Close Encounters of the Third Kind, on a scale of 1 to 10.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

This 1977 landmark film was the 2nd straight boxoffice smash of Steven Spielberg's career. How do you rate this film

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The 1977 version gets a 10, the early 80's version an 8, that extra scene inside the mothership really took away some of the magic.

The newest version a 10. (have it on tape)

Stefancos- who must look into buying the DVD.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Hurry because it looks as if the only version will be a 1 disc instead of the 2disc with lots of extras

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

Hmm, I give the DVD version an 8. It's really very good, but I don't feel like giving it a ten. 8O

According to TheDigitalBits, the 2 DVD version will remain available even after the 1 disc version is released.

Marian - who found the documentary on the DVD excellent.

Eric Clapton Unplugged

[Guest]

I gave it a 9 because it's like a cousin to Star Wars and I watched it when I was little, just like Superman and Star Wars.

I don't like the way that the DVD was set up with the extra scenes on another disc. At least the special edition ending. I could've left the other ones on the other disc (especially when Lacombe tested Laughlin in the limo).

I'm glad I got it back in widescreen, because I've learned that Lazlo Kovacs and pan-and-scan don't go together. It always looks so dang weird. It's there in Ghostbusters (both of them) and Multiplicity, at least. I know Vilmos Zsigmond was the main cinematographer on CE3K, but Kovacs was one of the gimps under Zsiggy and thus enabled to run P&S. GO WIDESCREEN (you see more that way, anyways).

[Lurker 5]

Another solid 9 from Mr. Spielberg. I love CE3K but find the lack of an actual villain a little peculiar. Still, I've seen it theatrically, have multiple copies of the soundtrack and 2 copies of it on home video. I'm definitely a fan and I love this film.

"Who the hell are you people?"

Neil

[Guest]

It's definitely a better example of Spielberg's writing-directing than A.I. was. Or Poltergeist.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Damnit! Wait 'till i buy it!

[Melange 446]

Naturally, nobody even needs to ask me what i rate the soundtrack.

But i'll say it again anyway. 10 OUT OF 10

As far as the film. I would give it a 7..

The only negative aspect of the film is that it was one of those "Setting = In the present day" film highly linked to the era itself. So it looks very dated (clothing, hairstyles, you name it.). E.T seemed to weather that very well and does'nt look dated to me. But Close Encounters does..Talk about flares...hehehehe. Some bits are a little oddly paced at times too. I think Dreyfuss was perfect as Neary. I can fully understand why he harassed Spielberg to give him the part . He's so funny in it i laugh everytime i see the film. Especially the Mash potatoe mountain during dinner and that hilarious bit where he's building the mud mountain in his living room and the T.V soap in the background says "whats wrong with me today?". And when he's teaching his kid Algebra with the train..."Any answer...quickly brad....there are thousands of lives at stake...LOL". Spielberg made the family setting a very integral part of that film and did it superbly i think. I think that element was very important. He was great at showing how so called "ordinary" peoples lives can be turned completely upside down when something is calling them so strongly that they simply cannot resist it. Effects are SUPERB of course. They look even better and more convincing that some of this CGI nonsense (imo). By the way, i love that scene where they are in India, and the Guru shouts "where did this sound come from??" and you see all those fingers suddenly shoot skyward.....send chills up my spine. The cinematography is wonderful in that movie.

"The sun came out lastnight......he says is sang to him"

P.S : I REALLY want that little Budweiser advert cue in the mud mountain Scene. LOL

It should be on the soundtrack in my opinion

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Damnit! Wait 'till i buy it!

We are not talking about the cd, Luke, rate the film.

[Melange 446]

Stefancos- who must look into buying the DVD.

I highly reccomend the DVD...Wonderful print and its crammed with interviews.

They also interview Little Barry (now about 30 something i guess from the interview)

[Morn 8]

I give it a 7, Joe should remember why.

