Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Checking Availibility...Description
Steven Spielberg'sClose Encounters of the Third Kind(1977) is a film very much of its cinematic moment, combining the gritty realism of entrapment in the everyday with furtive dreams of escape.Dana Polan's compelling study of the film examines its significance to New Hollywood cinema and the science fiction genre. He argues thatClose Encountersis a film that is an allegory of the cinematic experience overall; it both narrates a tale of visual seduction and plays it out viscerally for the spectator who shares the amazement of the protagonist Roy Neary as his mundane reality is transformed into something awe-inspiring. Providing an in-depth look into the film's production history, including all three different versions, Polan situatesClose Encounterswithin Spielberg's repertoire. He argues that despite the film's popular success, it is in fact a rejection of several entrenched American values, including family, home and marriage. It offers, through its visual fascination, alternative understandings of masculinity and morality, familial responsibility, and what it means to follow the 'American Dream'.
About this Author
Dana Polanis Martin Scorsese Professor of Cinema Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, USA. His books includePower and Paranoia: History, Narrative, and the American Cinema, 1940-1950(1986),In a Lonely Place(BFI Film Classics, 1993),Pulp Fiction(BFI Film Classics, 2000) andDreams of Flight:The Great Escapein American Film and Culture(2021).
If the product is in stock at the store nearest you, we suggest you call ahead to have it set aside for you, or you may place an order online and choose in-store pickup.
