A sci-fi masterpiece by Steven Spielberg is on TV today, the true meaning of which the director only understood in front of a live audience 22 years later

earthpressnews
A sci fi masterpiece by Steven Spielberg is on TV today

This year Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical film The Fabelmans was released in cinemas. In it, the director deals with his parents’ self-destructive marriage. And today, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, an early sci-fi gem from Spielberg from 1977, is on TV. You can find out exactly how the two films are related below.

What is Close Encounters of the Third Kind about?

In the Arizona desert, French explorer Claude Lacombe (François Truffaut) and his team discover a mysterious phenomenon: planes that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle reappear intact. At the same time, Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) and Jillian (Melinda Dillon) experience encounters with extraterrestrial beings.

Roy becomes obsessed with the encounter of the third kind and becomes increasingly estranged from his family. Jillian desperately searches for her kidnapped son Barry. The stories intertwine as the federal agency tries to solve the mystery surrounding the alien guests.

Close encounters of the third kind

Mild spoilers: In this video, Steven Spielberg realizes the hidden meaning of his film

22 years after the release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg met with journalist and talk show host James Lipton, who had conducted some legendary interviews. The following question he asked Steven Spielberg in 1999 went as “Best interview question of all time” into history.

Lipton is referring to the ending of Close Encounters, in which the aliens and humans communicate through a sequence of musical tones generated by a computer.

  • Lipton’s very suggestive question to Spielberg was: “Your father was a computer scientist, your mother was a musician. When the spaceship lands, how do they communicate?”
  • Spielberg replied, visibly touched: “That’s a very good question; I like that. I would like to say that I intended that, and I realized that that was my mother and my father, but not until this moment. … Thank you for that.”

    • In short: In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg accidentally mirrored the difficult relationship between his two parents – and metaphorically broke down the wall between them. He hadn’t realized its significance for 22 years. Here you can see the interview excerpt:

    Recommended editorial content

    Here you will find external content from YouTube, which complements the article. You can display it and hide it again with one click.

    TV or stream: When and where is Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film showing?

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind runs on Friday (October 20th) at 9:55 p.m. on ZDFNEO. Unfortunately there is no repeat. But you can rent the film on Amazon, among other places.

    mpd-movie