Urn worth encountering
‘Close’ is peace epic
n agrii
egov
and lei
e," Hi
By JEFF GILLEY
subslMlaatu Barada Nieto.
'Pportii \11 science fiction buffs will recog-
contini) e these three words as the com-
“ d given by Michael Rennie,
terrestrial, to Gort the robot in
1951 film “The Day the Earth
d Still.” The first movie to deal
fously with the topic of flying
jfcers, it suggested what our first
act with their occupants would
g. Now, 26 years later, Holly-
d has given us a new version of
theme, but this time with all the
tacular special effets modern
iinologyand $18 million can sup-
- goveri I “Close Encounters of the Third
but; jpd” — the antithesis of the war
itwillffc — is a delightfully innocent
s he ;ovie which might best be de-
dgiumjibed as a peace epic,
even jli would be improper, it not crim-
to reveal too much of the plot of
bse Encounters of the Third
Suffice it to say that it re-
esaround three main characters,
of whom are involved or be-
e involved with UFOs. The first
oy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), a
ie, Indiana lineman who has a
Je encounter of the second kind
rm hysical evidence) with a UFO. His
id Lh f ss ' on w '^' v ‘ s * ons °f a strange,
law rf leal-shaped object leads to the
ssiona |
d pradl
breakup of his family and to a fantas
tic pilgrimage to a government in
stallation in Wyoming — and be
yond. He shares his vision, and his
affections, with Jillian Guiler
(Melinda Dillon), an actress whose
four-year-old son is kidnapped by a
UFO. Claude Lacombe (Francois
Truffaut) is the head of an interna
tional team that investigates such
Review
the b
ty asl)|
lid Hill
farms
does
stateal
unexplained phenomena as the ap-
pearence of seven torpedo bomber
airplanes in the Mexican desert, lost
during World War II but unmarked
by any signs of age. In the film’s awe
some climax, these three people are
among the chosen few to witness the
most significant event in the history
of Man: contact with beings from
another planet.
The creative force behind this am
bitious film is director/writer Steven
Spielberg, who directed “Duel,”
“The Sugarland Express,” and
“Jaws I still believe “The Sugar-
land Express” to be his best, most
human work, but “Close
Encounters” is certainly the most
numbing. The eye-popping special
effects, conceived by Spielberg and
dentists reroute
ourse of probe
United Press International
Washington — The federal
ie agency has decided to opt for
1 those] y 311(15611(1 *b e Pi 0116 ** 1 ’ II space
»e on a course just outside the
to I
;ed im
ibeni
ofSaturn instead of steering the
inside the planet’s rings next
m\
inner course would have had a
r scientific payoff because it
Id have brought Pioneer II to
in3,600 miles of Saturn. But the
ces of colliding with particles
ngup the rings made the inside
is far more risky.
Most of the scientists awaiting
leer’s unprecedented explora-
dam i of Saturn, the sixth planet out
kM sli I
Jan (0,000 given to
Way™ . r 1
12 “ ^sciences rund
eat til
iits totaling $60,000 have been
rs, a ded the Geosciences and Earth
ingtlif Jurces Endowment at Texas
forms, d University, boosting the cur-
upyii level of support past the
ome ( ter-million dollar mark, said de-
n said pment officials.
revron USA presented $50,000
he fund, announced H.J.
./■vij nes, chairman of the board of
. 1 dard Oil of California and a 1946
y< s A&M graduate,
gift of stocks and money totaling
|000 were given as a personal gift
i Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Allen
|) ouston. Allen, a 1950 graduate,
lairman of the board of Gulf Re-
ces and Chemical Corp.
^ ie $250,000 endowment will be
y, seen by a special council or-
use yi zed last year and consisting of a
noflexas’ top industrialists and
oleum executives.
■' 51:111 le body will work with the Col-
nmum Geosciences in funding de-
ing projects and fostering coop-
ion between industry and the
__ llty and students at Texas A&M.
hours
rC. Ylll
1
WATCH
FOR OUR
GRAND
OPENING
THIS WED.,
JANUARY
J
18!
