Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg.[1] The story centers on Roy Neary, an Indiana power lineman played by Richard Dreyfuss, whose ordinary life is upended by a close encounter with an unidentified flying object (UFO), sparking an obsession that draws him into a secretive government effort to communicate with extraterrestrial visitors.[2] Alongside Neary, a single mother portrayed by Melinda Dillon experiences similar phenomena, as scientists led by a French researcher (François Truffaut) decode alien signals using a five-note musical motif to arrange a historic rendezvous at Devils Tower in Wyoming.[1] Released on November 16, 1977, by Columbia Pictures, the film marked Spielberg's follow-up to the blockbuster Jaws and represented a shift toward optimistic portrayals of alien contact, contrasting with more ominous depictions in contemporary science fiction.[3] It features groundbreaking visual effects supervised by Douglas Trumbull, including detailed UFO models and matte paintings that created immersive otherworldly scenes, and an iconic score by John Williams that incorporates the recurring five-tone theme to symbolize interstellar dialogue.[1] Principal cast members include Teri Garr as Neary's wife, Bob Balaban as a cartographer, and young Cary Guffey in a memorable child role affected by the encounters.[1] The film was a major box office success, grossing over $116 million domestically against a $20 million budget, making it Columbia Pictures' highest-grossing release at the time and contributing to the rise of the summer blockbuster era alongside Star Wars. Critically acclaimed for its sense of wonder and technical achievements, Close Encounters received eight Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Cinematography (Vilmos Zsigmond) and a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing (Frank E. Warner).[1] It also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama and a BAFTA for Best Production Design.[4] Over the years, Spielberg re-edited the film multiple times, including a 1980 Special Edition with added scenes and a 1998 Collector's Edition restoring the original ending, enhancing its legacy as a pioneering work in UFO-themed cinema.[1] The film's cultural impact endures through its influence on perceptions of extraterrestrial life, popularizing the "close encounters" classification coined by astronomer J. Allen Hynek, and embedding the five-tone sequence in pop culture as a shorthand for alien communication.[5]Narrative and Characters
Plot
The film opens in the Sonoran Desert of Mexico, where a team of scientists led by Claude Lacombe investigates the discovery of a squadron of World War II fighter planes from the lost Flight 19, preserved in perfect condition despite being missing since 1945.[3] The sequence transitions to India, where Lacombe's team encounters villagers who describe being drawn to a location by a five-note musical motif emanating from the sky, compelling them to hum the tune repeatedly.[6] These events establish a pattern of objects and people displaced across time and space by unknown forces.[6] In Muncie, Indiana, power lineman Roy Neary is dispatched to investigate a widespread blackout during a family outing, where he encounters a massive UFO that pursues his truck with blinding lights and intense heat, leaving him with sunburn-like marks on his face.[3] Obsessed by the experience and haunted by recurring visions of a mountain-like shape, Roy begins sculpting models from mashed potatoes and dirt in a frantic attempt to recreate the image, straining his marriage and leading to his dismissal from his job.[6] Concurrently, single mother Jillian Guiler experiences terror when her young son Barry is awakened by malfunctioning household appliances and toys, culminating in his abduction by diminutive aliens who emerge from a UFO and take him away in a beam of light; Jillian, who had previously witnessed UFOs with Roy during a chaotic nighttime chase involving police, becomes equally fixated on finding her child.[3] Lacombe's investigation continues internationally, linking the musical motif to communication attempts with the visitors, while the U.S. government establishes a secretive operation to monitor and conceal UFO activity, including the identification of Devils Tower in Wyoming as a potential landing site based on the shape in Roy's visions.[6] Roy and Jillian, drawn independently by their compulsions, infiltrate the restricted zone after authorities stage a fake evacuation citing toxic nerve gas contamination.[3] At Devils Tower, Lacombe's team assembles scientists and military personnel to initiate contact using the five-tone sequence played on synthesizers, lights, and computers; as night falls, a colossal mothership arrives, responding with the motif and escalating tones, leading to the return of abducted individuals—including Barry and the pilots from Flight 19—who emerge unharmed but aged.[6] In the resolution, Roy, having evaded capture and joined the scientists, is selected by the aliens to board the mothership, waving farewell as it departs into the stars.[3]Cast
The principal cast of Close Encounters of the Third Kind features a mix of established actors and newcomers portraying ordinary individuals drawn into extraordinary events involving unidentified flying objects.| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Dreyfuss | Roy Neary | An everyday Indiana electrical lineman and family man who undergoes a profound transformation after a close encounter with a UFO, becoming obsessed with deciphering its meaning.[7][8][9] |
| Melinda Dillon | Jillian Guiler | A single mother desperately searching for her young son after he is abducted during a UFO incident.[8] |
| François Truffaut | Claude Lacombe | A benevolent French scientist and UFO researcher leading an international team, who employs music as a method of communication with extraterrestrial visitors.[8][9] |
| Teri Garr | Ronnie Neary | Roy Neary's pragmatic wife, who grows increasingly concerned about his deteriorating mental state and family neglect.[8] |
| Bob Balaban | David Laughlin | Lacombe's American interpreter and cartographer assistant, facilitating communication during the investigation.[8] |
| Cary Guffey | Barry Guiler | Jillian's toddler son, who experiences a mysterious and seemingly joyful abduction by extraterrestrials.[8] |