Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

It’s really a classic movie. I have watched all three cuts numerous times but one thing I like about the special edition is how they removed the scene where Roy starts dumping dirt into the kitchen(and additional hissy fits) before Ronnie’s leaves with the kids. This scene removal makes him more sympathetic and that’s one area where the film does have some issues. He tries to reach out to her a few times throughout the film and is really needing help but she doesn’t seem to want to offer any help.

This is probably the main thing I've struggled with regarding this film over the years. It's so hard to relate to Roy let alone have sympathy for him. I'm not sure if it's the way Dreyfuss plays the character or if it's the character himself but he just behaves so bizarrely that he keeps me at arm's length. The film has grown on me but I don't think I will ever really connect with Roy. Maybe we aren't supposed to (seems strange to me) but it's a slight issue for me.

[-JKR-]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

This is probably the main thing I've struggled with regarding this film over the years. It's so hard to relate to Roy let alone have sympathy for him. I'm not sure if it's the way Dreyfuss plays the character or if it's the character himself but he just behaves so bizarrely that he keeps me at arm's length. The film has grown on me but I don't think I will ever really connect with Roy. Maybe we aren't supposed to (seems strange to me) but it's a slight issue for me.

I don't think that we are fully supposed to connect with Roy. I've always seen his arc and role in the movie to be representative of how alienating people can be once they feel a disconnect to and are about to disrupt the family bond.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

This is probably the main thing I've struggled with regarding this film over the years. It's so hard to relate to Roy let alone have sympathy for him. I'm not sure if it's the way Dreyfuss plays the character or if it's the character himself but he just behaves so bizarrely that he keeps me at arm's length. The film has grown on me but I don't think I will ever really connect with Roy. Maybe we aren't supposed to (seems strange to me) but it's a slight issue for me.

I hear ya - its always been a thorn in the side of the film. He starts out fairly normal and just a regular guy. It doesnt take long though for him to go off the rails. Very bizarre. I think early on I can sort of get his behavior since Id also be very touched by such an amazing thing, being into this kind of stuff. But, as we see with Ronnie, its all just BS to her. She couldnt be LESS into any of it.

Perhaps we are not supposed to connect with Roy at all? Interesting take.

Originally Posted by -JKR-

I don't think that we are fully supposed to connect with Roy. I've always seen his arc and role in the movie to be representative of how alienating people can be once they feel a disconnect to and are about to disrupt the family bond.

Another good take here. Roy is completely disconnected, eventually.

[sandman slim]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

Instead, they are just investigating. Having a look. Saying hello. Then, they are on their way, albeit with Roy joining them. Brilliant.

Did you forget all the people they had kidnapped over the years? Hell, they spent half the movie terrorizing a single mother, finally succeeding in stealing her little boy. Those were not shiny, happy aliens. Them grays were some bastards...

[Fenway55]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Did you forget all the people they had kidnapped over the years? Hell, they spent half the movie terrorizing a single mother, finally succeeding in stealing her little boy. Those were not shiny, happy aliens. Them grays were some bastards...

I never interpreted the aliens' actions as malicious. The end of the movie clearly establishes them as being both friendly and curious. While we see a terrorized mother, I always assumed the aliens didn't understand how their actions were impacting her.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Did you forget all the people they had kidnapped over the years? Hell, they spent half the movie terrorizing a single mother, finally succeeding in stealing her little boy. Those were not shiny, happy aliens. Them grays were some bastards...

I did not forget. Taking people does suck and Jillian certainly had a rough encounter. But ultimately, none of these people got eh hem "probed" or screwed with. They came back 100% in-tact and what a story they get to tell their loved ones.

I hear you - but there really wasnt any malicious intent.

Originally Posted by Fenway55

I never interpreted the aliens' actions as malicious. The end of the movie clearly establishes them as being both friendly and curious. While we see a terrorized mother, I always assumed the aliens didn't understand how their actions were impacting her.