Morn - Can't be bothered to say

[Harry Potter 0]

Well, I just got the 2 disc set for my birthday, but I haven't watched it yet. I've seen it once, but that was a very long time ago, so I can't gove a rating at this time.

~Harry

[Ricard 2,245]

I just have one word for this movie:

MASTERPIECE

And I agree with Steef that the changes made in the SE were unnecessary and the 1977 version is better, but I still give it a 10/10.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

And I agree with Steef that the changes made in the SE were unnecessary and the 1977 version is better, but I still give it a 10/10.

Remember that Spielgberg wasn't able to finish the film back in '77. That's why he made the expanded version. The studio only agreed to let him do that if he showed the UFO from the inside, so he did that - and regretted it. And that's why we have the Collector's Edition.

Marian - who thinks they should have used seamless branching to put all three versions on the DVD.

[Ricard 2,245]

And I agree with Steef that the changes made in the SE were unnecessary and the 1977 version is better, but I still give it a 10/10.

Remember that Spielgberg wasn't able to finish the film back in '77. That's why he made the expanded version. The studio only agreed to let him do that if he showed the UFO from the inside, so he did that - and regretted it. And that's why we have the Collector's Edition.

I know

[NeejaHalycon 0]

10

Keyboard: do-do-do...

Mothership: Bum-BA

"Wild Signals"

[Steven Awalt 0]

Too true about needing all three major versions of the film on DVD. Before Universal/Amblin even announced their plans for the E.T. DVD, people assumed the worst and figured Spielberg wouldn't release both versions on disc. Where are all the complaints about the lack of CE3K versions on DVD (I mean this in general, not to the members of this Forum).

I had the laserdisc with the '77/'80 version back in the old days, but when my LD player died, I sold off all my beloved Spielberg discs, figuring they would all be out on DVD soon. I am regretting the loss of the CE3K disc now, and the Indy films...

To throw in my sales pitch for the existing DVD with the CE cut though, I too agree--if you don't own it yet, you're not treating yourself right .

For my vote, I'd give all versions an extremely high 9 (pushing so close to 10, as it's a classic, but there are a few issues I have with all versions).

[MoffJake 0]

My favorite film. The DVD and Collector's Edition soundtrack are a must have. There are some really magical moments in both. The very bright scenes in the last 30 minutes were simply stunning. Vilmos Zsigmond deserved his Oscar statue. And were it not for Star Wars, John Williams should've gotten an award for his CE3K score.

-Jake

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I just have one word for this movie:

MASTERPIECE

And I agree with Steef that the changes made in the SE were unnecessary and the 1977 version is better, but I still give it a 10/10.

You said it the best and I can only agree. This is a beautiful film.

With one of the best endings ever filmed.

The special effects laden ending is filled with so much humanity and thought, it should be used as a template for any film in the future to show how it should be rightly done.

And I feel pity for Morn, who thinks it doesn't have a good ending.

[Chris ChrusherComix 46]

I 'm not a very big fan of the movie. I don't know why, but it just doesn't click with me for some reason. Maybe it's because some parts tend to be boring after a couple of viewings.

But for every scene with an alien spacecraft, particularly the abduction scene, the truck scene, and the awe inspiring finale, (which are still to this day of overblown special effects still are awesome...) I give it a 7. That abuduction of Barry is still a marvel to watch. Probably my favorite part of the film.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Damnit! Wait 'till i buy it!

We are not talking about the cd, Luke, rate the film.

ok, then. I have only sen it once :oops: it was Good, and the music was cool.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Anyways LET'S TALK ABOUT CGI!! (as in Jaws post)

J/K

[Mari 279]

I give both the film and music a 10! After E.T. this is one of my favorite movies. It covers such a wide variety of emotions from terror during the abduction of Barry to awe/wonder throughout the last half hour of the film. My favorite moment is the conversation.

