Are we alone? Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a classic American film. It was directed by Stephan Spielberg and stars Richard Dreyfus.  This film set the tone for much of what happened at the movies for roughly the next 15-20 years following its 1977 theatrical release. Close Encounters is essentially a near perfect product defining the time it came out.  The film explores alien visitors, government conspiracies, general paranoia, sensationalism. family issues, and ultimately madness.  The depth these issues are explored make this film a hallmark of American cinema. It is the movie version of imagination and wonder. This is a philosophy and vision regarding what an alien visit to the planet would look like.  There is no war and nothing is getting blown up. The main thing happening is communication. It is amazing. It is done in a such a thoughtful way that it stands effectively as an excellent contribution to the collective consciousness imagination about such matters as alien visits. After repeat viewings the most important question is: What do you believe? This is a human film that defines the medium of movie making.