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June 23, 2021

Episode 525: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Special Guests: Joe Alves, Matthew Robbins, Jim Bloom, Douglas Trumbull
Guest Co-Hosts: Suzen Tekla Kruglnska, El Goro

Sci-Fi Month continues with a look at Steven Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It’s really three stories in one. In the first it’s former cartographer David Laughlin (Bob Balaban) who’s been recruited to help French scientist Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut) investigate a strange series of alien visitations. The second concerns Julian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) whose little boy, Barry, is kidnapped by aliens. And, the third follows Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), a man who’s disillusioned with his life until he witnesses a group of alien ships which plant an image in his head as kind of an invitation to join them.

Suzen Tekla Kruglnska and El Goro join Mike to discuss this landmark film. Interviews include production designer Joe Alves, screenwriter , second assistant director Jim Bloom, and special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull.

Listen/Download Now:

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind Blu-Ray
Buy the Close Encounters of the Third Kind novelization
Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Ultimate Visual History by Michael Klastorin
Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind Diary by Bob Balaban
Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Making of Steven Spielberg's Classic Film by Ray Morton
Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Jon Towlson

Music:
"Theme from 'Close Encounters'" - Meco
"Main Title And Mountain Visions" - The Electric Moog Orchestra
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" - The Ventures

Watch:


3 comments:

  1. Bobby Deerfield & Close Encounters were the first two films I saw in a grand cinema-pretty sure I saw Close Encounters at Buhl Planetarium,or some Carnegie or other in Pittsburgh:)I wanna go back:(..

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    Replies
    1. Love Your Guest Co-Hosts on this one Mr. White:)

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  2. Nice episode. Lance Henriksen is in one other scene. He's sitting silently in the background while Dreyfuss is being interrogated by Balaban and Truffaut in the dark room after being caught by the hazard team. Carl Weathers is only in a deleted scene where he argues with Dreyfuss who's looking for Jillian, accusing him of being a looter who's trying to get into the evacuated area. There's about a dozen deleted scenes, most of them on yotuube. Check them out. Some are actually kinda interesting.

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