Agreed - not saying it was perfectly fine. Any of us would have hated having that happen. But, the aliens didnt come here with the intent to harm and thats the key takeaway, IMO.

[sandman slim]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

But ultimately, none of these people got eh hem "probed" or screwed with. They came back 100% in-tact

We don't know what happened to them. You're assuming this because it's a Spielberg movie.

and what a story they get to tell their loved ones.

Yeah, I'm sure the lost squadron pilots really enjoyed getting back with their loved ones, meeting their new husbands, seeing the families they had after grieving for a few years. I'm taking the piss a bit here, because I do love this movie, but that happy ending really falls apart if you start thinking about it from the viewpoint of the abducted.

[Zivouhr]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

You're exactly right: it's not "an alien movie" at all, and it's certainly not a Godzilla movie... it is, in fact, a human drama. Spielberg famously puts "ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances", and that requires spending time with the humans and investing in them and their down-to-earth struggles. To focus more on the aliens would be entirely missing the point. Plus, the movie is masterfully structured / paced to reflect the three types of encounters. Close Encounters of the First Kind = Sighting; Close Encounters of the Second Kind = Physical Evidence; Close Encounters of the Third Kind = Contact. It was made in an era (the magnificent 70's) when audiences would invest their time and energy, and allow their anticipation to build and build throughout the running length of a movie. By the time the first visitors appeared at Devil's Tower, those of us in the 1977 theaters were absolutely on the edge of our seats. I was HOOKED as a six year old; completely mesmerized, at every step of the way. To this day, the mothership rising over Devil's Tower -- as the culmination to everything that came before it -- remains the single most magnificent moment I ever experienced in a theater.

Thanks. Yes, definitely a human drama film, and well-acted IMO with interesting characters. The film is partially veiled by the title, suggesting there will be several close experiences of Aliens. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There are some indirect encounters, but only at the end do we get a "Close Encounter" in my view.

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

This is probably the main thing I've struggled with regarding this film over the years. It's so hard to relate to Roy let alone have sympathy for him. I'm not sure if it's the way Dreyfuss plays the character or if it's the character himself but he just behaves so bizarrely that he keeps me at arm's length. The film has grown on me but I don't think I will ever really connect with Roy. Maybe we aren't supposed to (seems strange to me) but it's a slight issue for me.

I felt that way about Dreyfus in Jaws, and Quint in that film too. Roy Schneider I was able to relate to thankfully in Jaws. But it's a challenge to the viewer to want to spend 2 hours with villains or a not relatable character.
I did understand his enthusiasm about the aliens though.

Originally Posted by -JKR-

I don't think that we are fully supposed to connect with Roy. I've always seen his arc and role in the movie to be representative of how alienating people can be once they feel a disconnect to and are about to disrupt the family bond.

Interesting point.

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Did you forget all the people they had kidnapped over the years? Hell, they spent half the movie terrorizing a single mother, finally succeeding in stealing her little boy. Those were not shiny, happy aliens. Them grays were some bastards...

Good point. Taking the

[Show spoiler]kid away from the mother is an awful thing, along with causing an earthquake as they did in her house.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

We don't know what happened to them. You're assuming this because it's a Spielberg movie.

Yeah, I'm sure the lost squadron pilots really enjoyed getting back with their loved ones, meeting their new husbands, seeing the families they had after grieving for a few years. I'm taking the piss a bit here, because I do love this movie, but that happy ending really falls apart if you start thinking about it from the viewpoint of the abducted.

All right - thats fair if you see it this way. Im choosing a more "friendly" result, thats all.

[PhysicalMediaMaestro]

Of all Spielberg's films, this is his best. This is a much better film than E.T.

I completely understood Roy's fascination with what he saw. I also understood why Ronnie left him and took the kids with her. What I don't understand is why the government lied to everyone about what happened at Devil's Tower. What did they think would happen if they told the truth?

[AllOuttaBubbleGum]

Originally Posted by PhysicalMediaMaestro

Of all Spielberg's films, this is his best. This is a much better film than E.T.

