My understanding is that ET was originally conceived as a sequel to THIS flick. I've heard that reported somewhere. Yeah, you really don't know whether the aliens in this one are evil or friendly for most of the movie, do you. For all you know they could be either or. Not until they drop off those abductees and that one alien waves and smiles. Try 2001 a Space Odyssey for an oldie that really "holds up" visually.

Spielberg is the master of building suspense and intrigue

The air traffic control section near the beginning is one of the best examples of building tension with absolutely no spectacle. Something I think has been lost as of late.

Seeing this in the theater in '77 when I was 11... you can't imagine what that was like. I got to walk up to and touch Devil's Tower 5 years later. Seeing it in real life was 'out of this world' :-)

@rrmemphis427

3 ай бұрын

That is on my bucket list!

@robtaylor5550

3 ай бұрын

As a 9 year old in '77, I remember seeing the movie poster in our theater and thinking it looked flat-out awesome. Unfortunately, based on the movie title, I took it as the third film in a trilogy and figured I'd somehow missed the first two! Years went by before I finally watched the film. Saw Star Wars that year, though, and it's still my single most memorable movie going experience all these years later!

@criskity

3 ай бұрын

I had a similar experience. We camped at Devil's Tower in '79 during a road trip across the country. I had wanted to go there because of the movie and urged my dad to take us there.

@markwilliams6394

3 ай бұрын

I was 12 when I saw it at the theater.

@paulamoya7956

3 ай бұрын

I was 10 when I saw this at the theater. Exciting & Scary but always loved it.

I've watched this movie numerous times since it first came out but I never realized Carl Weathers (RIP) was in it. Thanks for pointing it out to us.

@Hibbs4Prez

3 ай бұрын

It is the extended director's cut.

@michaelorlowski7722

3 ай бұрын

Weathers is only in the theatrical version. His scene was cut in the special edition and the director's cut.

@windsorkid7069

3 ай бұрын

Very small part too. Especially after being in Rocky.

@jonnycassh7765

3 ай бұрын

I was just thinking to myself this person is crazy for watching this more than once , then I realised this is the Spielberg movie ..I thought she was watching "THE FOURTH KIND" from 2009 .. Normally after watching a scary movie I'm still able to sleep like a baby but not after watching this movie ...😅

@lisaharrod8386

3 ай бұрын

Morgan Freeman as the air traffic controller surprised me...

Spielberg has said if he'd been married with kids when he made this film, he wouldn't have had Roy leave.

@criskity

3 ай бұрын

I just figured Ronnie had left him and taken the kids, so he was free to go. Even before Roy's mental decline, they seemed incompatible.

@johntaylor6211

3 ай бұрын

Every one of his films has a disfunctional family in it .

@scottb3034

3 ай бұрын

@@johntaylor6211 Reflective of his personal feelings

@fernandohinojosa3211

3 ай бұрын

Of course not. This film is about a father's abandonment of his family explained from a fantastic perspective, specifically from a sci fi perspective. The father's alien obsessions and his subsequent departure on a spaceship without a clear explanation is something a child could imagine as an explanation for his father's abandonment. Giving a fantastic explanation to an event that would otherwise be painful to think about. Something that Spielberg himself experienced. Hence the ending. And that's why his perspective changed once he had children. He wouldn't want to make his father's mistakes, much less have his movies remind him of them.

@omega311888

3 ай бұрын

@@johntaylor6211kinda like steven king books :P

27:08 - That's what she said.

As a pilot, the first 15 minutes is impressively accurate and frightening

@Zerbyte

3 ай бұрын

I always wonder how many pilots have seen things yet can't, or won't, report for fear of being grounded professionally.

@Ben-Hollingbery

3 ай бұрын

@@Zerbyte check out the channel VASA aviation, they have ATC recordings and one of them from Ireland has airline pilots getting very flustered about something following them

@jamesfrench7299

3 ай бұрын

Helps that they were real life traffic controllers.

