“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is a true classic in the filmography of mega-director Steven Spielberg (“Indiana Jones”, “ET”, etc.), which is certainly not lacking in such films. For us at FILMSTARTS, the work, which was first released in German cinemas in 1978, is one of the “best science fiction films of all time”.
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” will air today, October 20, 2023 at 9:55 PM on ZDFneo. Immediately after the broadcast you will find the film in the ZDFmediathek, where you can stream it for free. Alternatively, the FSK 12 title is of course also available as a paid VoD, Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon & Co. for repeated home theater enjoyment. For fans, the 4K/UltraHD version with the “40th Anniversary Director’s Cut” and lots of bonus material is especially worthwhile.
There are no real superstars in the cast – which certainly helps with the focus on the story. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any famous actors present. This included Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss (“Jaws”), French master director François Truffaut (“Fahrenheit 451”), Teri Garr (“The Dialogue”) and “Aliens” and “Terminator” veteran Lance Henriksen and “Rocky I -IV ” star Carl Weathers in front of Spielberg’s camera.
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” on ZDFneo: that’s the story
Late one night, electrician Roy (Dreyfuss) is sitting in his truck and is surprised by strange phenomena in the air. And he’s not the only one this happens to. The chosen ones also include Jillian (Melinda Dillon) and her son Barry (Cary Guffey), who suddenly disappears shortly afterwards. Roy and Jillian are so thrown off course by the experience that nothing is more important to them than discovering the secret behind it.
Meanwhile, UFOlogists like French scientist Claude (Truffaut) continue to make new, inexplicable discoveries. Ships or planes that have been missing for years suddenly turn up in unexpected places without any explanation. All research ultimately points to a sparsely populated area in northern Mexico – the Sonoran Desert – where everything seems to come together…
Almost like a religious experience
Steven Spielberg deals with great emotions in many of his films. Hardly any other film makes us as viewers as attentive yet internally reassured as this one. Perfectly supported by John Williams’ score, there is something cathartic, cleansing and calming about the film’s finale. And not just for the characters, but also for some in the audience, for whom it may seem like some kind of religious experience. describes author Ulrich Behrens in the FILMSTARTS review.
Spielberg’s inspiration for the allegorical, symbolic and puzzle-like script he wrote goes back to his childhood. During that time, he and his father observed a meteor shower in the sky that would capture his imagination for years to come. This experience influenced him again and again when he started making his first films with a Super 8 camera a few years later. He re-staged some scenes from “Firelight,” a low-budget sci-fi adventure he made at age 18, almost faithfully to the original for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
According to several critics, Spielberg’s intention was to call on moviegoers, and thus American society, to open up and communicate with each other again after the Vietnam War, which was still traumatic for the nation. According to several sources, some of the film’s financing came directly from the administration of Jimmy Carter, who had just moved into the White House at the time. The then US president was certain that he himself had seen a UFO in his home state of Georgia a few years earlier.
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