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Close Encounters of the Third Kind poster

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

year 1977decade 70sdirector Steven Spielberggenre science fiction drama

135

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Richard Dreyfuss Roy Neary
François Truffaut Claude Lacombe
Teri Garr Ronnie Neary, Roy's wife. Meryl Streep and Amy Irving also auditioned for the role
Melinda Dillon Jillian Guiler. Garr wanted to portray Jillian, but was cast as Ronnie. Hal Ashby
Bob Balaban David Laughlin, Lacombe's assistant and English-French interpreter
J. Patrick McNamara Project Leader
Warren J. Kemmerling Major "Wild Bill" Walsh
Phil Dodds Jean Claude
Cary Guffey Barry Guiler, Jillian's son. Spielberg conducted a series of method acting techniques to help Guffey
Merrill Connally Team Leader
George DiCenzo Major Benchley
Josef Sommer Larry Butler
Carl Weathers Military Police
David Abraham Cheulkar English-Hindi interpreter

Close Encounters of the Third Kind | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeck theme Big-Ass '70s Month
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Roger Ebert's review

Ebert's four-star reviews of the original and 1980 cuts are quoted before his and Siskel's responses are revisited.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:12Read transcript
  • Roger Ebert is reported to have awarded four stars to both the original release and the 1980 revised cut.
  • The quoted revised review calls the new version better and asks why Spielberg did not make the original version this good.
  • Ebert and Siskel are recalled as admiring the film while saying its middle section drags.
  • The panel argues that this pacing complaint now feels minor beside the film's lasting meaning and visual achievement.

Casting What-Ifs

Steve McQueen, James Caan, Pacino, Hoffman, Hackman, Nicholson, Streep, Irving, and others are reviewed.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:53Read transcript
  • Steve McQueen is reported to have declined because he could not cry on cue despite admiring the script.
  • James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman are reported to have declined the lead, while Jack Nicholson had conflicts.
  • Richard Dreyfuss is reported to have lobbied Spielberg persistently before salary demands briefly stalled the deal.
  • Hackman's troubled marriage and reluctance to leave Los Angeles, along with Caan's price, are given as reasons the alternatives failed.
  • Teri Garr wanted Jillian but was cast as Ronnie; Meryl Streep and Amy Irving also auditioned for Ronnie.
  • Hal Ashby is reported to have recommended Melinda Dillon, who was cast only days before filming.
  • Carrie Guffey reportedly lost the chance to play Danny Torrance because he was committed to other films.

Recasting Couch

The hosts keep the director but consider John Cazale, James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Richard Gere, Bruce Willis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Chadwick Boseman.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:12Read transcript
  • The panel initially finds no director replacement and briefly proposes John Cazale, James Brolin, or O.J. Simpson for Larry Butler.
  • Tom Hanks is proposed as Roy in a 1987 version.
  • Will Smith is proposed for a 1997 version and questioned as too handsome or heroic.
  • Nicolas Cage is proposed as another 1997 Roy.
  • Richard Gere is considered and rejected as too attractive or too old for the 1997 role.
  • Bruce Willis is considered and rejected as too old for the 1997 role.
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman is proposed for a 2007 version.
  • Chadwick Boseman is proposed for a 2017 version.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covers Schrader's rejected script, military noncooperation, the alien performers, the $3.3 million effects budget, motion-control advances, and Truffaut's response to the sets.

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:40Read transcript
  • Spielberg is quoted calling Paul Schrader's screenplay one of the most embarrassing scripts submitted to a studio or director.
  • Schrader's version reportedly followed an experiencer who threatened to expose the government after fifteen years of attempted contact.
  • The Air Force and NASA reportedly refused to cooperate, which Spielberg interpreted as encouraging evidence for the film.
  • Julia Phillips criticized Spielberg as a perfectionist before being removed from the production.
  • Fifty girls, each six years old and from Mobile, were cast as aliens after puppetry failed.
  • Douglas Trumbull supervised visual effects that advanced motion-control photography.
  • The visual-effects work is reported to have had a $3.3 million budget.
  • Ralph McQuarrie's contribution to the mothership is noted alongside his Star Wars work.
  • Truffaut reportedly ignored the giant landing-site set but praised the small hotel-room set as familiar to his filmmaking experience.
  • Truffaut's role is defended because communication beyond language is a central theme and his films influenced the filmmakers' generation.
  • The Searchers is cited as a visual influence, including its doorway and horizon compositions.
  • Topps reportedly issued sixty-six trading cards and eleven stickers, excluding Dreyfuss and Truffaut at their request.
  • Jaws, Rocky, Rocky II, and E.T. are cited as other films with card sets.

Picking Nits

Barry's dog-door escape, Jillian's response, sleep-gassing the animals, the returned pilots' calm, and the friendly conspiracy are questioned.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:15Read transcript
  • Jillian allowing Barry to escape through the dog door during the abduction is criticized as implausible parental behavior.
  • Jillian is criticized for not immediately inspecting Barry when he returns from the spacecraft.
  • Putting the animals to sleep with gas is called an odd and weird choice.
  • The returned pilots are criticized for showing no shock or questions after learning that thirty-two years have passed.
  • The military and scientific conspiracy is criticized as implausibly kind and transparent.
  • After a separate Spielberg anecdote, the panel returns to government friendliness as the prevailing nitpick.
  • Lacombe's unusual authority on American soil is questioned.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Roy's return, the abductees' aging, the family's response, and Roy's firing remain unanswered.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:26Read transcript
  • The panel asks whether Roy ever returned or saw his family again.
  • The abductees' lack of aging while aboard the ship is questioned.
  • The panel asks how Ronnie and the family respond to the altered house and Roy's disappearance.
  • Barry's future after the encounter is imagined through an Omen comparison.
  • Roy's unexplained firing and whether a scene is missing are questioned.