*Read John Williams’ biography here
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
This 1977 science fiction movie was written and directed by Steven Spielberg. It is about Roy Neary (played by Richard Dreyfuss), a blue-collar worker from Indiana, whose life is turned upside down a when he has an encounter with a UFO.
As a side note, the title comes from ufologist J Allen Hynek’s classifications of close encounters with alien life forms (the third kind denotes human observation of an alien).
The soundtrack for the movie was a commercial success after it was released as an album. It reached #17 on the US Billboard charts and was certified Gold (half a million sales).
Interestingly, the instrumental single “Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was a hit in 1978. Derived from the main theme of the movie it was a global hit, reaching #13 in the US. In 1979 it won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.
I saw this movie on TV when I was young. I found the five notes the characters hear in their heads to be melodic and haunting, and they stayed with me for a very long time. I still love hearing them today.
The clip I have below is the Grammy Award winning version of the theme from the movie. Did the five notes (the opening of the soundtrack below) haunt you?
April 3, 2019 at 8:40 pm
Oh, yes! Those five notes ar haunting indeed – and as famous as that theme from Jaws, which I hope you will also post about? 🙂
C Is For Isobelle Carmody
https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com/2019/04/atoz-challenge-c-is-for-isobelle-carmody.html
April 3, 2019 at 10:38 pm
I wanted to do Jaws, Sue, but one of my all-time favourite movie scores is also a J so Jaws was bumped *grin*.
April 4, 2019 at 7:38 am
Those opening notes are classic. And now you have me wanting to see the film again.
April 4, 2019 at 9:42 am
The music does that to you doesn’t it? I felt the same so talked about it enough my Barbarians asked to see it(although I’m not sure it will do so well with today’s teens – the special effects won’t be on par with today’s!).
April 4, 2019 at 10:05 am
I think I was too young to understand when this movie came out. I remember the five notes, but not the theme. And I think I saw the movie, but I don’t recall it at all. So, no, the five notes didn’t haunt me. But, I was, like 7.
April 4, 2019 at 1:30 pm
I remember seeing the movie on tv when I was a kid. All I remember is the funny shape that those affected kept drawing, it was scary (I was young), then ending scene and the music.
April 4, 2019 at 10:24 am
Your A to Z is off to a great start! This one brings back memories. I remember hearing it everywhere! I haven’t seen the movie in a very long time.
April 4, 2019 at 1:32 pm
Thanks, Jenny. I think it was really popular when it was released. The problem with movies from back then is in a lot of cases the special effects just don’t measure up to today’s standards (although some, like Star Wars, certainly have!).
April 4, 2019 at 10:59 pm
I have to say that my favourite thing about this movie is the music. I know many people love it, but, what with being a sci-fi lover and knowing how it’s supposed to be a classic, I have to admit, I got bored in the middle when I watched it.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings – Ghost Stories
April 5, 2019 at 1:30 pm
That’s interesting to know, Tasha. I can’t remember the middle – it was too long ago for me to remember.