Steven Spielberg followed Jaws (1975), his first major box-office
success, with this epic science fiction adventure about a disparate
group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Roy Neary
(Richard Dreyfuss) is an electrical lineman who, while sent out on
emergency repairs, witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has
a "sunburn" from its bright lights to prove it. Neary's wife and
children are at first skeptical, then concerned, and eventually fearful,
as Roy refuses to
accept a
"logical" explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his
job, his home, and his family to pursue the "truth" about UFOs. Neary's
obsession eventually puts him in contact with others who've had close
encounters with alien spacecraft, including Jillian (Melinda Dillon), a
single mother whose son disappeared during her UFO experience, and
Claude Lacombe (celebrated French filmmaker François Truffaut), a French
researcher who believes that we can use a musical language to
communicate with alien visitors. Lacombe's theory is put to the test
when a band of government researchers and underground UFO enthusiasts
(including Neary) join for an exchange with alien visitors near Devil's
Tower, Wyoming. In 1980, a "Special Edition" was released. While its
primary selling point was the addition of scenes inside the alien
spaceship, Spielberg claimed that he also cleaned up some choppy editing
in the second act.
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