[Melange 446]

I think one of my favourite music/film combinations in that movie is the bit where Roy is in his red suit ready to go into the ship. Its a close up, and he slowly turns round to look at everyone before he goes...and oh man the music is wonderful....so Wagnerian...Lighting is wonderful too. I also love the scene where the afflicted mountain drawers and builders at last see Devils Mountain on the TV screen and you see Gillian's hand touch her painting. Also that wondeful scene with the long shot of Devils mountain at night and the 3 little ships suddenly shoot in different directions. Beautiful. Then there's the scene where Roy and Gillain arrive at the road block and get out of the car to walk up the enbankment to reveal Devils mountain. Great music. And finally the great scene where they escape from the helicopter and they're charging up the field. That very short cue of music is wonderful.

[Morn 8]

What is so great about meeting aliens and going to live with them?

The film is like wow aliens. And I'm like hmm, aliens.

[Melange 446]

For me its not really about that. Its about how peoples ordinary lives can be turned completely upside down by something compelling them towards a thing or place they just cant explain. And the impact that kind of obsession can have on a family and ones own sanity. I think that was a large part of it.

[Morn 8]

Sure, I liked that aspect a lot. But it's not the only thing it's about. The film just doesn't awe me that much, except for it's score.

[Melange 446]

Exactly. It has many messages.

Nobody is forcing you to like it if you dont want to Morn...hehehe

[Morn 8]

But I do like it, I just don't think it's a masterpiece Because of some problems.

[Lurker 5]

Then there's the scene where Roy and Gillain arrive at the road block and get out of the car to walk up the enbankment to reveal Devils mountain. Great music.

Yes, this is one of the greatest goose-bump inducing scenes in cinema history. The perfect synergy between visuals and music. This scene more than anything else demonstrates the importance of film music.

Neil

[Melange 446]

...

[Ollie 1,059]

CE3K is indeed a masterpiece. I saw this film when it was released at the age of 9 and I have been captivated ever since. A truly magnificent film in all phases. I've already stated my views about this film in another thread so I won't repeat myself here. If Williams hadn't been nominated for Star Wars he would have taken the Oscar for CE3K. The expanded CD is miles above the original release and gives one a whole new perspective on the score. Barry's Abduction used to scare the hell out of me when I listened to my old LP as a child. I'm glad I kept my Criterion Laser Disc, the edition that has both versions of the film, and I did buy the 2 disc DVD as well.

[Melange 446]

I still like the original release CD too though aswell as the expanded.

It has a nice suite of the mountain theme and visitors on track 4 i think it was.

But the ending does sound really wierd now when i compare it to the expanded.

But its still cute in its own way to have that suite of themes in the final track.

P.S : You just jogged my memory when you mentioned your LP .

My first version of it was also on LP. Nothing beats the huge LP covers.

[MoffJake 0]

Morn, I think the main reason that the 'aliens' aspect of the film was so great was that up untill Close Encounters was released, no major films had a movie where the aliens were friendly. Think of all those goofy 50's movies that are spoofed on MST3K where all the invading aliens ever do is harass scantily clad women and destroy tall buildings and national monuments. After Close Encounters in the 80's we get E.T. (some consider it a sequel to Close Encounters), Starman, Cocoon, The Abyss, et al.

While the "aliens are our friends" theme may not be new today, it was seldom used before Close Encounters.

MoffJake - who has the fortune of owning a copy of Paul Schrader's original script for CE3K

[doped up burns]"I bring you love"[/doped up burns]

[Morn 8]

I know that moff, but it doesn't help me

[Figo 2]

