Close Encounters of the Third Kind

For the second night in a row I got to watch one of my very favorite movies on the big screen again!  I have been fascinated with Close Encounters of the Third Kind since I saw it when it was first released in 1977 as a nine year old.  I have seen it many times since (even on the big screen) but last night was the first time that I got to see the Director's Cut and I loved it!  Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut), a French scientist, investigates an increase in UFO activity around the world and discovers a way to communicate with these UFOs by broadcasting a distinctive five-tone musical phrase into outer space.  In response, he receives a set of geographic coordinates that lead to Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  Lacombe and the U.S. military evacuate the area by using a false story about a toxic spill.  Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and several other people, including Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) and her son Barry (Cary Guffey), also have an encounter with these UFOs and both he and Jillian become increasingly obsessed with the shape of Devil's Tower without knowing what or where it is (you will never look at mashed potatoes in the same way again).  They both make the connection when they see the reports of the toxic spill on television and travel to Devil's Tower for another awe-inspiring encounter with the UFO.  What I love most about this movie is that everyone reacts to the UFOs with wonder and amazement rather that fear and I feel that same sense of wonder every time I watch the mother ship descend into the arena!  It is absolutely magical!  I think the special effects hold up really well, especially in the design of the aliens.  I remember when this was first released the design of the aliens was a really big secret and I was so excited to see what they would look like!  My favorite character in this movie is Lacombe because he also has a feeling of wonder about the UFOs and I love Truffaut's portrayal of him (when I first saw this my Dad had to tell me that he was a famous French New Wave director and I became a little bit obsessed with him).  The more I see this movie the more struck I am by the lengths to which the government goes in order to suppress information about what is happening and, especially right now, I find that scenario entirely plausible.  This movie is both thought-provoking and spellbinding and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen.  You have one more opportunity to see it as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series on Oct. 1 (go here for more details).

Note:  I also own Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Blu-ray so I can watch it whenever I want but I just can't resist seeing it on the big screen!