In the glow of a mothership’s landing lights, cinema found its most wondrous vision of the stars.

Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) stands as a beacon in science fiction, transforming the dread of alien invasion into a symphony of awe and curiosity. This film not only redefined contact narratives but sparked an evolution in how Hollywood portrayed extraterrestrial visitors, shifting from menace to mystery.

  • Trace the roots of sci-fi contact films from paranoia-laden classics to Spielberg’s optimistic pivot.
  • Dissect the groundbreaking effects, score, and themes that elevated Close Encounters above its predecessors.
  • Examine its enduring legacy in shaping modern blockbusters and collector culture around retro sci-fi memorabilia.

From Fear to Fascination: The Pre-Spielberg Contact Canon

The landscape of science fiction cinema before 1977 brimmed with suspicion towards the cosmos. Films like The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) offered a tentative olive branch through Klaatu’s pacifist message, yet even that carried undertones of divine judgment. Audiences huddled in theatres amid Cold War anxieties, where flying saucers symbolised threats from beyond rather than invitations to dialogue. George Pal’s production, with its booming saucer landing on the White House lawn, set a template: aliens as harbingers of either apocalypse or uneasy truce.

By the 1950s, invasion tropes dominated. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) depicted saucers vaporising landmarks in crisp stop-motion, reflecting atomic age fears. These narratives framed contact as conflict, with humanity’s military scrambling against superior tech. Parallels to McCarthyism abound, as red-scare rhetoric bled into silver-screen paranoia. Collectors today cherish these black-and-white prints for their campy charm, often grading mint-condition posters from Ray Harryhausen’s influence era.

The 1960s softened slightly with 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), where Kubrick’s monolith sparked evolution rather than war. Yet contact remained abstract, the starchild a silent enigma. No handshakes, no conversations, just cosmic ambiguity. This paved tentative ground for wonder, but Spielberg would humanise it fully. Vintage lobby cards from these films fetch premiums at auctions, evoking a time when space races mirrored on-screen standoffs.

Enter the 1970s, post-Apollo complacency. The Andromeda Strain (1971) Crichton’s adaptation turned contact microbial and invisible, a nod to germ warfare dread. Still, no benevolent visitors. These precursors built tension through isolation, forcing viewers to question if connection was possible or peril incarnate.

Spielberg’s Mashed Potato Mountain: Crafting Roy Neary’s Obsession

Close Encounters flips the script with Roy Neary, a lineman whose life unravels after glimpsing a UFO. Richard Dreyfuss embodies Everyman unraveling, sculpting Devil’s Tower from household fare in a scene blending domestic chaos with transcendent pull. This domestic invasion personalises contact, making the alien intimate rather than orbital.

Spielberg drew from real UFO lore, consulting J. Allen Hynek, whose ‘close encounters’ classification structured the plot: first kind sightings, second physical traces, third direct contact. The film’s five-tone motif, beep-boobadeep, becomes a universal language, composed by John Williams to evoke childlike play amid adult terror. Mashed potatoes symbolise subconscious drive, a motif echoing Jaws‘ primal fears turned celestial.

Production spanned years, with models scrapped and rebuilt. Douglas Trumbull’s effects, post-2001, used miniatures and front projection for mothership majesty. Budget ballooned to $20 million, Columbia’s gamble paying off at $300 million worldwide. Behind-scenes tales reveal Spielberg’s perfectionism, reshooting the climax for authentic glow.

Themes of abandonment resonate: Roy forsakes family for stars, mirroring post-Watergate disillusionment. Yet optimism prevails, contact as reunion. This evolution from foe to friend reshaped genre expectations, influencing family-friendly sci-fi.

Symphony of Lights: Visual and Aural Innovations

Williams’ score pulses like a heartbeat, the five notes motif recurring as Morse code from stars. Synthesizers blend with orchestra, pioneering electronic-orchestral fusion later echoed in Star Trek revivals. Sound design captures hums and whooshes, immersing viewers in the phenomenon.

Visuals mesmerise: the mothership’s multicoloured lights dance like aurora, hand-painted gels and fibre optics creating otherworldly sheen. No lasers or explosions; instead, a light show ballet. This spectacle influenced ILM’s Star Wars polish, though Spielberg’s film predates much of that tech.

Compared to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 remake), Close Encounters rejects pod-people horror for communal rapture. Climax at Devil’s Tower unites strangers in song, a Woodstock for ufologists. This communal uplift contrasts solitary dread of earlier films.

Collector’s angle: Original soundtrack vinyls, graded Near Mint, command $200+, while light-up UFO toys from Kenner evoke playground wonder. Packaging mimicked film’s glow, batteries optional for nostalgia chasers.

Global Hands: Francois Truffaut’s Pivotal Role

Truffaut’s Lacombe bridges cultures, his French philosopher leading Project MUFON with quiet authority. Casting the New Wave icon lent gravitas, his line deliveries measured against Dreyfuss’ frenzy. This internationalism evolved contact from American exceptionalism to shared humanity.

