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Close Encounters of the Third Kind: (John Williams)
If not for the misfortune of being released later in the same year as
George Lucas'
Star Wars, 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 communication through lights, colors, and
music. As such, Spielberg needed to identify a short musical motif early
enough that he could use it during the production 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 theme to "When You Wish Upon a Star" in mind
from the start, 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 of 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 that. 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 dissonant passages that
accompany the kidnapping and mysterious hints of an alien presence. The
middle portions of the score alternate between this restrained sound and
explosive action cues that would foreshadow 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 harmonic melodies
of Williams career flourish. The five-note communication motif isn't
actually the title theme for the picture. Williams allows the wonder of
the aliens to inspire the true title theme, and that idea takes quite
some time to announce itself. Alternately representing Devil's Tower
(the majestic mountain 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
harmony 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. 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 the primary theme.
The government cover-up and military presence is provided
with rhythmic flurries and slightly more coherent suspense 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 a short statement of the title 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 title theme in "Forming the Mountain" is the score's only other
major recurring idea. The mass of the atonal material early in the score
is difficult to enjoy, and it's frankly why the score is often forgotten
in relation to
Star Wars and
Superman on either side of
it. The opening cue is the one exception; Williams allows the orchestra
to stew with atonal noise for thirty seconds before unleashing one,
grand harmonic 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").
Released on LP at the time, 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. Sound quality
on the two early releases is identical. A 1997 bootleg added eighteen
minutes of material, but at the expense of sound quality; at times, it's
unlistenable.
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1998 Album: | | |
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Only $9.99
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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 complete cues, arranged
them in film order, and remastered each one from the source tapes. It
also has alternate, un-used cues for multiple scenes, and features only
three tracks that were available in their entirety before (on commercial
releases). The original conversation between the human keyboard operator
and the mothership 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. Some incidental cues didn't make the cut either, but
realistically, there's nothing more a fan of the score and composer
could ask for. 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. In short, the other three
releases of the score can't compare. To avoid confusion, it should be
mentioned that Arista did press two variants of their 1998 album; the
first 50,000 copies 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 glued to the back of the front cover
(which is, in reality, a bit irritating). 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 Williams
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.
Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
Score as Written for Film: ****
1986 Arista release: ***
1990 Varèse Sarabande release: ***
1997 Lacombe bootleg: *
1998 Arista release: *****
Overall: ****
| Bias Check: | For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.73 (in 68 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.6
(in 334,382 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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