@terrygracy8345

3 ай бұрын

Love that scene. How everyone is slowly starting to take an interest in that situation and by the end everyone is crowded over his shoulder. That’s gotta be a legit reaction if that was to happen

@bretcantwell4921

3 ай бұрын

I love of the writing of that scene. When the ATC asks them if they want to report and they both say no, it spoke volumes.

I really liked Teri Garr in this movie. She usually just gets the more comedic roles so seeing her as a stressed-out wife was refreshing. She was also in 'Oh, God!' with George Burns and John Denver. It's a sweet little comedy.

@knowsomething9384

3 ай бұрын

And she played more or less the same role.

@Paul_Waller

3 ай бұрын

She was also in Star Trek TOS - "Assignment Earth" (she was maybe 18 or 19 in it)

@ramenhair6674

3 ай бұрын

Also "Mr. Mom", "Young Frankenstein" as well as Rachael's mom from "Friends".

@guitarman8462

3 ай бұрын

Also " The Black Stallion "

@robertshields4160

3 ай бұрын

@@guitarman8462 Oh yes! The Black Stallion is such a beautiful movie.

Roy seeing the news report is one of the greatest reveals in cinema.

@WereMike

3 ай бұрын

That and the Loony Tunes / Duck Dodgers claxon alarm buildup to the reveal of the clay monument still hits hard.

You edited out my favorite line. After Roy says “Dressed like that? That’s crazy.” His wife says “What??? You said WHAT?!”😂

The French head UFO investigator is François Truffaut, a legendary French film director. He’s made wonderful films like THE 400 BLOWS, DAY FOR NIGHT, and JULES AND JIM.

@brandonhill2183

3 ай бұрын

And his character is inspired by Jacque Vallee

@scottlette

3 ай бұрын

@@brandonhill2183Who wrote great UFO books, but lost the plot recently when he endorsed the Trinity hoax.

@dereknolin5986

3 ай бұрын

Stolen Kisses is one of my favorites of his. The 400 Blows is one of the best movies about childhood ever, I think.

@mikerodgers7620

3 ай бұрын

Breathless

@dereknolin5986

3 ай бұрын

Breathless was by Jean-Luc Godard, not Truffaut. They have very different styles.@@mikerodgers7620

From what I've read, in order to get good reactions from the little boy, Spielberg used little tricks. When Barry first goes into the kitchen, looks scared, then gets a big smile on his face, two of the set workers (who the boy knew) were in there dressed as a clown and a gorilla, respectively (his scared reaction), then, they took off their masks, and he saw his friends (the big smile). When he was being pulled through the doggy door, it was his real mother on the other side of the door. When he was looking out the window at the approaching space ships, and said "toys", Spielberg was standing on a ladder, slowly pulling something out of a box, which turned out to be toys.

this was the first movie i ever saw in my life in a movie theatre. its my favorite of all time and makes me cry like a child every time at the end.......good bye......

@bobsylvester88

2 ай бұрын

You’re lucky. The first movie I saw without being dragged to it by my parents was called: “Mother, Jugs and Speed.” (1976) Look it up. 😂

The man whistling by the side of the road is the old man from Home Alone, Barry’s mom played the mom in a Christmas Story. Ralphie’s mom

@Madbandit77

3 ай бұрын

RIP Roberts Blossom (he was also in John Carpenter's Christine) and Melinda Dillon.

@w1975b

3 ай бұрын

Melinda Dillon (Barry's mom) was also in Harry and the Hendersons, about bigfoot (mentioned by Roberts Blossom at the press conference).

@dwaneanderson8039

3 ай бұрын

And the flight controller at 2:45 is Morgan Freeman.

@homebuyercoaches4044

3 ай бұрын

⁠@@dwaneanderson8039 it isn’t Mr. Freeman, his name is David Anderson

@rburton76

3 ай бұрын

OMG I never made that connection. Thank you.

I wish you could have experienced this in the Theatre in 1977 like I did as a wide-eyed, star struck 12 year old. It BLEW people away. The effects were ground breaking and along with Star Wars, the country went UFO crazy. Read the book YOU'LL NEVER EAT LUNCH IN THIS TOWN AGAIN by Close Encounters producer Julia Phillips if you want to hear what went on behind the making of this epic (Dreyfuss was coked out most of the time)..

