Talk:Close Encounters of the Third Kind/Archive 1

Plot
Roy begins seeing the image -- ?? What image - this part of the sentence makes no sense 78.105.140.62 (talk) 00:19, 10 October 2008 (UTC)

Wording

 * The Helvetica font mistake may be the best bit of movie gaff spotting ever. Well done whoever first noted it. Yankoz.

What is the meaning of close encounters of the first, second and third kind?


 * In UFO lore, a close encounter of the first kind means sighting a UFO. A close encounter of the second kind means a sighting that leaves physical evidence. A close encounter of the third kind means meeting an alien or aliens. More recently, some people seem to refer to alien abductions as close encounters of the fourth kind... Rlandmann 11:38, 24 Oct 2003 (UTC)


 * Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to include this in the actual article. --Modemac 11:43, 24 Oct 2003 (UTC)

QUESTION ON PLOT OF CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: is it true that the story is about a man, Richard Dreyfuss, who was left on Earth by his alien colleagues only to be picked back up in the final scene of the film? The last alien who comes out of the ship to basically wave goodbye, is that Dreyfuss? As in, did he revert back to alien form in the sequence just before when all the light falls down on him?


 * Interesting interpretation, but I believe Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) was never abducted by the aliens, until that final scene (in which his "abduction" is voluntary). It seems to me that the aliens in the story are moving into a "new phase" of their encounters with humans: in the past they abducted humans (presumably for scientific study), but now that phase of their experimentation is complete. For the next phase of study, the aliens "invite" (at the beginning of the film) many humans (aka contactees) to join them voluntarily and Roy is the only one who makes it all the way to the rendevouz. Of course, that's just at the level of pure "plot," and there is a deeper subtext to Roy's quest. :-) Drhundertwasser 07:20, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

IT IS NOT TRUE that Art Bell made a cameo appearance in this film. At the time it was made, he was a small-time DJ I believe in California. In the 90's after he became popular, Bell made appearances in other UFO films.Cord 17:01, Aug 29, 2004 (UTC)


 * Perhaps the contributor who mentioned Art Bell was confusing him with Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the noted UFO Researcher who created the category that is the film's title. The bearded Dr. Hynek appears in the final sequence, admiring the mothership. Drhundertwasser 07:20, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

R2-D2?
Is it true that near the end of the movie, when the gigantic UFO flies overhead, you can see R2-D2's silhouette hanging upside-down from the UFO? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.108.208.177 (talk) 19:42, 20 February 2007 (UTC).

Yes. In a documentary about the making of the film I heard one of the special effects crew say that they put it in there for fun, but hadn't realized how huge the little toy would look in the film. R2 isn't so huge that the average viewer notices it, but if you look, especially as the ship is leaving at the end, you can definitely see him. Drhundertwasser 19:01, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Solresol
Does the 5-note motif have some meaning in Solresol? 19:35, 12 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I believe it's derived from the common melody played by the carillons of church bells or clock towers, the most familiar example being the chimes of Big Ben, which you can hear on the BBC website. Thus, in the story, the five note theme is broadcast by the Extraterrestrials to summon the contactees to the "meeting" at Devil's Tower. Or, you might say, given the religious or spiritual undertones of the story, it's also like a "call to prayer." In the final act, the theme becomes the starting point for a larger "conversation" between the aliens and humans, as the scientist standing by the keyboard says, "It's the first day of school, fellas." Drhundertwasser 17:49, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Sequel novels?
I believe there are 2-3 novels, by some German author, which are unofficial sequels to this movie. I read two of them in Danish translation in the late 1980s. I'll return with more info tomorrow, and try to get hold of the author's name and the titles. --Peter Knutsen 15:34, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Does anybody know more about this? Sounds interesting and maybe worth a mention if true. --Lennier1 (talk) 17:36, 21 May 2010 (UTC)
 * There were three novels. They were later issues in one volume which can be found here: http://www.amazon.de/Planeten-Grauens-Raumschiff-Sternenkurs-Sammelband/dp/3505079863 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.132.42.69 (talk) 16:23, 16 October 2010 (UTC)

Possible reference in PopCap game Zuma?
Just now I was bored and playing the game Zuma. I was just about to quit when I stumbled upon something: if you hover the mouse over each of the buttons on the main menu in descending order, it will play the 5-note motif from Close Encounters. Would anyone know if this is just coincidental or a homage to the movie? --Self-Cannibal

UPDATE: Apparently it's no coincidence. If you do it 3 times a UFO will pop up. Click on the UFO to see the game credits. Perhaps this is worthy of mention? --Self-Cannibal —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.166.160.197 (talk) 21:24, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Children in Mobile
From the article: "The small aliens in the final scenes were played by local girls ranging from 8-12 years old. That decision was specifically requested by Spielberg himself due to the fact that girls move more gracefully than boys."

