Guide Note

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 sci-fi film directed by Steven Spielberg, and is one of the most popular and aesthetically influential films in the genre. The film details humans' first contact with extra terrestrials.

Fast Facts

1. Director: Steven Spielberg
2. Writer: Steven Speilberg
3. Released: November 16, 1977
4. Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr and François Truffaut
5. Received eight Academy Award nominations and won Best Cinematography
6. American Film Institute Top 100 greatest American films (1998)

1. Oscar: Best Cinematography (1977)

Extra Terrestrials begin making contact with Earth in several startling ways: a commercial pilot spots an unidentified bright light; Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), an Indiana cable repair man, mistakes a UFO for a truck attempting to pass him late at night—and scientists Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut) and David Laughlin (Bob Balaban) discover several planes missing since 1945 have reappeared in the desert. The government makes attempts to keep the visitors' landing place a secret, but Neary and others begin hearing five melodic notes in their heads, and having prophetic visions of the meeting place atop a mountain. Drawn to the visions and their significance, Neary becomes engrossed and obsessed, putting strain on his marriage with Veronica (Teri Garr). Neary sets out to thwart the government's efforts to hide this monumental event, and attempts to witness it for himself.