Close Encounters of the Third Kind

I will be honest and say that last week was really rough.  After a great first week things deteriorated rapidly with lots of schedule changes, an incredibly disorganized picture schedule (which always involves the English teachers), and spotty internet connectivity throughout the whole district.  The only thing that got me through was knowing that I had a screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (it is being screened for a limited engagement in honor of its 40th Anniversary) to look forward to on Friday night!  I vividly remember watching this movie in the theater when I was a kid (in fact, I remember being fairly obsessed with it) so it was an absolute thrill to be able to see it again on the big screen.   I'm sure that nostalgia played a big part in my reaction but I loved this movie about a group of people who have an encounter with a UFO and the government's attempts to cover it up just as much as I did when I was an impressionable nine year old.  Most of the narrative involves a select group of people, including Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) and Jillian (Melinda Dillon) among others, who are inexplicably drawn to Devil's Tower in Wyoming after their encounter.  It turns out that Devil's Tower is a coordinate broadcast by aliens to a group of scientists, including Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut), after they communicate with them through musical tones (those five iconic notes).  The final encounter with the UFO at Devil's Tower is just as epic as I remember it and, in my opinion, the special effects hold up very well after 40 years.  Even after seeing so many other alien movies, I was still absolutely spellbound.  What I like best about this encounter is that almost everyone reacts with awe rather than fear.  It is just so magical!   Once again, I was fascinated by Truffaut's portrayal of Lacombe and I can't really explain why other than to say that this movie was my first introduction to him (my Dad had to tell me that he was a famous director) and I also absolutely loved Barry's (Cary Guffey) wide-eyed wonder when he looks at the UFOs.  It is an amazing movie and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen!

Note:  I was so obsessed with this movie I actually requested that my parents take me on a road trip to Devil's Tower when I was in high school.  It is a seriously cool place!