I don't believe this last part is correct. A male friend of mine in college (late 1980's) played one of the aliens when he was a little boy. A reference for the 'Spielberg preferred girls' note would be appreciated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.31.106.35 (talk) 18:00, 26 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Speilberg himself stated this in the "Making of CE3K" documentary on the DVD. I'm not saying that your friend in college is lying about being in the film, but I'm afraid his/your claim would come under "original research" and cannot be used in the article unless there is more substantial proof from a reliable source. 80.41.80.25 (talk) 01:41, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

South Park
In Imaginationland, a government scientist uses the five-note sequence to try and open the portal to Imaginationland. And in Over Logging, a government scientist uses the five-note sequence to try and get the central Internet router/switch working. Is this significant? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.66.6.122 (talk) 23:00, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

I incorporated it into the article. &mdash;Wildroot (talk) 23:26, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Ezekiel wasn't taken up in a chariot of fire
Biblical record does not list Ezekiel as being taken up in a "chariot of fire." Rather, that story is about Elijah. Anderbubble (talk) 03:05, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

My mistake. Both names begin with E. Wildroot (talk) 16:14, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Isn't it incorrect to refer to the theme as Christian when all the similarities appear to actually be to the Jewish faith, which predate Christianity by sometime. Although these same stories are adopted by Christians as well, it seems inappropriate to appropriate them from their original source. Furthermore, Spielberg is a Jew, so I doubt he intended to deliver exclusively Christian themes. 64.56.3.187 (talk) 15:03, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Great point, but I would be accused of original research because the authors in the cited material refer to these events as Christian themes. Wildroot (talk) 22:13, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Last I looked, Elijah is in the Tanakh and the Bible. :) Alientraveller (talk) 22:36, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

2013 Remake section?
It'd be nice to have some sort of citations for the 2013 remake section because presently it reads like somebody's theory, with nothing to back it up. Can the original editor of this section please add citations to prove this? Otherwise it ought to be removed. Evixir (talk) 23:16, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I was thinking the same thing. I don't know where that came from, but another editor has deleted it. Wildroot (talk) 06:53, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

End of Movie
I've always wondered, at the end of the movie, are the folks dressed up in the red suits those that were 'invited' to Devil's Tower, and was it ever explained that if they leave earth permanently? The end just seems to jumbled. It seems as if the military was all prepared for these people. I guess I never understood it.--Criticalthinker (talk) 11:59, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Those are the government's preferred replacements for the abductees. You first see them at the warehouse where all the equipment is stored before it's shipped to Devils Tower, getting onto a chartered Grayhound bus. None of the invitees would be at that location. Later when the aliens come out of their ship they skip pass all of them, and head straight towards Roy, the only invitee to reach the landing site. Roy is therefore the only person to go onto the alien ship, the rest of the red suits are rejected and left behind.

I can't give any citations, since I can't link to the movie itself.

Gorillatheape (talk) 03:16, 1 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Re: "the rest of the red suits are rejected and left behind." We have no basis to say that Neary was the only one taken aboard the ship. He was selected, yes, but there's nothing in the film which shows either way that the military-government operatives were taken or rejected by the aliens. The article should (and does) steer clear of subjective interpretations about the ending. 68Kustom (talk) 17:40, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes there is. We see Roy taken into the airlock by the small aliens, the large alien comes out and is shown communicating using signs to Lacombe, and then the airlock is closed, and the ship departs. There is therefore no opportunity for the red suits to get onto the craft. However, I agree that this shouldn't be included in the article, for a start the red suits aren't an important enough part of the movie to be worthwhile including in the summary. Gorillatheape (talk) 03:21, 26 May 2009 (UTC)

Communication Through Music, Lights, and Hand Gestures
I would love to see some discussion and interpretation of the communication that occurs with the aliens. Music, lights, and hand gestures are used and seem quite integral to the story. Yet communication receives only a cursory mention in the article. For example, near the end of the movie they are communicating far beyond the simple 5-tone motif with the use of a keyboard. The tones from the aliens are being interpreted, and the keyboard player is being instructed on how to respond. What is the language? What dialog was exchanged?

