Amph The Style of Spielberg

This film is incredible. I saw it for the first time only last week. I cried at the end - I have no idea why. It isn't a particularly joyful ending, or a sad one? I think, I was crying in awe. The pure spectacle of the film. Of course, this may have had something to do with the absolute genius - and I don't mean that lightly - of John Williams.

This is an absolute essential film. Everyone on the planet should see this at least once.

 

What are you correcting? I'm aware that the film came out in '77. Hence, it's my favorite of all Spielberg's work in the '70s.

EDIT: Nevermind, I saw it. I had copied and pasted the JAWS stuff and forgot to change 1975 to 1977. Thanks.

 

Ah! Close Encounters of the Third Kind, one of my alltime favorites and maybe Spielberg's most interesting movie ever IMO.
One of the things I also like very much about this is that the story and screenplay is by Spielberg himself which is quite a rarity. Nothing beats trough auteaur work especially not when it is as masterfully executed as this!

 

well, a bit late, but I just wanted to comment on a post about Jaws:

Dont forget that the late great Joe Spinell was supposed to be the guy who loses his wifes roast ( and almost his life ). Plus the ending of the book was just TOO anti climactic, having Brody run out of bulletts with the shark heading straight for him, only to have the shark die from exhaustion and sink to the bottom of the ocean.


Ahh..I always wondered what the heck happened there.

my rough reaction:

"The heck? what happened to it?"

Benchley later absolved for this by having the hero & monster in practically the same positions in Beast, but having the monster (a giant squid) get attacked & eaten by a sperm whale.

 

Close Encounters is one of my favourite Spielberg movies. One of the interesting things is that this film is one of the few he has written. Well-crafted, if a little long, but certainly one of his best in my opinion because it has the wonderous element (for lack of a better description) that is prevelant in the best of Spielberg. He gets you highly involved in these characters and engrosses you in their situation--its basically why we watch films in the first place. I've always wondered why he didn't write more, but then again he also is credited with writing on A.I., so...

 

I remember the shot in India: they ask a crowd where the noises are coming from, and as one, they point to the sky, and all you see are their hands.

 

One of the coolest shots in the movie. One of my absolute favorites has to be that shot of the mothership in the sky. The one where it's draped in darkness, and you can only see it because of its contrast to the starry sky.

 

I dunno, I thought that pointing-upwards shot was corny. There were plenty more memorable sequences than that one.

 

I agree. Espescially toward the end. The visuals are amazing. Also, the abduction of the kid. Wow. I also love the North By Northwest vibe that the escape on the cliffside has.

 

Oh, the corn was as high as an elephant's eye. But I liked it.

 

Early Spielberg seems to have a problem with having shots where people do things at the same time. One of the worst moments in ET is when all the "nasty government people" at the start walk as one, and point their torches to the sky as one. Awful.

 

This is one of the few Spielberg films I haven't seen. I've heard nothing but great things but yet I've never gotten around to seeing it.

 

Oh, it sure is great. But there are more than a few moments where you are brutally reminded that it's probably aimed more at kids than you.

 

Close Encouters of the Third Kind is one under rated movie
which it deserves more


I echo on the statement of the Mothership, you couldn't get anything as perfect as that

The huge bass humming of the mothership flying pass over you
the site of it when it appears behind the Devils mountain
and when it lands

I also like the scene when the kid Barry goes in in the Middle of the road and watches 4 UFO flying passed his head with his mother.

THere is one thing I never got ans why did the aliens kidnapped Barry ?

 

Not sure if anyone brought this up yet. For all I know, I might have already mentioned it. Has anyone noticed the deliberate contrasts in character arches between Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) of Close Encounters, and Ray (Tom Cruise) of War of the Worlds. Also notice the obvious name similarities. Kind of cool.

 

Well, the best directors tend to drawn to the same material.

 

For me, "Close Encounters" *IS* Spielberg's greatest work. Among his oeuvre, it often doesn't get the recognition it deserves. SO many iconic moments.

On a family vacation back in the mid-90's, my family actually visited Devil's Tower, the site of the big meeting at the end of the film. You can understand why Spielberg chose it, cause it's QUITE a sight.

We stayed at a campground at the base of the Tower, and every night they had a showing of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind", so we sat down and watched the film AT the base of the Tower. Very cool.

"This means something. This is important."

 

Indeed. Spielberg is most evidently drawn to the "lost boy" plot point. Just think about it. There is a lost boy in (at least):

- Saving Private Ryan
- E.T.
- Close Encounters
- Jaws
- Minority Report
- Catch Me If You Can
- A.I.
- Jurrassic Park
- Schindler's List
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom



Also possibly 'Munich', I think towards the end. Can't really remember, though. Also, almost certainly in 'War of the Worlds', and 'Empire of the Sun', but I haven't seen them yet.

 

His use of the "lost boy" ties into his use of the fairy tale structure in each of his films, including Saving Private Ryan.

 

True. I think with War of the Worlds, however, Spielberg was consciously trying to create the "anti-Close Encounters."

Two things have happened to Spielberg since 1977--he's become political (as good as it may be, WotW is definitely more self-important with its 9/11 parallels), and he's a family man. Spielberg has even said that had he done Close Encounters now, it would have ended differently. There's a strange sort of cynicism in it. I imagine that, like in E.T., the separation of Roy and Ronnie is directly taken from Spielberg's experience with his parent's divorce. I always thought that was the purpose of the scene in Close Encounters where the son is yelling and calling his dad a crybaby--that's Spielberg's voice.

I watched this the other night and it made me decide to read some conversations about the movie.

During the ending, when the soldiers and pilots who were MIA are being welcomed back on the ladning pad, does anyone get a vibe that the government had not only known they were abducted by aliens, but that they were unknowingly set up and sent on missions with the purpose of being abducted?

 

I don't know about this "Spielberg is becoming political" argument that has been popular recently. His films of the 70s and early 80s are highly political, at least for 'blockbusters'. Even something as fluffy as E.T. displays a deep-set distrust of the government and American Society. It can also be seen in Jaws, Close Encounters, and even Raiders of the Lost Ark.

 

I love CE3K. Williams' famous 5 Note Theme was written before any of the film;s actual score was written. Williams also quotes "When You Wish Upon a Star" to reflect some of the themes of the film.

 

Except that that beautiful quote was actually cut from the film, although it remains on the score release.

 

Oh for sure. Espescially in Close Encounters. Still, there is an optimism that is present in vintage Spielberg, that isn't there anymore. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. He's just evolved and matured.

 

My favorite scenes..
1) the headlights that move "up" when it comes up on Neary's truck.
2)breaking into the room and getting the Globe which rolls away..just too funny.