Post-film, sequels loomed but Spielberg pivoted to E.T., extending themes. 1980 special edition added M&M’s product placement, a commercial nod to merchandising boom. Fan edits circulate, blending versions for purists.

Cultural ripple: UFO sightings spiked post-release, media dubbing ‘Spielberg effect’. Books like Hynek’s The UFO Experience gained traction, blending fact with fiction.

Echoes in the Void: Legacy and Modern Echoes

Close Encounters birthed benevolent alien archetype, paving for E.T. (1982), Mac and Me (1988), even Arrival (2016). Circular time motifs prefigure Villeneuve’s work. Retro revivals screen at festivals, 4K restorations preserving grain.

Merch endures: Mashed potato kits joke items, but authentic posters, graded CGC 9.8, hit $10,000. Conventions feature replica ships, fans debating canon notes.

Versus contemporaries, Capricorn One (1978) faked NASA hoaxes while Spielberg invited belief. This faith in unknown propelled genre from B-movies to tentpoles.

Critics note environmental nods, Neary’s pollution-riddled town contrasting pristine Wyoming. A subtle call amid spectacle.

Director in the Spotlight: Steven Spielberg

Born 18 December 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Steven Spielberg grew up devouring comics and B-movies, his first film Escape to Witch Mountain shot at age 12. Rejected by USC film school, he honed craft at Universal, directing TV episodes like Columbo. Breakthrough came with Jaws (1975), summer smash despite shark malfunctions, grossing $470 million.

Close Encounters followed, cementing wunderkind status. Co-founding Amblin, he helmed Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Goonies (1985), blending adventure with heart. The Color Purple (1985) earned Whoopi Goldberg Oscar, though snubbed himself.

1990s blockbusters: Jurassic Park (1993) revolutionised CGI dinosaurs, $1 billion haul; Schindler’s List (1993) black-and-white Holocaust drama, Oscars for direction. Saving Private Ryan (1998) D-Day realism redefined war films.

2000s: Minority Report (2002) precrime thriller; Catch Me If You Can (2002) DiCaprio con artist romp; War of the Worlds (2005) alien invasion redux, echoing early fears. Munich (2005) terrorism drama, Golden Globe nod.

Recent: The Adventures of Tintin (2011) motion-capture; War Horse (2011); Lincoln (2012) Daniel Day-Lewis biopic, Oscars; Bridge of Spies (2015); The BFG (2016); The Post (2017); West Side Story (2021) remake. Producing Men in Black (1997), Transformers series. Influences: David Lean epics, Ray Harryhausen models. Philanthropy via Shoah Foundation. Net worth billions, three Oscars, AFI Life Achievement 2015.

Actor in the Spotlight: Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary

Born 29 October 1947 in Brooklyn, Richard Dreyfuss began acting age eight in community theatre. TV guest spots led to American Graffiti (1973) Curt role, earning Golden Globe nod. Jaws (1975) Hooper cemented shark-hunter persona.

Close Encounters (1977) Roy Neary showcased manic intensity, Oscar-nominated Best Actor. The Goodbye Girl (1977) won Oscar rom-com charm. The Big Fix (1978) directorial debut. 1980s: The Competition (1980); Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981); The Buddy System (1984); Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986); Stakeout (1987) cop comedy hit.

1990s: Postcards from the Edge (1990); Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990); Lost in Yonkers (1993); Silent Fall (1994); The Last Word (1995); Mad Dog Time (1996); Night Falls on Manhattan (1996); The Commissar Vanishes narrator (1997). Voice in Oliver & Company (1988), Poseidon (2006).

2000s-2010s: The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (2001); Silver City (2004); Ocean’s Eleven (2001) Victor; Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001); The Star Chamber no, wait, earlier. Coastal Elite (2018). Politics: Founded What Works USA advocacy. Books: The Two Georges alt-history (1996) with Turtledove. Stage: Death of a Salesman. Emmy for Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995). Recent: The Light (2021); Hallmark films. Cultural icon for 70s angst heroes.

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Bibliography

Baxter, J. (1999) Steven Spielberg: The Unauthorised Biography. HarperCollins. Available at: https://www.harpercollins.com (Accessed: 15 October 2023).

Hynek, J.A. (1972) The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. Henry Regnery Company.

Kotzwinkle, W. (1979) Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Novelisation. Del Rey Books.

McBride, J. (1997) Steven Spielberg: A Biography. Faber & Faber.

Mottram, R. (2007) The Sundance Kids. Faber & Faber. Available at: https://www.faber.co.uk (Accessed: 15 October 2023).

Shay, J.T. and Kearns, B. (1997) Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. No, wait: Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Making of. Titan Books.

Spielberg, S. (2001) Interview in Empire Magazine, Issue 142. Available at: https://www.empireonline.com (Accessed: 15 October 2023).

Taves, B. (1980) Robert A. Heinlein and Destination Moon. In By Rocket to the Moon. Smithsonian Institution Press.

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