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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (John Williams)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... on the 1998 Arista or 2017/2022 La-La Land albums with
reservations, because such expansive presentations of the intellectually
fascinating score fully reveal the challenging, atonal ambience that John
Williams wrote for the first half of the film.
Avoid it... on any of the albums for this score before 1998, for the sound quality of these products is significantly inferior and they might contain a horrendous disco version of the main theme that is best left forgotten.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: (John Williams)
If not for the misfortune of being released later in the same year as
George Lucas' massively epic Star Wars: A New Hope, Steven
Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind may have resonated
with the same kind of appeal in memory. While both films feature science
fiction stories at their best, as well as wide-ranging Oscar nominations
that both recognized John Williams' music, Close Encounters of the
Third Kind is by far a more contemplative and, at times, quite scary
alternative to alien introductions. The Spielberg story combined fears
of alien kidnapping with the uncertainty of facing and communicating
with a far superior species. While the suspense of the story dominates
its first half, the actual military encounter with the aliens at the end
is conducted successfully with the help of creative communication
through lights, colors, and music. As such, Spielberg needed to identify
a short musical motif early enough in production that he could use it
during the preparation of the film's final half hour. While already
yielding an Oscar win for the composer, the collaboration between
Williams and Spielberg was still in its infancy, and Williams had to
convince studio executives that he was far enough along with Star
Wars to contribute his best to Close Encounters of the Third
Kind. He sat down with Spielberg several times for the specific
purpose of conjuring and agreeing upon the five-note greeting that
humans would use to solicit a response from the aliens. Williams had the
classic Pinocchio melody to "When You Wish Upon a Star" in mind
from the start as well, and he would eventually weave that tune into the
last minutes of his score. But despite Williams' request to be able to
use seven or eight notes to form the greeting, Spielberg was steadfast
in placing the five-note limit. After all, greetings are meant to be
succinct, and it's no coincidence that the word "hello" is five letters
long. Williams ran through hundreds of permutations and neither man was
satisfied with the results. After several sessions, Spielberg chose one
out of frustration and, ironically, it was the successful and famous
motif known to the world today.
Although almost all the attention given to the music for Close Encounters of the Third Kind involves that five-note motif (and to some degree, rightfully so... It makes such a dramatic impact in the story of the film), Williams' score for the picture is far more complex than just that iconic phrase. While Star Wars was a straight forward space opera from start to finish, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a score with three distinct parts. The first act of the story offers lengthy sequences of atonal and discordant passages that accompany the kidnapping and mysterious hints of an alien presence, inspired clearly by the avant-garde musical techniques applied to films involving otherworldliness in the prior decade. The middle portions of the score alternate between this restrained sound and explosive action cues that foreshadowed rhythmic, orchestral harmony to come in Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. The final third of the score, opened by the famous communication sequence, is where the familiar tonal melodies of Williams career flourish. The five-note communication motif isn't actually the main theme for the picture. Williams allows the wonder of the aliens to inspire the true primary identity, and that idea takes quite some time to announce itself. Alternately representing Devil's Tower (the majestic mountain in Wyoming at which the aliens are to be received), this theme first forms cohesion with the help of a choir in "Forming the Mountain" and especially "TV Reveals." As Richard Dreyfuss' character (Roy) sculpts the peak from memory and finally learns of the name and location of the mountain, Williams unleashes a grand crescendo of satisfaction with the choir in the latter cue. The lush romanticism that defines this theme is first provided in "The Mountain" as the film switches to its final location. It receives an exuberant expression near the end of "The Escape." Audiences will most likely recall this theme's lengthy, flowing performances after the alien exchange, for the theme and its concert arrangement occupies the finale and closing titles. While the arrangement that Williams' takes with him on concert tours gives a distinct nod to the five-note communication motif, most of its running time is devoted to this primary theme. The government cover-up and military presence in Close Encounters of the Third Kind is provided rhythmic flurries and a slightly more coherent suspense motif before the final confrontation. The "Navy Planes" and "Lost Squadron" cues are somewhat understated (to match the surrounding material), though the material in "Roy and Gillian on the Road," the latter half of "The Mountain," and "The Escape" is a precursor to the tumultuous brass movements of Jurassic Park and, more interestingly, The Witches of Eastwick. The military motif in "Stars and Trucks" and "Who Are You People?" is a precursor to the chase music in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Two versions of "The Escape" exist, with the version not used in the film offering the better action material while the final version actually used has the aforementioned statement of the main theme with an upbeat spirit and xylophone accompaniment that reminds of the opening to The Towering Inferno. The two-note theme of wonder that precedes the main theme in "Forming the Mountain" and several other cues is the score's only other major recurring idea. The mass of the atonal material early in the score is difficult to appreciate out of context, and it's frankly why the score is often forgotten in relation to Star Wars and Superman on either side of it for Williams. The opening cue is the one exception; Williams allows the orchestra to stew with atonal noise for thirty seconds before unleashing one grand, tonal, major-key hit from the full ensemble to coincide with the title. Like the crashing start to Bernard Herrmann's Cape Fear, this smart tactic definitely gets a crowd's attention. For color in the early cues, Williams also employs the choir to produce inconsistent noise, as well as the low tuba blasts that the alien ship communicates with at the end. Parts also feature synthetic elements that mimic the sound effects that accompany the smaller alien ships that pass overhead earlier in the film. The conservative approach to the score's early sections has a surprisingly strong hold on the score well into the Devil's Tower scenes, with the actual landing of the mothership treated with musical caution. As such, the vast majority of the music for Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains turbulent and unsure. Overall, most casual film score collectors will be best served by one of the numerous, lengthy suites that Williams has himself recorded for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The score simply contains too much atonal, ambient material to be a full-length listening experience for the vast majority of mainstream fans and even, perhaps, for a moderate Williams collector. A notable aspect of the score's history on album is the 21 minutes available via a Charles Gerhardt re-recording with the National Philharmonic Orchestra. For years, Gerhardt and the NPO had recorded famous film scores from mostly the Golden Age of Hollywood, but as a few of their final collaborations, Gerhardt recorded the three classic Star Wars scores near the times of their release. Included with the December 1977 recording of Star Wars, five major cues from late in Close Encounters of the Third Kind were offered as well ("Barnstorming," "Arrival of the Mother Ship," "The Pilot's Return," "The Visitors," and "Final Scene"). Available on LP at the time of its initial debut, a CD version of the recording was remastered and released in 1989. The outstanding quality of this Gerhardt recording, mixed into Dolby Surround for the CD, remains among the best available sources of music from the score. In its original form, the score has seen several releases through the years. Its first CD release came from Arista in 1986 and offered 40 minutes of music that included a variety of material heard badly merged together and, in some cases, arranged specifically for the album. Four years later, Varèse Sarabande released essentially the same album but added a disco version of the theme at the end; this disgraceful variant of Williams' themes is, like others that came before and after, an insufferable reminder of the worst of 1970's pop culture. The sound quality on the two early releases is identical. A 1997 bootleg added eighteen minutes of material, but it did so at the expense of sound quality; at times, this presentation was unlistenable. In 1998, to coincide with the film's "Collector's Edition" release in video stores (and on laser disc... Remember those cumbersome beasts?), Arista returned to the score and assembled a definitive, 77-minute collection of original and additional cues, arranged them in film order, and remastered each one from the best-available source tapes. The 1998 Arista product also has alternate, un-used cues for multiple scenes, and it featured only three tracks that were previously available in their entirety on commercial releases. The original conversation between the human keyboard operator and the mothership, a keen mathematical study for oboe and tuba, is included as well, and although it's fun to listen to once, it can get on the nerves after about a minute. Use it on that pesky roommate of yours early in the morning when he or she is just entering the prime phase of a hangover. Luckily, Arista dumped the disco track. The sound quality is distinctly improved and a lengthy interview with Williams conducted at the time of the film's resurrection is transcribed for the colorful booklet. To avoid confusion, it should be mentioned that Arista did press two variants of their 1998 album; the first 50,000 copies (yes, CDs used to really sell!) of these were called a "Collector's Edition" to coincide with the film's relaunch and they feature chromium-printed packaging with the insert notes annoyingly glued to the back of the front cover. In 2017, La-La Land Records issued a 2-CD set of 5,000 copies that contains the Arista product's contents and roughly the same sound quality, but the full film presentation is joined by an additional 74 minutes on the second CD with an even greater selection of alternates and unused cues. Many of the newly released cues are not dissimilar to other material in the score, but there are exceptions, including the narrative intrigue of "The Approach" and the fascinating "Inside" cue that Williams wrote in 1980 for an extended version of the film. The composer's source cues are led by the awesome Golden Age romanticism of "Eleventh Commandment," and fans will appreciate the several early renditions of the five-note greeting for the alien dialogue. Those satisfied with the 1998 Arista album may not find enough fresh material of interest on the 2017 La-La Land product to merit the latter, but the score certainly deserves such a comprehensive option, albeit one that also drops the disco mix. That product was re-issued by the label in 2022. In the end, Close Encounters of the Third Kind may have been overshadowed by Star Wars and Superman in an incredible 18-month time span for Williams, but the score still stands on its own as one of the composer's better known. When the United States government included the five-note communication motif as one of the welcoming messages it transmits in the direction of distant worlds, the score's status was confirmed.