Douglas Trumbull, are the best
created to date. Not only are the “fly
ing saucer” scenes dazzling, but
Spielberg deftly used matte shots to
manufacture spacious views of the
starry night sky never before
achieved. These scenes, besides
adding a touch of realism to a fantas
tic subject, create the eerie impres
sion that the humans on screen are
being surveyed by an unseen pres
ence. The atmosphere it creates
could be ladled.
Spielberg is at his peak developing
tension and suspense, and this he
does, at least as far as the script al
lows. The 35-minute climax, al
though overlong, is spellbinding.
And for sheer, harrowing suspense,
the cosmic kidnapping of the small
boy is unbeatable.
Those who have seen “Jaws” may
recall that comedy and suspense
were blended with equal portions.
Comedy is used in “Close
Encounters” perhaps a bit too much
for such a profound film, but one
scene in particular shows the under
stated humor reflected in “Jaws”-ian
lines like “I think we need a bigger
boat.” Richard Dreyfuss stops nis
truck in the middle of a dark country
road to read a map. The headlights of
a car pull up behind him and stop,
and with a wave of Dreyfuss’s hand
the car goes around. In a moment a
second set of “headlights” approach
from the rear and stop; again he
motions to “pass, pass.” They do,
soundlessly rising — straight up and
over.
Where this otherwise superb film
suffers is in Spielberg’s script. Like
“Jaws,” I feel the first part of “Close
Encounters” is the best, when the
antagonist is unseen. But when the
film concentrates on the breakup of
Roy Neary’s family, it sags under its
own weight, largely because the
meaning of Neary’s vision is revealed
to the audience early in the film. The
viewer then has to wait for Neary to
figure it out at the cost of Neary’s
marriage. Likewise, his race to
Wyoming, once he deciphers his vi
sion, arouses little suspense since
there is not doubt he will make it.
And why doesn’t he at least show
regret over the loss of his wife and
children?
Dreyfuss’s easy-going perform
ance helps lend credence to the role
of Roy Neary. The supporting cast of
Melinda Dillon as Jillian Guiler,
Francois Truffaut as Lacombe, Teri
Garr as Dreyfuss’s befuddled wife,
and Cary Guffey as the boy is equally
fine.
“Close Encounters of the Third
Kinds,” while certainly not flawless,
is an enjoyable in its visual delights
as in its innocence. For those expect
ing to see earthlings zapped to a cin
der by exotic ray guns, note that this
films is as far removed from “The
War of the Worlds” as “Pinocchio”;
this is not a war story but an idyllic
peace story. It suggests that the fu
ture will see all creatures in the uni
verse under the same banner, co
existing with cooperation and under
standing. And who wouldn’t trade a
few ray guns for a message so refresh
ingly optimistic?
THE BATTALION
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 1978
Page 5
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from the sun, favored the inner
course. But National Aeronautics
and Space Administration officials
selected the safer path because they
want to use Pioneer II as a pathfin
der for two larger Voyager spacecraft
set to explore Saturn in 1980 and
1981.
Voyager 1, now 102 million miles
from Earth, is scheduled to approach
Saturn Nov. 12, 1980 after flying past
Jupiter in March of that year. Voy
ager 2 is due to reach Jupiter July 9,
1981 and Saturn Aug. 27, 1981.
NASA hopes to send the second
Voyager on to Uranus and possibly
even to Pluto, but to do that, the
craft must successfully negotiate by
Saturn and its rings.
If Pioneer II were to run into
something at Saturn, NASA would
have to reassess its plan to send Voy
ager on to Uranus.
“Alternatively, a successful
Pioneer will greatly increase our
willingness to commit Voyager 2 to
the Uranus option, even if Voyager 1
has perhaps not achieved all of its
objectives at Saturn,” said Thomas
Young, director of planetary pro
grams.
“Thus, either survival or non
survival of Pioneer on the outside
trajectory can have an important in
fluence on Voyager plans, and thus
on achieving the maximum science
return from all three spacecraft.”
The plan now is to direct Pioneer
11 18,000 miles away from the outer
of Saturn’s four known rings and then
have the spacecraft swing in to
within 15,000 miles of Saturn’s sur
face.
Pioneer II began its voyage to the
outer planets when it left Cape
Canaveral, Fla., April 5, 1973. It
passed Jupiter in December 1974
and is scheduled to reach Saturn
Sept. 1, 1979. Pioneer 11 is now 519
million miles from Earth.
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