CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

Roy Neary (Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfuss) was just a mild-mannered Indiana family man working for the power company.  Until one evening while out on the job.....he had an encounter with an unfamiliar being blasting brilliant light into the night sky.  What results for Roy is an increasingly bizarre descent into madness as he not only feels drawn towards seking out these otherworldy beings but also begins to alienate his wife (Teri Garr) and family in the process.  And he's not the only one: there's also Jillian Guiler (Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon) who is also drawn towards seeking out these strange, new visitors.  Both of their journeys eventually lead them Devil's Tower in Wyoming where these "visitors" might be headed.  Also eventually heading this way are two curious scientists (Francois Truffaut, Bob Balaban) who have been trying to figure out the best way to communicate with these extra terrestrials.  It all adds up to a transcendant experience and one of THE greatest films from one of our greatest living directors, Two-time Oscar-winner Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET) as his direct follow-up to the singular phenomenon which was Jaws.  *See below for a link to an extended sequence added to the 1980 "Special Edition" of this film, referred to within this review:* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqiSIaia-k4&t=197s Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon Producer: Marlene Gershon  Send us Fan Mail Support the show https://livingforthecinema.com/ **Facebook:** https://www.facebook.com/Living-for-the-Cinema-Podcast-101167838847578 **Instagram:** https://www.instagram.com/livingforthecinema/ **Letterboxd:** https://letterboxd.com/Living4Cinema/