Contact (1997)

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers (WGA):

Carl Sagan (novel)
Carl Sagan (story) ...

Release Date:

11 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Get ready to take a chance on something that just might end up being the most profoundly impactful moment for humanity, for the history... of history.

Plot:

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens, who send plans for a mysterious machine.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Radio | Astronomy | God | First Contact

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Jena Malone	...	Young Ellie
David Morse	...	Ted Arroway
Jodie Foster	...	Eleanor Arroway
Geoffrey Blake	...	Fisher
William Fichtner	...	Kent
Sami Chester	...	Vernon (as SaMi Chester)
Timothy McNeil	...	Davio
Laura Elena Surillo	...	Cantina Woman
Matthew McConaughey	...	Palmer Joss
Tom Skerritt	...	David Drumlin
Henry Strozier	...	Minister
Michael Chaban	...	Hadden Suit
Max Martini	...	Willie (as Maximilian Martini)
Larry King	...	Himself
Thomas Garner	...	Ian Broderick

MPAA:

Rated PG for some intense action, mild language and a scene of sensuality.

Runtime:

150 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #35448) | Iceland:12 | Brazil:12 | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | Germany:12 (bw) | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

President Bill Clinton's appearance was taken from an actual press conference on the White House South Lawn in 1997. His remarks were regarding the real-life discovery of an arctic meteorite discovered to be from Mars.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the VLA control room when the message is first received, the Tektronix 420 oscilloscope is in the "Trigger - Edge Source" mode when Ellie decreases the vertical scale. When the message momentarily stops, she glances back at the same scope and it is in the "Display - Style" mode.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Young Ellie: CQ, this is W9GFO. CQ, this is W9GFO here. Come back?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "South Park: Cancelled (#7.1)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Spirit In The Sky

An excellent, thoughtful movie

This movie examines the premise of what would actually happen if we were to make first contact with aliens, and how that contact would logically happen.

The protagonist is loosely based on an actual astronomer named Jill Tartar. She is focused on finding other life almost to the exclusion of all else in her life. When aliens respond to the Earth's first interstellar broadcast, she is caught up in the hysteria.

What follows is an interesting observation of humanity rather than any aliens. We learn very little about aliens throughout the movie. Rather, we see how people react to knowledge of this magnitude. The movie examines religious, scientific, military and international reactions to the idea of humanity not being alone. I thought they did a fantastic job of representing the scale of reaction, from the fanatic to the skeptic, within the confines of a 2 hour movie. The movie mixes a thoughtful, sentimental tone with a good pace for action and excellent characterization. There is a somewhat arbitrary love story thrown in, but it is tolerable based on how it helps the protagonist's long-delayed progress towards a deeper understanding of her own humanity.

The movie ends in a poignant yet hopeful tone, understanding our human problems but accepting them. I think the message is that the alien contact is the catalyst that will help humanity mature and grow past our more dark halves.

If you like the movie I'd recommend the book. It gives much more insight on the aliens, and expands the scope as there are a number of scientists that participate rather than just one from America, and goes more in depth into the science. It also attempts to show that religion and science can get along. My favorite part is at the very end of the book where Sagan shows how God hid a message in the very fabric of the cosmos, that we could only read when we were ready. Be prepared however, the book is quite a bit drier than the movie and those who don't enjoy reading Discover magazine may have to dig in to get through the slower, more scientific parts.