Nov 07, 2003 12:56 PM
1810 Views
(Updated Nov 11, 2003 02:12 PM)
The year: 1977
A whole squadron of planes which vanished into thin air 30 years ago off the coast of Florida is suddenly found in the middle of an African desert.
American air traffic controllers sight mysterious aircraft playing hide and seek with their commercial airliners on radar.
A missing ship (ya, one that sails in seas) is suddenly found stranded in the Gobi desert. So wots cooking?
The plot without killing any suspense:
A team of world renowned scientists led by a Frenchman, Lacombe set about investigating these strange occurrences. One night, Roy Neary, a power repairman in Indiana gets called to the location of some unexplained power outages. Driving along a country road, he loses his way and then chances to experience something which will change his life forever. Across town, a widow Jillian and her inquisitive young son Barry also get involved in a strange encounter. The entire county is rocked by unexplained incidents. The scientists suspect the influence of mysterious UFOs but fearing a public backlash deny any alien involvement, however continuing their inquiries in secrecy.
Roy's life goes topsy turvy as he tries to work out his feelings on his experience. He begins sculpting shapes he’s never seen - his obsession costs him his job, he then drives his family nuts - alienating them to the extent that they abandon him. He finally hits the road in search of answers to all his questions. On a simultaneous track, Jillian loses her son to another chance encounter and she is also desperate to unravel this mystery. Together, Roy and Jillian follow the summons to an unknown destination in Wyoming where the first rendezvous between mankind and alien occurs.
Background:
Steven Spielberg was just 29 when he directed the classy JAWS in 1975. So there were tremendous expectations of his second venture - Close Encounters of the Third Kind made with Columbia pictures. When the film hit pay dirt, Spielberg had arrived and the sci fi genre had become a runaway phenomena (George Lucas had released Star Wars just 6 months back). The film's promo was tantalizingly eerie ''We are not alone'' displaying a dark country road with mysterious lights lurking below the horizon.
The analysis:
SFX:
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In today’s digital age, when we have the latest SFX technology, the sci fi movies of the late 70s might appear primitive. But coming as it did in 1977, CEOTTK was way ahead of its time. The last 30 minutes are some of the most spectacular cinema I have ever seen. Towards the climax as I watched the spaceships- ''more dazzling than the aurora borealis- to quote Roy'' - glide along slowly and silently, lighting up the contrasting pitch dark sky, the spaceship doesn't cry out for attention - the viewer is simply entranced on his own. How I wish modern filmmakers would simply use this style rather than their slap dash bang frantic action.
Acting:
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Richard Dreyfuss(who also appeared in Jaws and Notting Hill) as Roy is a real scene stealer! Melinda Dillon as Jillian is impressive while Francois Truffaut as Lacombe makes me yearn for more Frenchmen in Hollywood.
Technical crew:
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Spielberg's favorite John Williams is totally in his elements and delivers yet another magical musical score. Michael Kahn's editing could have been sharper but I am not sure whether the video I saw was the original footage or the one which included extra clippings. Though I am a big fan of Spielberg’s favorite Janusz Kaminski, I have to admit that Vilmos Zsigmond behind the camera is outstanding. Douglas Trumbull is the mastermind behind the ''visual concepts''. Lastly Spielberg himself at the helm is brilliant - controlling the audience like a bunch of hapless puppets.
The story is well woven and presented with a very natural honesty. The emotions do not seem contrived and this is one sign of great film making. The film works best when it focuses on the alien subject matter since the family scenes involving Roy seem under developed.
Summing up - a brilliantly made film which will stimulate your senses. (esp as for me it came at the end of a week of maniacal movie watching spree - Raja Bhayya, Pinjar, Joggers Park, Tora^3)
Pls do drop in and comment.