@Cre80s

3 ай бұрын

✊✊✊

@WereMike

3 ай бұрын

can confirm

The late, great Melinda Dillon (Jillian) had a wonderful acting career. 1977: Close Encounters of the Third Kind = Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 1981: Absence of Malice = Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 1983: A Christmas Story (Mrs. Parker - Ralphie's mom) 1987: Harry and the Hendersons = Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Actress 1991: The Prince of Tides

My 1st time seeing this was at our local drive-in in May of 1978 (Still in operation, glad to say) . Under the blanket of stars, it was quite mesmerizing to look from the huge screen to the heavens above to see if there were any strange lights headed our way and the odd plane sent shivers down my spine! It was an experience I will never forget!

Lacombe, the French man, was played by the legendary director and actor François Truffaut, one of the main filmmakers of the French New Wave movement and a hero of Spielberg's. Spielberg was hesitant to ask him, as other French actors were considered. Part of what made it happen was that Truffaut was a fan of Spielberg's few films at the time. Among the classic French films Truffaut made were 400 Blows, Jules et Jim, Shoot The Piano Player, and The Last Metro. He also directed a single English-language film. Fahrenheit 451 in 1966 starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie, based on the Ray Bradbury novel. Gillian was played by Melinda Dillon, who was also the mom in A Christmas Story. Richard Dreyfuss knew about the Close Encounters script when filming Jaws. Every time Spielberg mentioned an actor for Roy Neery, Dreyfuss would say something to cast doubt on the actor for the role because he wanted the role. He kind of insinuated himself into the part. This was the second of the three films Spielberg and Dreyfuss made together...the third was Always in 1989. John Williams composed MOST of the film scores for Spielberg, and it was Spielberg who recommended Williams to George Lucas for Star Wars....the total number of Williams scores for Spielberg is 29 films out of the 34 films Spielberg directed. It is one of the best scores that Williams came up with in my opinion. I personally love the motif of using "When You Wish Upon a Star" in the finale/end credits.

Fun personal anecdote: my grandfather (May he rest in peace. He passed away before I was born) was a huge fan of this movie’s soundtrack. In fact, my mom has said many times that he would watch the movie multiple times, in part to enjoy the movie itself yes, but mostly as an excuse to listen to its soundtrack. He was a big fan of the concept of aliens and the movie’s soundtrack was very otherworldly to him.

@Cre80s

3 ай бұрын

Sounds like your granddad and I would have been best friends. From the day I saw it in the theater as a kid, I was captured, it has stayed my favorite movie throughout my entire life, and while I love(d) movie soundtracks in general (yeah, a weird kid), particularly John Williams, I would play this one like nuts, deeply annoying many around me. In far more recent years, wife 'n I took a trip I've been dying to make my entire life to visit Devils Tower, and even sleep in it's shadow in the KOA camp that’s RIGHT THERE literally, and I do mean literally, in the same exact spot the military camp is that Roy is interrogated and the helicopter (tries) to take them away, etc. I cannot believe how magical it was, because there just so happened to be an electrical storm on the other side of the tower that night and it illuminated the mountain giving the impression the ufo's were on the other side... UNBELIEVABLE! It's like the mountain knew I finally made it and it made it special just for us. Anyway, yes, just like how the aliens connected with select people in the movie, a similar effect was happening to certain viewers in the audience, and your granddad was one, and I understand it totally. He and I would have been Roy and Larry running to meet the aliens! LOL!

@perrin6

3 ай бұрын

Still my fave movie score. Good music makes a good movie great.

@Cre80s

3 ай бұрын

@@perrin6 Something interesting about the score, it's by far the most far-out of all of Williams’ scores, and he said (paraphrasing) "Star Wars was the opposite of Close Encounters. When scoring Star Wars, we were looking at alien worlds, but the music felt Earthly and like home, familiar. But in Close Encounters, we were looking at Earth, familiar and like home, but the music felt alien and unfamiliar."

