Episode 525 · Film year 1977
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
- Special Guests
- Joe Alves, Matthew Robbins, Jim Bloom, Douglas Trumbull
- Guest Co-Hosts
- Suzen Tekla Kruglinska, El Goro
Show notes
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 Kruglinska (opens in a new tab) and El Goro (opens in a new tab) join Mike to discuss this landmark film. Interviews include production designer Joe Alves (opens in a new tab), screenwriter Matthew Robbins, second assistant director Jim Bloom, and special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull.
Suzen Tekla Kruglinska (opens in a new tab) and El Goro (opens in a new tab) join Mike to discuss this landmark film. Interviews include production designer Joe Alves (opens in a new tab), screenwriter Matthew Robbins, second assistant director Jim Bloom, and special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull.
Labels: 1977 Bob Balaban Douglas Trumbull El Goro François Truffaut Jim Bloom Joe Alves John Williams Matthew Robbins Paul Schrader Richard Dreyfuss Steven Spielberg Suzen Tekla Kruglinska
Watch
Music credits
- "Theme from 'Close Encounters'" - Meco
- "Main Title And Mountain Visions" - The Electric Moog Orchestra
- "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" - The Ventures
Links & resources
- Become a supporter of The Projection Booth (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind Blu-ray (opens in a new tab)
- Buy the Close Encounters of the Third Kind novelization (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Ultimate Visual History by Michael Klastorin (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind Diary by Bob Balaban (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Making of Steven Spielberg's Classic Film by Ray Morton (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Jon Towlson (opens in a new tab)
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Comments (3)
Ryan Gettig 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:(..Ryan Gettig Love Your Guest Co-Hosts on this one Mr. White:)
Jimmy 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.