Contact (1997)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

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:

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (featured in the film) has a club station which, with the permission of Reber, had acquired his old call sign "W9GFZ" earlier in 1997. Robert Zemeckis, learning of this tribute, planned to use the same call sign for Arroway in the movie. However, in the end "W9GFO" was used instead. While viewing the film after release, David Wilson of the Internet recognized this call sign as that of his father Robert (Bob) Wilson from the late 1930s. W9GFO and K4WLD are currently assigned to ham radio operators in the USA.

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 "Family Guy: Three Kings (#7.15)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Who Needs Wings To Fly

No film has moved me more than this one, ever

This, for me, is a masterpiece. I have enjoyed it more with each viewing.

Carl Sagan was a great man. He promoted science in the way it should be, portraying the profound mysteriousness of our universe with humility, and without dogma. In his book, the Demon-Haunted World, he quoted Einstein:

"All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have".

Contact conveys this simple message in a subtle yet immensely powerful way. The performances are some of the most compelling I have seen, particularly by Jodie Foster and David Morse.

Just magnificent.