Teri Garr had such a great run of supporting roles starting in the 70s.

One of the greatest alien films ever. Spielberg came up with the story himself and wrote the script, and was fleshing out the story for ET during the making of this film. Both are his ideas. I had the chance to meet the director of photography for this film, Vilmos Zsigmond, in 2001. I went to a screening of an older film for another D.P. receiving a lifetime achievement award (Laszlo Kovacs, the screening was of Frances). I knew I recognized the guy sitting next to me (as a film nerd), and figured it out when he asked a question during the Q&A afterward… Vilmos. I was overjoyed. Meet them both later along with William Fraker, Gordon Willis and others at an open house event. I drove up from San Diego for it, I was in the Navy. I remember seeing pedestrians walking by the open house and thinking those people have no idea how much cinema history is here. The legends. Gordon Willis for crying out loud! The man shot The Godfather.

Devil's Tower is a magnificent place. I went there a few years ago. They have a gift shop there with all sorts of merchandise related to this movie. I walked around the entire base of the tower twice -- it's real easy, it has a paved trail and everything. There were no runways for alien spaceships, but the scenery was glorious, and everybody should go there and see it if they can.

Addie! No CGI! This movie is a tribute to the genius of the model builders, headed by Greg Jein. No CGI.

At 17.36 you see Richard Dreyfuss pulling down a model of Star Trek's USS Enterprise starship. This is probably a nod to Terri Garr's role in an episode of Star Trek, called Assignment: Earth, one that she apparently hated doing.

3 basic alien contact themes: 1) Aliens are out to hurt us - "War of the Worlds", "Edge of Tomorrow" 2) Aliens are here to give us the secrets of the Universe - "2001 A Space Odyssey", "2010 The Year We Make Contact" 3) Aliens are here to do their own thing - "E.T.", "Starman", "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"

I love this movie! It's about first contact and is so filled with suspense, mostly because of what you don't see. One of my favorite parts is the air traffic control scene. Spielberg is brilliant by letting your imagination fill the gaps, which is noticeable in many of his films.

Addie, frankly, that monkey with the cymbals unnerves most people. Great film. Like Blade Runner this has multiple versions. There is the theatrical cut, a 1980 Special Edition with added footage, including a different ending inside the mothership, The last version, a Director's Cut that combines scenes of the first two cut's and restores the original ending.

@robertshields4160

3 ай бұрын

That toy monkey, The Jolly Chimp, has been in more movies than some actors! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbal-banging_monkey_toy

The 5 notes and the hand shapes is basically “Hello”.

Nice, this classic doesn't get reactions often enough. One of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Another suggestion, if I may, is Rain Man (not sci-fi, just a great movie). I think you'll love it.

@jomojojo6603

3 ай бұрын

Aw, you just want to see her cry. 😂 But, she'll still smile much more.

For me this is the definitive Spielberg film. An all-timer, filled with hope, innocence and wonder.

The five World War II aircraft seen at the beginning of the movie are the five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers from the infamous Flight 19 that mysteriously disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle in December of 1945. The pilots who are seen coming out of the alien mother ship at the end are flight leader Lt. Charles Taylor and the other crew members of Flight 19.

@artboymoy

3 ай бұрын

Ah the Bermuda Triangle... Good times... You don't hear about that anymore...

@regould221

3 ай бұрын

​@artboymoy unless you watch the history Channel

@artboymoy

3 ай бұрын

@@regould221 Oh, right... That's still around? Do younger people still have cable?

@regould221

3 ай бұрын

@artboymoy it's still around and it's on streaming for people who don't have cable.

The scene I remember the most from watching it in the theater, is the spaceship passing the truck from above instead of from the left. 😂👽

@JustWasted3HoursHere

3 ай бұрын

Have you ever seen the short spoof film called "Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind"? That scene is lampooned pretty hilariously: kzread.info/dash/bejne/fXmfuZaeo5zVm7g.htmlsi=kkNkzAS2wyUAoyyl

15:53 Fun Fact: This farmer, played by Roberts Blossom aslo played the old neighbour in the movie "Home Alone."

