Steven Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi drama Close Encounters of the Third Kind recounts two tales: one of an Indiana family-man who leaves it all behind, searching for truth after encountering a UFO, and the other of a team of researchers racing to communicate with an alien life form they have not ever seen themselves. It is easy to tell that many more modern science fiction works including Arrival, Interstellar, and Contact pay homage to this film through set design, a focus on communication, and a calling to unite as a people to solve the mysteries of the universe.
Despite being released in the late 70's, the work is undeniably beautiful and features special effects that appear far more advanced than any other films from the same time period. As impressive as the practical effects are Richard Dreyfuss and François Truffaut's chops as they portray the protagonists in the two timelines that converge near the film's end. The film also uses music dynamically throughout. Rather than simply adding a score that highlights the emotion in each scene, John Williams crafted music that interacts with the scene and exists in the film's world. From the alien's leitmotif "re mi do do so" to the emerging soundscape caused by each encounter, Close Encounters is spellbinding.
Close Encounters is a very personal film for its director Steven Spielberg. It is one of the few that he both wrote and directed. It features themes like the pain of being an artist and the great calling to something greater than one's self. Because of Spielberg's connection to the subject material, the movie can feel a little self-serving. Regrettably, it is also a little longwinded at times, but at no point will you wish you had not pressed play.
Despite being released in the late 70's, the work is undeniably beautiful and features special effects that appear far more advanced than any other films from the same time period. As impressive as the practical effects are Richard Dreyfuss and François Truffaut's chops as they portray the protagonists in the two timelines that converge near the film's end. The film also uses music dynamically throughout. Rather than simply adding a score that highlights the emotion in each scene, John Williams crafted music that interacts with the scene and exists in the film's world. From the alien's leitmotif "re mi do do so" to the emerging soundscape caused by each encounter, Close Encounters is spellbinding.
Close Encounters is a very personal film for its director Steven Spielberg. It is one of the few that he both wrote and directed. It features themes like the pain of being an artist and the great calling to something greater than one's self. Because of Spielberg's connection to the subject material, the movie can feel a little self-serving. Regrettably, it is also a little longwinded at times, but at no point will you wish you had not pressed play.