me if for no other reason that it demonstrates how our either our visitors from beyond OR the director (or both) have quite the sense of humor....

MVP (person most responsible for the success of this film):

Overall this is just PEAK Spielberg for me -he both wrote the original screenplay and directed this as his BIG “blank check” project following the massive breakout success of previous episode Jaws a couple of years prior.  It combines all of the strongest elements of his filmography from fractured family drama to intimidating government forces to plucky children in peril to otherworldly globe-hopping adventure.  And if we’re not counting 1971’s Duel – though I think we probably should – this was only his SECOND feature film!  For writing and directing what might be my personal favorite among his impressive, ever-expanding filmography, Steven Spielberg is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5 

I THINK my parents took me to see the Special Edition of this at a drive-in in 1980 but honestly, I was just too young to remember…..but yeah I would LOVE to have the opportunity to see this on the big screen at some point.  It’s a masterpiece. 

Streaming on peacock, The Criterion Channel, & WatchTCM, 

And that ends another BETTER THAN GOOFY GOLF review!