NEW ULM — The New Ulm Film Society will taken a closer looks at the works of director Steven Spielberg with a screening of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

The screening will begin 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 4 at the New Ulm Public Library. This is the first film in the film society’s Spielberg series.

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” was released in 1977 and was Spielberg’s follow-up to “Jaws,” which had set the all-time box office record in 1975. After the success of “Jaws,” Spielberg was in a position to make any type of movie he wanted. He chose to make a film he had been developing for many years. “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” was a passion project for Spielberg and incorporates several themes he would revisit in future films.

The film’s title refers to a concept is taken from Ufologist J. Allen Hynek, who developed a classification system for encounters with extraterrestrials. A close encounter of the third kind references actual observed contact with biological beings from another planet.

The movie opens with multiple characters experiencing close encounters of the first and second kind. The film is told from the perspective of two ordinary people encountering unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and how it changes their life.

In the story, Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) an electric utility lineman who encounters the UFOs while attempting to make repairs. After seeing the UFOs Neary becomes obsessed with recreating an image of mountain, as if the UFO left a subliminal message in his mind. At the same time, Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) who witnessed the UFO along with her son Barry (Cary Guffey), is obsessively sketching the same mountain.

Neary’s obsession with his encounter begins to take a toll on her personal life. His family leaves him and the community assumes he has gone crazy. The situation worsens for Jillian after Barry is abducted by the UFO.

Roy and Jillian both realize they must go to the mountain in their vision. At the same time, a team of scientists with

The UFO sightings eventually draw the attention of the United Nations and US government, who realize the UFOs are gathering in Wyoming.

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was another major success for Spielberg upon its release. The move cemented his reputation as a master storyteller with a talent for inspiring a sense of awe is his audience. Each of his subsequent films would incorporate spectacular imagery–often using larger than life special-effects.

Critics would later identify a trend in Spielberg films in which the camera closes in on a characters face who is looking at something awe inspiring. The character might be looking on with hope and wonderment, others might look on in horror. In all of Spielberg’s films, he uses this shot choice most in “Close Encounters,” for both good and bad. Several people look on the UFOs with hope and joy, while others are terrified about seeing something they do not understand. Spielberg has said that the scene in which young Barry Guiller opens his living room door and sees the bright orange light from the UFO is the best summary of his directing career. It features a person who appears very small in front something larger than them and it could be good or bad.

“Close Encounters” is about seeking out the unknown for good or bad. It is a story about making connections or contact. Nearly 50 years later, that message is still powerful.

The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the movie’s place film history.