Another film you might want to check out is Starman.

Spielberg's father was a computer engineer. His mother was a musician. The humans and aliens communicate by playing music on their computers.

This movie has one of the greatest scores ever written, just so epic.

I love it when Addie has enthusiasm and excitement while watching a movie!

@dh12.

13 күн бұрын

Her reactions look rehearsed

I've always secretly wanted them to make a sequel to this where they come back finally.

4:50 Fun Fact: Teri Garr and Richard Dreyfuss played husband and wife in this movie...they also played husband and wife in the 1989 movie, "Let it Ride."

@bodine57

3 ай бұрын

Which is a criminally underrated gem.

@ChrisReise

3 ай бұрын

Agreed.@@bodine57

Listen closely during the scene where Roy is stopped at the railroad crossing -- just before the mailboxes start shaking, the crickets stop chirping.

Addie Steven Spielberg was an executive producer on a heartwarming Alien movie from 1987 you might enjoy called (Batteries not included) Maybe you'll react to it. Close Encounters has good effect for 1977. Seeing it on VHS in the 80's I thought it was too slow, and that too much time was spent on Roy obsessing over his vision. I understand his need to makes sense of his vision, but was it nessassary to tear apart the garden and bring a mountain of dirt and plants into the house to build a sculpture?😅 In the end I was very happy Jillian got her son back, and understand Roys desire to go on an adventure with the Aliens, but it's not cool that he's abandoning his family. I find it strange that some people over look that. He cares more about the Aliens than his wife and children. That's selfish and depressing. His family may never see him again or know what happened to him. There's no guarantee he'll ever coming back or that the government will tell his family. Will they just think he abandoned them/disappeared with no answers? That would be devastating to his family and makes me sad. If that's the case Roy shouldn't have gone. In a 2005 interview, Spielberg stated that he made Close Encounters when he did not have children, and if he were making it today, he would never have had Roy Neary leave his family and go on the mother ship. However Richard Dreyfuss (who played Roy) has said he respectfully disagrees with that, and believes there was simply no way that Roy could have not have gone. Richard Dreyfuss might be correct in Roys thinking, but I still think it's sad he abandoned his family.

As the Mother Ship approaches, you can see on a closeup that there is a small model of R2D2 stuck to the bottom of the ship.

@ooEVILGOAToo

3 ай бұрын

3 bright lights behind it.

@regould221

3 ай бұрын

The mothership model is now at the air and space museum in VA

5:05 "are they saying yay?" You've just shown your youth. Losing our power when we were kids made the night more fun. We would like candles and tell scary stories. The house became a fun dark maze. Plus, we didn't have to do our homework. Power blackouts made life fun for children of the 1970s.

i understand that people see roy as heartless for leaving his family. but sometimes obsession can be so overwhelming that it overrides normal, logical behavior. none of us can truly say how we would react to certain situations. i definitely feel sorry for the family, but i kinda understand what roy did and why. he was literally on the verge of going insane after his encounters. as for the aliens only taking him, tim fairly certain they "called out" to certain people for reasons we will never understand. the government tried to send their own select group because, as usual, they think they know best... and obviously the aliens werent interested in them.

In 2007, I walked all the way around Devil’s Tower. Sadly, no landing strip. 😂 But seeing it up close was one of the best experiences of my life. It’s beautiful.

@pscar1

3 ай бұрын

I was also disappointed about that when I visited 😂

@4thlinemaniac356

3 ай бұрын

Covered in this video essay There Are No Forests on flat earth English version you tube video before @mauro Biglino & the 5Th kind channels.

@TerryAllenSwartos

3 ай бұрын

@@pscar1😂 Coincidentally, on the same cross country road trip, I saw Mount Rushmore for the first time, confirming there’s no elegant home and private landing strip on top of *that.* 😒😂

Love the shout out to Carl Weathers. Class.

John Williams just won his 26th grammy award

An absolute classic Sci Fi film, the inspiration for so many that followed.