I completely understood Roy's fascination with what he saw. I also understood why Ronnie left him and took the kids with her. What I don't understand is why the government lied to everyone about what happened at Devil's Tower. What did they think would happen if they told the truth?

Mass social upheaval and disorientation. Not that that would necessarily happen, but I think there was great concern about the societal implications. This is a theme that also comes up in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

..

[Martoto]

Originally Posted by PhysicalMediaMaestro

Of all Spielberg's films, this is his best. This is a much better film than E.T.

His most naive, most honest, and probably best film.

Originally Posted by PhysicalMediaMaestro

I completely understood Roy's fascination with what he saw. I also understood why Ronnie left him and took the kids with her.

People walk away from one life and into another one all the time, for many different and mundane reasons. For art, sex, drugs, money, religion.

Originally Posted by PhysicalMediaMaestro

What I don't understand is why the government lied to everyone about what happened at Devil's Tower. What did they think would happen if they told the truth?

They didn't know exactly what people would do and that scared them. Look at how some of them reacted to the "chemical leak". And that was something that the authorities could ostensibly "control".

[Robbie The Robot]

From the get go when I saw this as a young boy I always just thought that some people that came into close proximity or contact with the aliens had some form of mental imprint on them. Not everyone but some. Like a calling. Like they were suitable to be ambassadors of the human race. Almost uncontrollable and Roys madness is a result of that. It's been a while since I saw it but I am pretty sure it's intimated at points in the movie. The obsession with the shape of Devils Tower and the playing of the tune.

I always thought that Roy after his encounter was not in control of his actions. Neither was the little boy or all the people that gatherd along the road side. Toward the end the scientists talk to the people about being called to the site almost against their will and question why they came there.

This to me excuses Roy's actions and behaviour with his family all together. That aside I don't find Ronny a very appealing character or mother and I think that is almost intentional on the directors behalf as an expression of his experience coming from a divorced broken family.

I think this is one of his most raw and personal films and I love it way more than ET. I find ET is the first movie where Spielberg went a bit too saccharine for my taste.

[DKLou]

Originally Posted by Robbie The Robot

From the get go when I saw this as a young boy I always just thought that some people that came into close proximity or contact with the aliens had some form of mental imprint on them. Not everyone but some. Like a calling. Like they were suitable to be ambassadors of the human race. Almost uncontrollable and Roys madness is a result of that. It's been a while since I saw it but I am pretty sure it's intimated at points in the movie. The obsession with the shape of Devils Tower and the playing of the tune.

I always thought that Roy after his encounter was not in control of his actions. Neither was the little boy or all the people that gatherd along the road side. In the end they talk about people being called to the site almost against their will and question why they came there.

This to me excuses Roy's actions and behaviour with his family all together. That aside I don't find Ronny a very appealing character or mother and I think that is almost intentional on the directors behalf as an expression of his experience coming from a divorced broken family.

I think this is one of his most raw and personal films and I love it way more than ET. I find ET is the first movie where Spielberg went a bit too saccharine for my taste.

Interesting take here on the imprint idea. Maybe Roy wasn’t Roy at some stage any longer. It’s evident that this whole situation really hit him hard. We saw how mundane and clockwork-ish his life was. As if most of us stuck in the daily grind haven’t felt an urge to see & do more? Right? I can still see why his ultimate choice bothers some people though, even if it isn’t completely his choice.

Ronny is certainly hard to feel any empathy for. Perhaps that was a mistake on Spielbergs part or maybe it wasn’t? Maybe we are supposed to loathe her character so Roy’s choice is less jarring? But then the kids…. They didn’t do anything to deserve it all. Either way, I enjoy the film a lot. Outside of Jaws, it’s one of the Steve’s best films.

E.T. Is decent and I do watch it from time to time. I enjoy the young kids being young kids as many of us can relate to that. But, it is a little neutered or whatever.