“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” it’s a science fiction film of 1977 directed by Steven Spielberg, which tells the story of some individuals who come into contact with extraterrestrials.
The plot revolves around the interpretation of signs and messages sent by a extraterrestrial civilization. In particular, the story follows the lives of three characters: Roy Neary, an electrician from the Midwestern United States, who has a close encounter with an extraterrestrial entity; Claude Lacombe, a French researcher who leads a team of specialists to study UFO sightings around the world; and Jillian Guiler, a single mother desperately searching for her alien-abducted son.
The film, although full of rhetoric and clichés typical of American mainstream cinema, was very innovative in the representation of aliens, presented differently from the classic monsters of science fiction cinema of the time, but with a more human and peaceful aspect. The design of the aliens was created by Carlo Rambaldi, who previously worked with Spielberg on “The Incredible Shrinking Man”.
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” became a classic of science fiction cinematography and won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for best special effects. The soundtrack, composed by John Williams, became famous and recognizable all over the world and was awarded a Grammy Award The film is one of Spielberg’s great commercial successes, made with a language suitable for a mass and young audience, and has influenced many other subsequent science fiction films.
Plot
The plot of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” follows the lives of three main characters: Roy Neary, Claude Lacombe and Jillian Guiler, who find themselves involved in a series of strange UFO sightings and mysterious signs that appear to come from an extraterrestrial civilization.
Roy Neary, an electrician from the Midwestern United States, has a close encounter with an extraterrestrial entity while driving his car. After the experience, Roy becomes obsessed with the mysterious signs he has seen and begins searching for answers as to their origin.
Meanwhile, Claude Lacombe, a French researcher who leads a team of specialists to study UFO sightings around the world, arrives in the United States to investigate the phenomenon. Lacombe has a vision of the shape of a mountain which he recognizes as a possible location of a future encounter with extraterrestrials.
Jillian Guiler, a single mother, sees her son being abducted by aliens and desperately tries to find him. Jillian meets Roy, who is trying to decipher the mysterious signs, and together they follow a series of clues that lead them to the location where the encounter with the extraterrestrials will take place.
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is a film that explores the topic of contact with extraterrestrial civilizations in a banal and standard way, but is still engaging for an unpretentious audience, taking the viewer on a journey through the mystery and the unknown.
Movie Characters
Here are the main characters of the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”:
Roy Neary: played by Richard Dreyfuss, he is an electrician from the Midwestern United States who has a close encounter with an extraterrestrial entity. Roy becomes obsessed with the vision and tries to decipher the mysterious signs he has seen.
Claude Lacombe: played by François Truffaut, is a French researcher who leads a team of specialists to study UFO sightings around the world. Lacombe arrives in the United States to investigate the phenomenon and identifies the location where the encounter with the extraterrestrials will take place.
Jillian Guiler: played by Melinda Dillon, she is a single mother who sees her son being abducted by aliens and desperately tries to find him. Jillian meets Roy and together they follow a series of clues that lead them to the location where the encounter with the extraterrestrials will take place.
Bob Balaban: plays the character of David Laughlin, one of the members of the Lacombe team. Laughlin is a scientist and deals with deciphering extraterrestrial messages.
Teri Garr: Plays the character of Ronnie Neary, Roy’s wife. Ronnie is skeptical of her husband’s UFO obsession and tries to reason with him.
Cary Guffey: Plays the character of Barry Guiler, Jillian’s son who is abducted by aliens.
These are just some of the characters in the film, but there are other minor characters who play an important role in the story as well.
Production
The film “Close Encounters of the Third Kindwas directed and written by Steven Spielberg and produced by Columbia Pictures and EMI Films. Production began in the summer of 1976, and the film was released in theaters across the United States on November 16, 1977.
The film’s budget was around $20 million, which was a very high cost for a science fiction film at the time. Nonetheless, the film was a huge commercial success, grossing over $300 million worldwide and becoming one of the most successful films of 1977.
To create the film’s special effects, Spielberg collaborated with legendary special effects creator Douglas Trumbull, who previously worked on such films as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner. Trumbull created a wide variety of innovative special effects for the film, including the creation of an alien entity complete with light and sound.
The film score was composed by John Williams, who had previously worked with Spielberg on “Tiburón” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”. The soundtrack became famous for the famous main theme, which became one of the most famous in the history of cinema.
Distribution and Reception
“Close Encounters of the Third Kindwas released in theaters in the United States on November 16, 1977. The film was a major commercial success, grossing over $300 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful films of 1977.
The film was received positively by critics. Many critics praised Spielberg’s direction and Trumbull’s innovative special effects, but the film was particularly praised for its positive message about communicating and collaborating with other life forms in the universe. In reality, the language of the film is very stereotyped, typical of industrial Hollywood productions.
The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Visual Effects, winning in two categories: Best Cinematography and Best Sound Effects.
During the years, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” has become a science fiction classic and a landmark for the genre. The film influenced many other subsequent science fiction films, including “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (also directed by Spielberg) and “Contact” by Robert Zemeckis.
Style
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was directed by Steven Spielberg, who characterized the film with emotional tension and pathos. In the film, Spielberg uses techniques such as split editing, close-ups on the characters’ eyes and aerial shots, which help create a sense of mystery and wonder.
The film also has a very atmospheric atmosphere, due in large part to the use of music by John Williams. Williams’ score helped create a sense of wonder and fascination during the scenes where the aliens make their first appearances, while the tense scenes are accompanied by dramatic music.
Spielberg has also been able to create very realistic and well-characterized characters, with whom the audience can easily identify. The character of Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss, is particularly well developed and becomes the focus of the film, thanks to his obsession with UFOs and his determination to discover the truth.
Finally, the film also has a strong human component, which has been a common feature of many of Spielberg’s films. The central theme of the film is the possibility of positive communication with extraterrestrials, and this is a very positive message that has impressed the audience. The reassuring do-gooders typical of Hollywood films find ample space in this film.
Director
Steven Spielberg is the director of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. Spielberg is one of most famous directors and influential figures in film history, with a career spanning over five decades. Spielberg directed some of the most popular and successful films of all time, including ‘Jaws’, ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’, ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Schindler’s List’.
Spielberg is known for his unique style, suited to please mass cinema audiences around the world with emotional pathos and innovative special effects. Spielberg has often addressed important themes in his films, including war, childhood, family and science. However, the way he has dealt with these themes does not have the expressive power of auteur cinema, but the rhetoric and standardization typical of mainstream Hollywood cinema.
Entirely different were the early films such as Duel, Sugarland Express and Jaws, which had the rough style and vitality of independent cinema from a still genuine auteur with an original worldview.
In “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, Spielberg created a clichéd, commercially viable science fiction film that inspired many other films in the genre that sought to match the same success. Spielberg collaborated with Douglas Trumbull to design the film’s special effects, creating some of the most impressive UFO sequences.
Spielberg has also brought to life realistic if somewhat predictable characters, which help keep the audience engaged in the story. The character of Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss, is an example of this, with a performance that helped make the film a science fiction classic.