Haven't seen this in 25 years. Seeing it in a big theatre when it came out was awe-inspiring. Crystal clear effects, possibly John Williams' best score, and even with all the silly ESP-type stuff, a very inspirational and affecting motion picture.

As a 49 year old, I feel privileged that all these brilliant films were available to me as a kid. They were scary, emotional yet so true somehow.

@Ryan_Christopher

Ай бұрын

You saw this in the theater as a kid? You were like four at the time, no? I’m 50 and I only got caught-up with it on a Blockbuster Rental Tape as a teenager, later my own DVD of the Special Edition. I did see the Book Edition when I was ten.

@mikefoster6018

Ай бұрын

@@Ryan_Christopher Weird comment. I never said I saw it in the theatre.

Before E.T., this movie was the definitive "No, the aliens are not out to hurt us" movie. Before that, most alien contact movies were about alien invasions or similar themes. "The Day The Earth Stood Still" can be argued to be a "they're not out to hurt us" movie, but considering they threaten to wipe us out... yeah... no. After this you had gems like "E.T." and "Starman" (Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you? When things are worst, you are at your very best" - still tear up at that).

"E.T. the Extraterrestrial" is the "unofficial" sequel to Close Encounters. The two films go very well together.

That is pretty funny that you caught the ET atmosphere. As it was literally used as a spiritual prequal to the film E.T. The E.T> was supposed to be one of those little aliens that accidentally got left behind. Of course it is not cannon. But that was literally the inspiration for this movie.

Francois Truffut, who plays the French scientist, was a great film Director -Speilberg cast him as a tribute. I have visited Truffut's grave in Paris.

Aside from the classic Disney films, this is one of a small number of "my youth" movies that are like sheer magic to me.

Wonderful movie, equally wonderful reaction from our ever-charming Addie. Spielberg had 'Jaws' and 'Duel' under his belt, but it was this one that set him apart as a storyteller of exceptional vision. I was privileged to see it in the movie theatre on its first run in the late 70s and it took movie-making to a whole new level. Shour-out to Kubrick alumnus Douglas Turnbull for an extraordinary achievement as lighting director, and the sound editing is brilliant too. My kids loved it in the VHS era, resulting in Impromptu mashed potato sculpting contests at the family dining table.

@rbravender1

3 ай бұрын

You left out Sugarland Express, Spielberg’s first theatrical feature.

@lifelover515

3 ай бұрын

@@rbravender1 Noted and thanks

On case you're not aware of it, Devil's Tower is real. In fact, it and the surrounding land, became the first U.S. National monument, in 1906. If you want to see Spielberg's preferred cut of the film, watch the Collector's Edition. The Special Edition has many of the changes that he wanted to make, but also features a part at the end that the studio forced him to put in for marketing purposes, and which he regrets including.

The late Douglas Trumbull was behind the special effects. Also worked on 2001 A Space Odyssey. He was an innovator and was treated disgracefully by the Hollywood studios who didn't appreciate true greatness.

I remember the first Close Encounters trading card I had was the picture of Barry standing in the door with the orange light coming into the house. love that scene.

The director later added a scene where they go inside the space craft but it doesn't work because our imagination of what's inside is even more magical than actually seeing it.

@Addie, the little red light that is always last in the line of small UFOs is a "foo fighter". During WWII American fighter pilots reported being chased by balls of light. They thought it was some kind of Japanese aircraft that was tailing them. They were never hostile, they just flew behind and around them. It was theorized they were some kind of plasma balls or possibly even ball lightning somehow being generated by the planes flying through unusual atmospheric conditions. It was only later in the 40's and beyond that people started retroactively thinking maybe they were alien spacecraft. The pilots called them "foo fighters" since foo sounds generically east Asian. And yes, it's also where Dave Grohl's band got its name. 🙂

@4thlinemaniac356

3 ай бұрын

Misinformation these Food Fighters are what defeated Admiral Byrd and the Allied Forces over Antarctica @ Forum Borealis channel playlists Clif high Antarctica Unveiled Parts #1-#4 before @ Mauro Biglino & The 5Th Kind channels They areon the moon plus in Antarctica @ Clif high Symptoms video More.

