Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, and tells the story of Roy Neary, an everyday blue-collar worker in Indiana, whose life changes after an encounter with an unidentified flying object (UFO). It's movie poster featured (along with that of Star Wars) in Mork's attic and the instantly recognizable five note "extraterrestrial tonal phrase" composed by John Williams for the movie is a go to for Mork especially in the first season. Mork himself being a Close Encounter of the Third Kind.
About Close Encounters of the Third Kind[]
The name is based on ufology, a close encounter being an event in which a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. This terminology and the system of classification behind it were first suggested in astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek's 1972 book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. Close Encounters of the First Kind being visual sightings of an unidentified flying object, seemingly less than 500 feet (150 m) away, that show an appreciable angular extension and considerable detail. Close Encounters of the Second Kind being a UFO event in which a physical effect is alleged; this can be interference in the functioning of a vehicle or electronic device, animals reacting, a physiological effect such as paralysis or heat and discomfort in the witness, or some physical trace like impressions in the ground, scorched or otherwise affected vegetation, or a chemical trace[10]
A Close Encounters of the Third Kind occurs with a UFO encounter in which an animated entity is present—these include humanoids, robots, and humans who seem to be occupants or pilots of a UFO.
Close Encounters starred Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It was a long-cherished project for Spielberg. In late 1973, he developed a deal with Columbia Pictures for a science-fiction film. Though Spielberg received sole credit for the script, he was assisted by Paul Schrader, John Hill, David Giler, Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins, and Jerry Belson, all of whom contributed to the screenplay in varying degrees. Douglas Trumbull served as the visual effects supervisor, while Carlo Rambaldi designed the extraterrestrials (as he later would when working on E.T.).
Made on a production budget of $19.4 million, Close Encounters was released in a limited number of cities on November 16, 1977, and November 23, 1977, before expanding into wide release the following month. It was a critical and financial success, eventually grossing over $300 million worldwide. The film received numerous awards and nominations at the 50th Academy Awards, the 35th Golden Globe Awards and the 5th Saturn Awards, and has been widely acclaimed by the American Film Institute.
In December 2007, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
A Special Edition of the film, featuring both shortened and newly added scenes, was released theatrically in 1980. Spielberg agreed to do the special edition to add more scenes that they were unable to include in the original release, with the studio demanding a controversial scene depicting the interior of the extraterrestrial mothership. Spielberg's dissatisfaction with the altered ending scene led to a third version of the film, referred to as the Director's Cut, that was issued on VHS and LaserDisc in 1998 (and later DVD and Blu-ray).
Mork's Multiple References[]
- To Tell the Truth - Mork comes down from the attic singing the 5 note 'theme' from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Mork the Gullible - Left alone in the McConnell's Music Store, Mork starts to play the Close Encounters of the Third Kind theme on the Synthesizer.
- A Mommy for Morky - On revealing his redecorated attic room to Mindy, Mork has put up a Close Encounters poster along with a Star Wars poster upside down (for his bed time perusal).