Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

Title Screen
Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
Screenshots

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

In Steven Spielberg's memorable sci-fi film:

  • the discovery in a northern Mexico desert during a sandstorm of a collection of vintage fighter aircraft from World War II
  • the scene of the lights/power going out section by section in Indiana
  • the moment at a railroad crossing when electrician Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) signaled a second vehicle to pass his truck - and the UFO unexpectedly rose and bathed him in brilliant light
  • young Barry's (Cary Guffey) view of the swirling clouds, his exclamation "toys" when his playthings were brought to life, and the opening of his door to an orangish light-show - a house surrounded by aliens
  • the encounter of "the third kind" when everything went haywire in the house and a mesmerized Barry was abducted by aliens
  • the recurring mental images of a huge mountain
  • the pattern of musical sound waves in five tones or notes that signaled communication
  • the scene of the dazzling hovering and the first sight of the arrival and landing at Devils Tower (Wyoming) of an immense, circular, revolving alien 'mother-ship' in the presence of newsmen and scientists
Alien Arrival
  • the finale in which the doors opened, humans who had been missing emerged, and Roy was chosen or 'adopted' and taken into the 'mother-ship' craft
  • one of the aliens saying farewell with hand signals to UN scientist Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut) before the Mother Ship ascended and departed, as John Williams' score soared in triumph - incorporating "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio (1940)

Young Barry

Devils Tower

Arrival of Mother Ship

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