@4thlinemaniac356

3 ай бұрын

FOO

@SergioArellano-yd7ik

3 ай бұрын

It was Spielberg s homage to Disney films were a small animal trailing others would be left behind and then would run after the rest to catch up

20:12 Fun Fact: The anchorman on the television is Howard K. Smith, an American journalist, radio reporter, television anchorman, political commentator, he also made regular appearances in the 80's TV series "V: The Series." Whenever he appeared in a film/tv show, he always appeared as himself.

It's a marvelous film, hope loss and confusion are addressed in it, I think it's one of the best movies ever made.

I liked how Addie compared this movie to ET. It also has similarities to Jaws as well. Made two years before Close Encounters, it has Spielberg and Williams too. But also in Jaws the threat is kept mysterious and hidden for the most part. Separate point: The pilots in the first scene refused to report an obvious UFO because in 1977 that could reflect negatively on your work record. It might not be safe to have people who see alien aircraft flying planes!

The actress of the wife was also in : Young Frankenstien - The Black Stallion - Let It Ride. And many other movies.

The idea of this movie was scary when I was younger, but when I finally saw it on TV, it did have kind of a magical aspect to it.

This a beautiful film. To me, it ranks higher than ET on Spielberg's resume. It's amazing how well it holds up after nearly 50 years. Someone else may have pointed it out below, but the 5 planes were part of a training flight out of Ft. Lauderdale in December of 1945 - three TBM Grumman Avenger bombers that became lost and disappeared somewhere (probably) north of the Bahamas. 19 crewmen disappeared with them. While I would love to believe they were abducted by aliens, they probably ditched somewhere when they began to run out of fuel - no trace has ever yet been found. Their disappearance became the foundation for the modern Bermuda Triangle myth.

I saw this in theater in '77 when I was 6 & went to Devil's Tower 2 yrs later. Awesome movie. Funniest scene for me was the Gov. was trying to get everyone to leave the area & some guy was selling stuff & said, "why, even my dog has a gas mask." & his dog was literally wearing one!"

On a family vacation as a child we visited Devils Tower, at dusk, so it was the perfect creepy setting. My dad jumped out from behind a tree and scared the piss out of us. Because of that and this movie, 30 something years later I still get a good chuckle from that memory.

Hi Addie!😊 Your jump scare with the clapping monkey was pretty funny!😆 It is hard to believe this was made 47 years ago! Spielberg was definitely ahead of his time. Great reactions to this ground breaking alien film classic, Addie!!!!🎬👏👏👏👏

Spielberg's best is Schindler's List, and his most fun movie is probably Raiders, but...........this is the film with the most heart. At the end, you are filled gratitude and joy, because it is so hopeful. That such a thing could be possible. A peaceful encounter with an alien species. Makes you wonder why we cant find a way to get along peacefully with each other. This film is more than a film, its an experience. A marvelous one.

If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend seeing this movie on the big screen , in a theater. It’s an amazing experience.

Omg all these decades of being a fan of this movie I never noticed Carl Weathers small part.

@jamesfrench7299

3 ай бұрын

Reminds me of Larry Hagman's cameo in Superman The Movie the following year.

This movie does a great job presenting alien/UFO encounters “accurately.” Meaning, you can tell they researched a lot of real life supposed encounters (aside from the huge one at the end), and they capture the UFO flavor of high strangeness really well.

This is a great but probably forgotten masterpiece by Spielberg. It uses the abduction reports to great effect to tell an intersting story in which the aliens are curious about us and not trying to conquer us

RIP, Carl Weathers. Spielberg said in an interview years ago that when he made Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he was single with no attachments, but when he got married and had kids, it changed his perspective, and if he had made the movie now, he most likely would've changed the ending and had Roy refuse the offer.

One of the greatest films ever made, blew minds when it first came out.