TRACK LISTINGS:
1986 Arista Album:
Total Time: 40:53
1989 RCA Gerhardt Album: Total Time: 54:18
1990 Varèse Sarabande Album: Total Time: 44:02
1997 Lacombe Bootleg: Total Time: 58:29
1998 Arista Album: Total Time: 77:21
* previously unreleased ** contains previously unreleased music *** not used in the film 2017/2022 La-La Land Album: Total Time: 153:02
* previously unreleased ** contains previously unreleased material # contains interpolations of "When You Wish Upon a Star" by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline
NOTES & QUOTES:
John Williams with Steven Spielberg, 1977. The following is an early statement from Steven Spielberg:
"One day John Williams told me something I never would have imagined...
that creating a musical score for a nearly compeleted motion picture is
far and away more frustrating than creating an original symphonic
composition that never has to conform to the beats, measures, and
boundary layers of a screen story, but instead flows freely from the
composer's imagination as he tells his own story from start to finish.
This is perhaps why much of John's music for Close Encounters of the
Third Kind is so airborne and awe inspiring. He actually started work
on musical ideas two years before Close Encounters was finalized, basing
his impressions on the unfinished script and dinner conversations we
would have twice a week.
In many instances, John wrote his music first, while I put the scenes to it much later. Because of the complicated special effects that adorn the final 35 minutes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John found himself composing to blank leader months before the effects were finished and cut in. This was a challenge to both of us, but it liberated John to score freely -sans coitus interruptus- and inspired me in reconstructing certain visuals to the final music. John became more than just a composer for hire. He was a creative collaborator in all phases of post production, spending every day for fifteen weeks in the mixing studio and editing rooms. He taught me about underrated Russian composers and good German wines, and I taught him how to pace the hallways and how to eat junkfoods. John's freedom of choice is evident in every selection on this album. Once again John Williams has taken a motion picture and interwoven his own musical story - telling skills to create higher levels of beauty and suspense His music for Close Encounters goes beyond simply allowing the listener to recall his favorite scenes but stands on its own as a serious symphonic achievement - timeless and without restraints." The following is a note from Kevin Mulhall in the 1990 album:
"In 1977, John Williams singlehandedly revived popular interest in
symphonic film music. His scores for George Lucas' Star Wars and
Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind were both
commercial and critical successes, and introduced the sounds of a
symphony orchestra to a new generation of filmgoers. For Close
Encounters, Williams discarded the lietmotif approach that worked so well
in Star Wars, opting instead for a developmental score that progresses
from the pure atonality of the "Main Title" to the breathtaking
romanticism of the "Resolution and End Title." In between the composer
offers a myriad of textures, motifs, and themes that illuminate
Spielberg's visionary magic and childlike spirit while proceedingwith
fluid logic. Whether it be the driving B-note motif in "Mountain
Visions," the haunting theme in "I Can't Believe It's Real," or the
orchestral turbulence of "Night Seige" and "The Abduction of Barry," the
portrait painted by Williams' complex score is mysterious and
inspiring. For "The Conversation," Williams developed a musical language that enabled the mother ship and ground crew to communicate. Williams and Spielberg listened to 150 permutations of the central 5-note motif before deciding upon the one finally used. As the pace of the conversation quickens so does the music - perhaps the most memorable case of "overlapping dialogue" in film history, and a telling instance of Williams' art. By now it is well known that Spielberg edited the final act of the film to williams' music, a rare case where the editing of the visual image was dictated by the musical structure. As a result, the music achieves a form of considerable substance. Indeed, Williams has said that the best directors are musical: "I think part of what they do is musical. The art of editing film is a musical art. At the base of both these entities is rhythm." The end of the film is a perfect marriage of sound and visuals - at no time is there an image unsuitable for sale in a signed, limited edition. Williams' dramatic submersion is so complete the finished score stands on its own as a complete symphonic work, one of the finest composed in the 1970s. John Williams has worked with Steven Spielberg on no less than 11 occasions, in films that wouldn't have been the same without his unseen presence. Their association includes The Sugarland Express (1974), Jaws (1975), 1941 (1979), The Indiana Jones Trilogy ('81/'84/'89), E.T. (1982), Empire of the Sun (1987), and, most recently, Always (1989). By allowing Williams to become an integral and equal partner in his creative planning, Steven Spielberg has proven that he is one of the few directors who instinctively comprehends the function and emotive impact of music in films. Although Williams admits we don't know much about how music affects ourreactions in a clinical or scientific sense, his music has influenced the psychological responses of audiences throughout the world, in these and dozens of other films since he began scoring features in 1960. Williams' music has helped elevate Close Encounters to a classic example of the affective power of the cinema. In doing so, the composerhas also affirmed the value of film as an important vehicle for serious musical expression."
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1998-2024, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Close Encounters of the Third Kind are Copyright © 1986, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1998, 2017, 2022, Arista Records, RCA Victor (Gerhardt), Varèse Sarabande, Lacombe (Bootleg), Arista Records, La-La Land Records, La-La Land Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 5/11/98 and last updated 11/8/22. |