The universal nature of music is such a strong theme in the movie.Spoodles (talk) 18:28, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

False(?) information about Cary Guffey
According to Wikipedia and IMDB Cary Guffey is born in May 10th 1972, and as the filming began in May 1976, he was probably four years old, not three.WildBadger (talk) 08:28, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Guffey was 3 years old when he was cast in the movie, which he confirms on the "Making Of CE3K" documentary on the DVD. He likely turned 4 just as filming began, but I've amended the article to reflect he was cast when he was 3. 80.41.80.25 (talk) 01:35, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

Question about rating on TCM
This movie came on TCM about a month ago rated TV-MA. Anyone know why? I don't recall that much language or any nudity, but I don't think I've seen all of it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.56.131.138 (talk) 17:40, 25 March 2009 (UTC)

Box canyon set location
According to the Filming book, Close encounters of the third kind: the making of Steven Spielberg's classic By Ray Morton, the box canyon set was built in a hangar in Alabama. I have been to Devils Tower, and I am having trouble figuring out which face of the monument serves as the backdrop. In any case, the actual geography of the area seems to preclude a flat spot near the mountain being made into a runway. Any ideas where the site could fit to match? My best guess is the visitor's center parking lot... Group29 (talk) 01:31, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

The Five Tones - quotations in music
'The five tones' have been referenced in music many times. Two examples that come to mind include Duran Duran's Arena album (between track 5 and 6) and Enigma's MCMXC a.D. album (in Rivers of Belief). I'm sure there are more examples. The question: what are they, and is it worthwhile mentioning them in the article? The Seventh Taylor (talk) 21:47, 26 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Have you seen the movie? Go watch it and then you will realize the importance of the 5 tones. Here's a clip Postoak (talk) 22:49, 26 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Of course I've seen the movie. I'm sorry my question was not clear. I did not mean to ask about the five tones in the movie but about references to them in popular music, and whether it's worthwhile to mention these references in the article. The Seventh Taylor (talk) 21:00, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

Retrospect image view from PAL laserdisc to various region 2 DVD editions and Bluray
The earlier editions seen on VHS hi-fi stereo wasn’t as perfect due to line resolution to make up a shape image as well as the Dolby stereo 4.2.4 that carried low frequency noise or if minor damage to tape would cause sound drop-out.

The closest possible near approach one could hear this in the home along with slightly improved picture sharpness was laserdisc.

The PAL laserdisc wasn’t as perfect it was poorly transferred or supervised from the digital master tape. It was noisy all over the image and colour/brightness/contrast was over lit producing a cast of green smearing on the outsides of brilliant hot whites.

Later region 2 DVD when they stated to appear was starting to get closer to image. The sound side now complete in the original a theatrical Dolby stereo six-track as it would have bee exhibited on 70mm that was the only means available for true discreteness over 35mm matrix Dolby stereo 4.2.4.

Only thing with region 2 is the PAL speed-up that ruins the sounds original theatrical, sound pitch. The later version on region 2 showcased all three films yet one of them slightly improved on the over-bright scene when Roy, has his first encounter the scene ware the light beams down on to the truck near railway crossing.

The Bluray wow its slightly been improved or least supervised, to minimize artefacts in the image / picture. Framing 2.35:1 scope looks solid and shaper, no signs of EE Edge Enhancement or possible DNR Digital Noise Reduction.

The Dolby stereo six-track mix is now at its correct 24fps rate for (lower lows and less brittle highs) over PAL speed-up DVD titles. dtsHDMA is also included to offer the consumer the choice, thou 9 out 10 its always Dolby that is selected here if available on most Bluray, ware some tend to only use dtsHDMA which doesn’t give the consumer free choice to select. —Preceding unsigned comment added by JBListening (talk • contribs) 20:46, 18 March 2010 (UTC)