Close Encounters: Analysis

2016 ◽  
pp. 57-124
Author(s):  
Jon Towlson
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Emotional Involvement ◽  
The Third ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
New Hollywood ◽  
John Williams

This chapter presents a detailed analysis of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). The long take is a Spielberg staple: examples exist in each of his films, but it is an aspect of his work rarely commented upon, possibly because his plan séquences are characterised by their very invisibility. The effect of the long take on the viewer is to draw them into the scene, increasing emotional involvement; and this reflects Spielberg's essentially intuitive approach to filmmaking. Arguably, the plan séquence shots in Close Encounters are some of the most effective of Spielberg's career for this reason. The chapter then looks at Spielberg's collaboration with Hungarian-born cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond on Close Encounters, which links Spielberg interestingly to the New Hollywood of the 1970s. It also explores the characters and themes of the film, as well as John Williams' contribution to Close Encounters.

scholarly journals Close encounters with scientific analogies of the third kind

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Nappo
Keyword(s):  
The Third ◽  
Close Encounters

AbstractArguments from non-causal analogy form a distinctive class of analogical arguments in science not recognized in authoritative classifications by, e.g., Hesse (1963) and Bartha (2009). In this paper, I illustrate this novel class of scientific analogies by means of historical examples from physics, biology and economics, at the same time emphasizing their broader significance for contemporary debates in epistemology.

Close Encounters of the Third World

1981 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia A. Karch ◽  
G. H. S. Dann
Keyword(s):  
Third World ◽  
The Third ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
The Third World

scholarly journals THE FUNCTIONAL ASPECT OF THE ZERO NAME IN THE STORIES BY VLADIMIR NABOKOV

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Boris V. Kovaliov ◽  
◽  
Vadim E. Pugach ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Vladimir Nabokov ◽  
Main Character ◽  
Functional Aspect ◽  
The Third ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Third Person

The article is devoted to the analysis of the functions of the zero name of proper characters in V. V. Nabokov's short prose. The factors are highlighted on the basis of which an attempt can be made to classify zero names in Nabokov's texts. The first factor is the grammatical person from whom the story is told. Particular cases related to narration from the first and third person are analyzed. The second factor is who in the text is the bearer of the zero name: the main character or the minor one? The authors pay special attention to antonomazia as a way of replacing a proper name with a null name. In the course of the study, it turns out that antonomazia can be used as a means of characterizing a character, as well as a reference not to a specific image, but to a certain class. The third factor is the possible taboo of the name as a technique. In the course of the research, two types of tabooing of a proper name are distinguished: religious and sociopsychological. The second part of the article analyzes V. V. Nabokov's story «The Razor» as an example of a text, on the basis of which one can prove the assertion about the polyfunctionality of a null name. The nomination of each character is studied in detail. The authors conclude that the opposition of full and null names plays a key role in building conflict in the plot. Moreover, the opposition of different types of nominations is a technique that determines the structure of the text, its semantic and associative levels. Based on a review of a number of Nabokov's texts and a detailed analysis of «The Razor» story, eleven functions of the zero name of V. V. Nabokov's own characters are formulated.

Jurassic Park

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bullock
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Steven Spielberg ◽  
The Third ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

‘Constellations: Jurassic Park’ explores how Steven Spielberg used the film to investigate several key themes that have been important to him across his career. These themes are: nature and humankind’s relationship with it, the importance of cinematic fantasy and how it shapes our view of the world, and the impact of toxic masculinity on both men and women. The book also looks at how Spielberg blends genres across his career as a whole and Jurassic Park specifically. This is particularly true of the science fiction and horror genres, which are used in Jurassic Park to create a film that is both cathartically scary and thematically satisfying. These points are contextualised within the wider scope of Spielberg’s life and career to understand how Jurassic Park acted as bridging point between the light entertainments he had been known for up to that point (Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, for example) and the more serious filmmaking he focused on after its release (Saving Private Ryan and Lincoln).

Close Encounters: Genre and Context

2016 ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Jon Towlson
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Greek Mythology ◽  
Art Cinema ◽  
Special Effects ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
The Third ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
Human Need ◽  
Science Fiction Films

This chapter discusses the genre and context of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). It begins by tracing the emergence of science fiction in literature and in cinema. The chapter then looks at how film serials popularised pulp science-fiction cinema in the form of rocketships, ray guns, alien invaders, evil intergalactic emperors, and damsels in distress. One can see them as the inspiration for the likes of Star Wars and the myriad superhero blockbuster movies that continue to dominate Hollywood today. In 1968, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey returned science fiction to its origins in Greek mythology. It is perhaps the first example of ‘transcendent’ science-fiction cinema, exploring the human need to place trust in a force larger than ourselves. In the early 1970s, science-fiction films were more overtly concerned with identity and environment, and how both were increasingly shaped or misshapen by technology. Meanwhile, post-9/11 has seen a move towards intelligent science fiction as a bankable commodity within Hollywood. Part of the genre's continuing appeal is, of course, the showcasing of state-of-the-art cinema technology within the sci-fi narrative. Special-effects technology has evolved in line with cinema's own development.

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