Close Encounters of the Third Kind

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind

film by Spielberg [1977]

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June 17, 2026

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 American science-fiction film directed and written by Steven Spielberg. The movie stars Richard Dreyfuss as a telephone lineman who becomes obsessed with UFOs after encountering an unidentified flying object. The film was praised for its special effects and Dreyfuss's performance, earning Spielberg his first Academy Award nomination for best director. It is considered a classic of the science-fiction genre and a significant work in Spielberg's filmography.12

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Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.
…Man for All Seasons (1966), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Tootsie (1982), Gandhi (1982), and The Last Emperor (1987). Columbia also financed some of the better youth-oriented films from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, such as Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970),
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…Man for All Seasons (1966), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Tootsie (1982), Gandhi (1982), and The Last Emperor (1987). Columbia also financed some of the better youth-oriented films from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, such as Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970),
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John Williams
From jazz pianist to film composer
Jaws (1975), the sci-fi flicks Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the rollicking Indiana Jones series (1981, 1984, 1989, 2008, 2023), the dinosaur action movie
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Jaws (1975), the sci-fi flicks Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the rollicking Indiana Jones series (1981, 1984, 1989, 2008, 2023), the dinosaur action movie
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Steven Spielberg
Commercial success
…directed the mystical science-fiction tale Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), which he also wrote. Dreyfuss was cast as the lead, and he submitted one of the best performances of his career, as a telephone lineman who encounters an unidentified flying object and subsequently becomes obsessed with UFOs. For…
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…directed the mystical science-fiction tale Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), which he also wrote. Dreyfuss was cast as the lead, and he submitted one of the best performances of his career, as a telephone lineman who encounters an unidentified flying object and subsequently becomes obsessed with UFOs. For…
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History of film
The youth cult and other trends of the late 1960s
…its assets invested in Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a gamble that paid off handsomely; United Artists’ similar investment in Michael Cimino’s financially disastrous Heaven’s Gate (1980), however, led to the sale of the company and its virtual destruction as a corporate entity.
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…its assets invested in Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a gamble that paid off handsomely; United Artists’ similar investment in Michael Cimino’s financially disastrous Heaven’s Gate (1980), however, led to the sale of the company and its virtual destruction as a corporate entity.
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Julia Phillips
…film festival’s Palme d’Or; and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). By the late 1970s Phillips—who also had become president of her own company, Ruthless Productions—was suffering the effects of drug and alcohol dependency. Even though she underwent rehabilitation therapy, she was unable to regain her former status.
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…film festival’s Palme d’Or; and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). By the late 1970s Phillips—who also had become president of her own company, Ruthless Productions—was suffering the effects of drug and alcohol dependency. Even though she underwent rehabilitation therapy, she was unable to regain her former status.
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Richard Dreyfuss
Breakthrough roles
…after encountering a UFO in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Dreyfuss capped this successful period with an Academy Award-winning performance in the Neil Simon comedy The Goodbye Girl (1977); at age 29, Dreyfuss became the then youngest recipient of a best actor Oscar.
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…after encountering a UFO in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Dreyfuss capped this successful period with an Academy Award-winning performance in the Neil Simon comedy The Goodbye Girl (1977); at age 29, Dreyfuss became the then youngest recipient of a best actor Oscar.
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science fiction
SF cinema and TV
…blockbuster movies Star Wars (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) proved that science fiction had finally moved beyond its drive-in B-film status. In fact, U.S. box-office receipts for science fiction, fantasy, and horror films jumped from 5 percent in 1971 to nearly 50…
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…blockbuster movies Star Wars (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) proved that science fiction had finally moved beyond its drive-in B-film status. In fact, U.S. box-office receipts for science fiction, fantasy, and horror films jumped from 5 percent in 1971 to nearly 50…
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