Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr
Storyline
Two parallel stories are told. In the first, a group of research scientists from a variety of backgrounds are investigating the strange appearance of items in remote locations, primarily desert regions. In continuing their investigation, one of the lead scientists, a Frenchman named Claude Lacombe, incorporates the Kodály method of music education as a means of communication in their work. The response, in turn, at first baffles the researchers, until American cartographer David Laughlin deciphers the meaning of the response. In the second, electric company lineman and family man Roy Neary and single mother Jillian Guiler are among some individuals in Muncie, Indiana who experience some paranormal activity before some flashes of bright lights in the sky, which they believe to be a UFO. Roy becomes obsessed with what he saw, unlike some others, especially in some form of authority, who refuse to acknowledge their belief that it was a UFO in not wanting to appear crazy. That obsession ...
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss -
Roy Neary
François Truffaut -
Claude Lacombe
(as Francois Truffaut)
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 -
Silvia Neary
Justin Dreyfuss -
Toby Neary
Lance Henriksen -
Robert
Merrill Connally -
Team Leader
Taglines:
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
Trivia:
The huge success of the film made a popular icon of its signature logo, a black-and-white image of a highway receding towards a glowing horizon at night. In 1978, an enterprising group of students from the College of Architecture at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, manufactured and sold a small production run of black T-shirts emulating the logo and typeface of the original, but reading "MUNCIE INDIANA: A Gross Encounter of the Worst Kind." Sales were going well until stories about the shirts appeared in local media, prompting complaints from Columbia Pictures, who were offended by the logo, and the Muncie City Council, who were offended by the slogan. See more »
Goofs:
The Huey that the "contactees" are to be flown out of the Devils Tower area on is a single engine version from the rear but a twin engine version from the front and on take off. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating:
An amazing film, one of my favorites. I watch this regularly,
especially at times when the reality of life is overwhelming, just to
refocus and regain some sense of perspective.
Everything in this film works toward one end: to transform the adult
sense of fear back into the childlike sense of wonder at the world.
From the very opening moments of the film, designed to create confusion
and startlement, this movie creates a sensation of dread and
foreboding. The dissonance of the soundtrack, the juxtaposition of
images, they all are working to build into the viewer a feeling that
something just isn't right, that something out of the ordinary is
taking place, and underscoring this all with a sense that this is
something to resist, to pull away from, to not allow it to affect one's
"ordinary life."
But as the movie progresses, the tone begins to shift, and the true
intent of the film begins to peek through. This isn't about being
afraid of the unknown, but rather embracing it. Paying attention to the
"subliminal images" in life, allowing them to lead you into something
unknown and perhaps dangerous, only then can one be open to wonder and
experience the world through the magical eyes of a child.
Dreyfuss' character takes us on this journey, met with resistance all
along the way. His wife, his neighbors, his job, his community, all are
working against him, and it's only when he's reached his craziest that
he truly gives in and begins to stop trying to understand and instead
embraces the experiences in store for him. The scientific community is
seeking to understand, but without having any personal calling to be
involved. Only Barry is truly able to throw himself into the
strangeness that is taking place, and his enthusiasm is greeted by both
the characters and the audience as somehow alien and threatening.
The ending of this film, when all the fear is finally stripped away and
the sense of amazed wonder overtakes everyone on the screen and in the
audience, brings about an amazing catharsis. Discarding all the "adult"
sensibilities and being able to approach life once again with a sense
of innocent amazement for the Strange hidden amongst the Ordinary, one
can begin again to approach life from a fresh vantage point.
Powerful, mystifying, and rejuvenating. I highly recommend this film
for anyone jaded with life and seeking a sense of renewal.
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