History Film / CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind

This is a film directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg. The original version was released in 1977; a "Special Edition" ReCut was released in 1980 after Spielberg had proven he was a serious director. (There had been ExecutiveMeddling with the cut of the original.) Spielberg re-edited the film yet again for a "Collector's Edition" in 1998. All three cuts were included in the film's Blu-ray release in 2007, along with a new interview with Spielberg explaining the editing.

!!Tropes:

After a series of bizarre incidents where long-lost ships and aircraft begin reappearing in very unusual places around the world, a wide swath of the state of Indiana is buzzed by a very flashy troupe of [=UFOs=]. One of the many witnesses to this flyby is power-company employee Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss. Following the event, Neary is inflicted with visions of a distinctive-looking mountain. His family life quickly falls apart, and he eventually learns that what he is seeing and obsessively sculpting is the rock formation Devil's Tower, Wyoming. He meets fellow witness Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) a mother desperately seeking her young son Barry, who has been carried away by the [=UFOs=]. They attempt to reach the Tower, even as the US government, well aware of what is happening, concocts a biohazard scare and places a military cordon around the site...

* BittersweetEnding

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive

* DawnOfAnEra: Probably.

* DreamMelody

* FakeRabies: Roy's brushing his teeth knowing his kids are behind him with a paddle and a polaroid camera. When the kids whap him in the ass he whirls around with a mouth full of toothpaste froth and growls "ARRGH," and they get the perfect shot.

* ReCut
* RefusalOfTheCall

** A musical shout-out that borders on ActorAllusion: Briefly, during the Devils Tower musical sequence when contact is trying to be made with the alien ship, the ''Jaws'' theme can be heard briefly. John Williams wrote both soundtracks, and Richard Dreyfuss was in both ''[=CE3K=]'' and ''Jaws''.

After a series of bizarre incidents where long-lost ships and aircraft begin reappearing in very unusual places around the world, a wide swath of the state of Indiana is buzzed by a very flashy troop of [=UFOs=]. One of the many witnesses to this flyby is power-company employee Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss. Following the event, Neary is inflicted with visions of a distinctive-looking mountain. His family life quickly falls apart, and he eventually learns that what he is seeing and obsessively sculpting is the rock formation Devil's Tower, Wyoming. He meets fellow witness Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) a mother desperately seeking her young son Barry, who has been carried away by the [=UFOs=]. They attempt to reach the Tower, even as the US government, well aware of what is happening, concocts a biohazard scare and places a military cordon around the site...

After a series of bizarre incidents where long-lost ships and aircraft begin reappearing in very unusual places around the world, a wide swath of the state of Indiana is buzzed by a very flashy troop of [=UFOs=]. One of the many witnesses to this flyby is power-company employee Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss. Following the event, Neary is inflicted with visions of a distinctive-looking mountain. His family life quickly falls apart, and he eventually learns that what he is seeing and obsessively sculpting is the rock formation Devil's Tower, Wyoming. He meets fellow witness Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) who is desperately seeking her young son Barry, who has been carried away by the [=UFOs=]. They attempt to reach the Tower, even as the US government, well aware of what is happening, concocts a biohazard scare and places a military cordon around the site...

* FootFocus: The "Barry's abduction" sequence shows one or two shots of Jillian's bare feet.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: During the initial UFO chase, Barry and Jillian encounter a man sitting next to the road who is whistling is "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain." During the final scene, of course, [[spoiler: a mothership comes 'round a mountain]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: During the initial UFO chase, Barry and Jillian encounter a man sitting next to the road who is whistling is "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain."

* Foreshadowing: During the initial UFO chase, Barry and Jillian encounter a man sitting next to the road who is whistling is "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain."

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Mused about, probably jokingly.
-->'''Scientist 1:''' They haven't aged a day. Einstein was right.
-->'''Scientist 2:''' Einstein was probably one of them.

----

* AppealToForce: The aliens abduct men, women and children in the 1940's then return them, unaged, 30-40 years later. This isn't exactly nice, but with that display of the mothership at the end no one really wants to pick a fight on the issue of earth's rights and jurisdiction in the matter.

* CymbalBangingMonkey: Creepy as always
* DawnOfAnEra: Probably

* HollywoodGeography: Muncie, Indiana is over thirty minutes from the Ohio border. The longitude and latitude provided by the aliens actually refer to a spot which is a good 200 miles away from Devil's Tower

** A musical shout-out that borders on ActorAllusion: Briefly, during the Devils Tower musical sequence when contact is trying to be made with the alien ship, the Jaws theme can be heard briefly. John Williams wrote both soundtracks, and Richard Dreyfuss was in both CE3K and Jaws.

** The iconic leitmotif of five tones - 4d3,4e3,4c3,4c2,4g2 or D - E - C - lower octave C - G - sounds a lot like "hello".

* AntiVillain: Ronnie Neary is pretty bitchy and close-minded, but her only real goal is to do what's best for her family..

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveANuke: The aliens abduct men, women and children in the 1940's then return them, unaged, 30-40 years later. This isn't exactly nice, but with that display of the mothership at the end no one really wants to pick a fight on the issue of earth's rights and jurisdiction in the matter.

* KarmaHoudini: It's never explicitly stated what sort of agreement - if any - the government had with the aliens, but the fact remains that they kidnapped people and children from their lives and families and returned them all, unaged, years later. Then these aliens are free to go. Although, realistically, there's really nothing the humans could do to hold them back even if they wanted to. No one bothers asking the aliens, though.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Mobile, Alabama stands in for Muncie, Indiana. Additionally, nearby Bay Minette, Alabama stands in for Moorcroft, Wyoming. Some scenes were filmed at the real Devils Tower, though the climax was, of course, filmed on a sound stage... an aircraft hangar in Mobile, Alabama.

** This is actually the first time "greys" were used in a film.

*** The initial tall alien was a marionette. It was impossible to completely film it without the strings showing except in the shots visible in the movie, which is why you only see it the once.

* TheMountainsOfIllinois: Or Indiana.

*** The initial tall alien was a marionette. It was impossible to completely film it without the strings showing expect in the shots visible in the movie, which is why you only see it the once.

* KarmaHoudini: It's never explicitly stated what sort of agreement - if any - the government had with the aliens, but the fact remains that they kidnapped people and children from their lives and families and returned them all, unaged, years later. Then these aliens are free to go. Although, realistically, there's really nothing humans could do to hold them back if they wanted to.