Morn, as usual, you completely miss the point. In fact, I have to wonder sometimes if you are not purposely being contrary just to cause a row. Melange is closer to grasping the film's essence. "Close Encounters" is about obsession. Neary is as driven, in his way, as Indiana Jones. Only CE3K provides more mystery. The whole pacing of the film is masterful. Classic Spielberg. The atmospheric duststorm, people shouting over one another in different languages, the roar of exotic machinery. The opening of "Jurassic Park" I always thought of as a poor man's "Close Encounters." Here, Spielberg gets it just right. The setting, the foreign tongues, the anachronistic airplanes, everything we get at the beginning sets up the mystery and trepidation that pervades the rest of the picture. We don't know that these aliens are friendly. In fact, all indications early on are to the contrary. As MoffJake mentioned, most aliens in the movies had up to that point been hostile, and I think Spielberg uses that to play with our expectations. The air-traffic control scene is scary, and all it is is a bunch of guys standing around a screen in their headsets talking over one another. Good stuff! Absolutely no special effects. The effects are all in the direction, the superb handling of atmosphere. When Barry is abducted, how terrifying is that? That was about all I could handle as a 10 year-old. (Don't forget, the advertising campaign had set this up as a scary film, with that lonely country road and the intensifying light on the horizon. Or the shot with Barry opening the front door, with everything orange and crazy outside.) And, then, like "Jaws," the early terror gives way to high adventure.

The ending is perfect, just the release the picture requires. The music, the special effects, the handling of the numerous extras, all superb. Joe is right to point out the all-pervasive humanity in the picture. In fact, for painting on such a large canvas, it is almost miraculous that Spielberg at no point loses the human focus -- Roy, Gillian, Barry, Lacombe. Witness the comparative unwieldiness of "1941," which came out only two years later. Did anyone care about any of the characters in that picture? (There were certainly were plenty of characters.) And yet we were all captivated by Roy's quest. This is one of the most exhilarating, most satisfying times I have ever had at the movies. Just when we thought we had seen everything, that mothership comes over the top of the mountain -- holy shit! -- the whole theatre starts shaking, and then the thing TURNS OVER to a Williams' crescendo. How cool is that?

The effects have actually dated very well -- I saw it on the big screen again only a couple of years ago, and the entire movie holds up -- and I don't agree with Melange at all that the picture is irredeemably stuck in the '70s. I've seen far worse. CE3K is one of those rare specimens in that the director's subsequent tinkering (so far) hasn't seriously damaged it. It is excellent in all of its incarnations. However, I think the addition of the inside-the-mothership ending in the SE is unnecessary and the film works better without it. I also miss the extended building-of-the-Devil's-Tower-replica in the Neary living room, one of the craziest parts of the original cut, which nevertheless flowed naturally out of Roy's early obsession with shaving cream and mashed potatoes. On the other hand, some of the SE bits, like finding the ocean liner in the middle of the desert, would be hard to give up. God help me, I even like the network television cut!

CE3K is a masterpiece, a more adult film than "Star Wars." One of Spielberg's absolute best. He achieved those dizzying heights only a handful of times in his career. It is one of the films that made his reputation. And it is one of the best science fiction films ever made. To watch this back-to-back with a movie like "Independence Day" is to see how far science fiction as popular entertainment has fallen. I can't think of the last time I saw a major film that used that kind of restraint to build tension (a la "Jaws") that eventually blossomed into such a crowd pleaser. Audiences are different now, perhaps, or at least the young audiences are. They want their effects, and they want them now! Or is this only the studios' cynicism? If "Close Encounters" were made today, and if it had been directed by, say, Roland Emmerich, the film would have been top-heavy with CGI, and the very first scene, instead of being mysterious and drawing us into the story, would have bludgeoned us by showing everything from the spaceship's point-of-view. (EXTERIOR SHOT -- EARTH. Enormous spaceship enters atmosphere, touches down in Mexico, dropping WWII-era airplanes...) I wish some of the directors that grew up on Spielberg would have absorbed more than his surface appeal and focused instead on his technique. It's one thing to fill your picture with extraterrestrials and monsters, it's another to make us care. There are more surefire (and less expensive) ways to draw an audience into a film. It's called good storytelling.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

[Morn 8]

Only CE3K provides more mystery.

Not really for me, that's my problem with it. I'm not really interested enough in the aliens thing for me to get involved in the mystery. I know about the obession part, but the plot is more about the mystery than his obession.