Flight 19 was real. They were on a training mission in the Atlantic, radio intercepts showed they were lost & low on fuel. It is assumed they ditched, but were never found

@donotevenbegintocare

3 ай бұрын

The lead instructor was a drunk and a broadcast was caught on the radio during that flight where he was shouting down his students for telling him that his compass was faulty and he was leading them out into the high ocean to die. Ground personnel also confirmed he smelled of alcohol that morning.

24:09 Lacombe (Truffaut): "They belong here more than we." The crew thought he was saying "They belong here, Mozambique", and they had T-shirts made up for everyone with that printed on it. 27:05 notice the upside down R2D2 glued to the mothership (upper right).

This movie captured the imagination of millions of young people and old people alike when it came out. Never met anyone who did not like this film.

Pretty damn impressive for 1977. I know as a 10 year old I was blown away.

I watched this movie in 1979 when I was 13. In 2001 I was in the U.S. for the first and only time. And I went to visit the Devil's Tower. It's pretty majestic.

Fun fact: To get the kid to smile I the kitchen scene, one of the crew dressed up as a monkey/chimpanzee and just raided the fridge. Great reaction Addie. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

The First Kind: You spot something in the sky and it leaves no evidence. The Second Kind: A UFO leaves some physical trace: burns on the ground or broken branches. The Third Kind: You make contact with a U.F.O, you see some alien pilot aboard one or other life form.

@Ryan_Christopher

3 ай бұрын

I’ve had one of the First Kind. 1984 or 1985 and I still can’t explain what I saw and there were three of them, looking nothing like the usual air traffic where I was. Three Red Tubes (like hot dog red) in a tight triangle formation, with Yellow Ring Stripes at both ends, slowly flying somewhere above 5,000 feet.

I was 9 when this came out, it was amazing but I remember that I didn't understand it. I was 12 for the rerelease with the added footage inside the ship. Being three years older made a big difference l, and I could really appreciate it.

That ship coming over Devil's Peak could only be experienced the right way on a movie screen. So impressive! Someone mentioned in a comment the great actor Teri Garr. My favorite movie of hers is "Tootsie" -- a film worth your reaction. My favorite Richard Dreyfus film is "Mr Holland's Opus" --- another great consideration for your reaction. I think your reactions would do both films justice.

I watched this in the theatre at least 5 times. A fave movie.

When I saw this in the theatre in 1977, as the mother ship was rotating over the mountain, I could see the audience in front of me scrunch down in their seats and there was a loud gasp that you could hear over the movie soundtrack.

Professor J. Allen Hynek appears in a cameo at the end of this movie. Hynek acted as a consultant during the making, but he was famous for his real life role with the US Air Force on several projects including Project Blue Book.

.....And NO CGI. Real Film-making.

This is an awesome movie! I saw this as a child and it blew me away. I watched it as an adult and it still blew me away.

Cuz Im old as dirt, I saw this opening night in the theatre and it blew us away. In the scene where you finally see the mothership behind Devil's Tower, you could have heard a pin drop. It was like the entire audience was a state of awe. While, as Addie saiddie (sorry, had to), the effects still stand up and I kinda sorta agree, but could see where there could be loads of improvements if done today, which I guess is obvious. Great reaction though. Glad you didn't watch the extended cut which showed the inside of the mothership. I thought it just looked like a really nice luxury hotel lobby and was better left up to your imagination.

Steven Spielberg has always been an artist storyteller with film. I was about 9 y/o when this was in the theatres. He IS the Father of the 'Summer Blockbuster'. 😊 📽️

"Don't you think I'm taking this really well?" is one of my all-time favorite lines in cinema.

"Is it a tree stump?" Don't get all the crazies started...

My Mother was into UFO stuff and we went to see this when I was 11 in 1977, I was captivated and that began my life long interest in the phenomena. We couldn't get enough UFO material and watched all the classics of the day, Project Blue Book, chariots of the gods and many more. Good reaction!

I saw this movie when I was twelve. I have never forgot this movie and it's soundtrack. The truth is out there!!!

How could I miss it? Barry's Mom is the mother from "A Christmas Story"!

In 1977, audiences were prepared for this film by months of tv commercials and newspaper ads that said: "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."