Customer Reviews

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Making of Steven Spielberg's Classic Film

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I literally grew up on Spielberg's early films and was lucky enough to enjoy in my youth such classics as JAWS (an all-time fave), E.T. and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. I can't put into words how amazing it was to see these films in a theatre with a fresh audience. Most prominent in my mind is CLOSE ENCOUNTERS for the simple fact that I got to see it at one of the best movie houses in L.A. -- The Cinerama Dome in Hollywood which featured a massive, arched screen (this was decades before IMAX) and incredible sound system.

Ray Morton has been able to bring back such fond moviegoing memories with his well detailed book on CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND that explores virtually every aspect of this movie's genesis. I felt like a kid again as I found myself reliving an incredible movie that has stood the test of time. And now there is a book to stand proudly at its side.

I should also mention that Mister Morton has another book called KING KONG: THE HISTORY OF AN ICON that I also found very entertaining and taught me pretty much every thing there is to know about the furry icon.

One can tell that Mr. Morton is not just a wonderful writer, but an
great fan of Mr. Spielberg and "Close Encounters." He delves into
the movie so completely that you almost feel you were there when the
movie was being made.
This is not just a great book for Spielberg fans, but should be a must
read for all film students out there.

Ray Morton has done the impossible..He has managed to convey a movie that is so particular an experience in sound and vision, as to be almost inexpressible in words. This is an extraordinary book! The detail is vast and comprehensive, and written by a man who fell in love with this Spielberg-jewel as a child. His affection pours from every paragraph of this 383 page love letter to CE3K. I cannot think of any error in fact or judgement Mr. Morton has made. A flawless chronicle! The choice of photographic material is all rare and from personal archive. The interviews are soo many as to be dazzling. I never would have imagined that Ray Morton was not actually there, way back in 1977! And for that achievement alone.. this book is a marvel.

This is an exhaustive supplement to existing books that cover this movie. It surprisingly goes into step by step detail over the effects.

Thank you for the great transaction, I recieved everything in my order
just how you said, even better.
thanks again
glenn parnell
would reccomend you!!!

Any fan of film and film-making will enjoy this book. Ray Morton addresses all aspects of the creation of this astounding film. And tells it with great exposition.

As it did for many others, Close Encounters sparked my young imagination in a way that no other film has ever done and it remains a favorite film to this day. Aside from the film itself, Bob Balaban's book had long intrigued me as a personal glimpse inside movie making and into the process of creating CE3K itself and this book comes in a close second to that.

It comes in second merely because it cannot replicate the personal experience that Balaban relates in his version. However, this book delves into the production of CE3K in almost excruciating detail and covers many topics and details that Bob Balaban's did not.

If you're interested in the politics of film-making, there's plenty here from the triumph-to-tragedy story of Julia Philips to the jockeying for credit on the CE3K screenplay and the gamesmanship between producer, director and movie studio in getting this epic and expensive film made by a studio in deep financial troubles. If you're curious about the special effects and special photographic effects (I know now that there is a difference!), this book is also for you.

I could have done without the early and lengthy retelling of the CE3K film plot. We know those details or we wouldn't be reading the book! But otherwise, the attention to detail and interest of the author in some seemingly small elements and topics was much appreciated.

After reading this book, you'll enjoy and appreciate many elements of the film like never before, knowing both why and how they were created.

I liked this book very much. I have been involved in film work and digital imaging for years and enjoyed the technical descriptions of the difficult effects work. One of my favorite films and this book helped me appreciate the effort of all involved.

Morton is a far better researcher than he is a writer, and this book is an exhaustive, often turgid, dump of his research on the making of the film.

If you are interested in the nuts-and-bolts of '70s big-budget filmmaking, there is a wealth of information here on the twists and turns the production took and the intricacies of the special-effects methods (now obsoleted by digital effects). The photo section, for example, includes not one but *three* pictures of a mold used to create the bodies of some of the flying saucers. If that sounds like a good thing, this book is for you!

The general-interest reader, however, is likely to be frustrated with the level of detail offered as well as the stilted, cliched writing style (the author is so fond of adjectives such as "incredible" that one wishes Inigo Montoya might pay him a visit). Although he provides filmographies and short biographies for all the principals, Morton fails to provide any historical, social, or technological context and misses most opportunities to wring dramatic interest out of the interpersonal conflicts and artistic crises inherent in moviemaking.

Writing skills aside, the level of scholarship and completeness here is impressive, and there is undeniable value in the effort to capture and preserve the detailed history of this important film.