--- product_id: 77615016 title: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director's Cut)" price: "€ 30.58" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.fr/products/77615016-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-directors-cut store_origin: FR region: France --- # Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director's Cut) **Price:** € 30.58 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director's Cut) - **How much does it cost?** € 30.58 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fr](https://www.desertcart.fr/products/77615016-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-directors-cut) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description We are not alone... A line worker, after an encounter with UFO's, feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen. Review: Classic thriller with a top notch transfer. - Spielberg was on a roll. “Jaws” had busted the box office open and created the summer blockbuster (summer time wasn’t always the best for movies with the best films not really being released then). “Jaws” wasn’t a personal film though as great as it was and is. Spielberg wanted to do something near and dear to his heart. “Close Encounters of The Third Kind” (aka “CE3K” as most fans refer to it) allowed Spielberg to craft a family drama with a thriller. A believer in UFO’s (as they were called at the time) himself, Spielberg worked with one of the authorities on the subject to craft his thriller. He wrote much of the script himself after working with six different writers on the project (though there was uncredited rewrites and the last act was written entirely by others based on his outline. He just didn’t have time to finish the script as pre-production was looming). It’s for the best as Spielberg himself has mentioned that he is, at best, an awkward writer. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfus) has his life changed when he is sent out to deal with power outages and encounters an alien spacecraft. He suddenly becomes obsessed with, not just finding out what it was or where they came from, but with an image of a mountain which he keeps crafting. Whether it be when he is putting mashed potatoes on his plate or building a diorama in his living room. Needless to say his wife (the late Teri Garr) becomes concerned with Roy’s behavior. When he is fired because of his encounter, his whole world unravels. He meets and befriends another person who encountered the aliens (the late Melinda Dillion). Her son is later abducted which makes finding out what this is all about personal. The 4K looks terrific. Keep in mind that this was shot in the late 1970’s and film stocks tended to be much more grainy than more contemporary stocks. Add in the use of optical effects and there is the issue of some generation loss. Nevertheless, the film has never looked better. The HDR grading also improves colors in the film and detail in dark scenes also improves. We get all three versions of the film. The original theatrical cut which Spielberg felt rushed to complete in time for its premiere. He had wanted to tweak the film and finish some other sequences. The cost of that was that he had to prepare an ending for “The Special Edition” re-release going inside the ship (something he was against) to get the money from Columbia to finish some sequences and do the re-editing of the film. Then there is the third version a “Final Cut” that has the best moments of the theatrical cut (which was far and away superior to the “Special Edition” in my opinion) and included the scenes that helped the “Special Edition” work well. This version combines the two but removes the ending where Neary goes inside the space ship (which was shot years later with a noticeably heavier Dreyfus) but retains some of the scenes that worked in both editions. The 4K has a lot of special features. “A View From Above” is a pop-up special feature that compares and contrasts the three different versions (which are all on one 4K disc). “Three Kinds of Encounters” is new to this disc (at the time it was released) and is a retrospective look back at the reception to the film. There’s also behind-the-scenes footage included as a featurette. There’s a making of doc that was on the previous blu-ray (and included on the current blu-ray here), deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons, a photo gallery, two trailers and deleted scenes. Arguably, one of Spielberg’s best films, “CE3K” was imperfect when released but was a marvelous, involving thriller (I don’t want to call it Science Fiction because some folks believe that we have been visited by aliens). It demonstrated that Spielberg’s talent was already at its peak during these early years. This remains a pivotal film for Spielberg and Sony has done a terrific job in presenting the film. Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A Masterwork of Wonder, Restored to Its Full Brilliance in 4K” - Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind isn’t just a science fiction film. It is a spiritual experience. In an era when alien visitation stories often defaulted to paranoia or destruction, Close Encounters dared to ask a more profound question: What if contact meant something beautiful? This 4K restoration of the 1977 classic is nothing short of breathtaking. Every frame of Vilmos Zsigmond’s luminous cinematography has been lovingly preserved. The inky black skies, the gentle wash of red over Devil’s Tower, and of course, the dazzling light show in the final act—all glow with a new vibrancy. The film has never looked or sounded better. It feels not just restored, but reborn. Richard Dreyfuss, as Roy Neary, gives one of the great everyman performances in American cinema. He doesn’t play a hero—he plays a man slowly unraveling in the face of something he doesn’t understand, yet must follow. His journey is both cosmic and deeply human. In the midst of mashed potatoes shaped like mountains and lights in the sky, Spielberg gives us a story about faith, obsession, and the longing for connection. There are moments in Close Encounters that play like dreams—unsettling, beautiful, otherworldly. Spielberg was only in his late 20s when he directed it, but already had the confidence of a seasoned storyteller. He paces the film like a symphony, building tension with a quiet crescendo until the final act explodes in light and music. The five-note motif—composed by John Williams—is as iconic as anything in cinema, simple yet haunting, like a greeting from another world. Unlike many sci-fi films, there is no villain here. The aliens are not monsters; they are mysteries. And Spielberg, to his credit, doesn’t overexplain them. He respects our imagination. What matters is not what they are, but what they mean to us. In the end, it’s about seeing the world—and the universe—with childlike awe. This 4K edition includes multiple cuts of the film, each with subtle differences. But no matter the version, the emotional truth remains the same. Few movies have captured the sublime the way this one has. It taps into something eternal—the yearning to know we’re not alone, and the courage it takes to seek that answer. Nearly 50 years later, Close Encounters of the Third Kind hasn’t aged—it has endured. And in this stunning 4K release, it stands taller than ever. Not just as a sci-fi classic, but as a rare cinematic hymn to wonder. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Contributor | Fran�ois Truffaut, Julia Phillips, Melinda Dillon, Michael Phillips, Richard Dreyfuss, Steven Spielberg, Teri Garr Contributor Fran�ois Truffaut, Julia Phillips, Melinda Dillon, Michael Phillips, Richard Dreyfuss, Steven Spielberg, Teri Garr See more | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,753 Reviews | | Format | Blu-ray | | Genre | Sci-Fi/Fantasy | | Language | English | | Runtime | 6 hours and 44 minutes | ## Product Details - **Format:** Blu-ray - **Genre:** Sci-Fi/Fantasy - **Initial release date:** 1977-11-16 - **Language:** English ## Images ![Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director's Cut) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/810ufK+nfOL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Classic thriller with a top notch transfer. *by W***N on August 2, 2026* Spielberg was on a roll. “Jaws” had busted the box office open and created the summer blockbuster (summer time wasn’t always the best for movies with the best films not really being released then). “Jaws” wasn’t a personal film though as great as it was and is. Spielberg wanted to do something near and dear to his heart. “Close Encounters of The Third Kind” (aka “CE3K” as most fans refer to it) allowed Spielberg to craft a family drama with a thriller. A believer in UFO’s (as they were called at the time) himself, Spielberg worked with one of the authorities on the subject to craft his thriller. He wrote much of the script himself after working with six different writers on the project (though there was uncredited rewrites and the last act was written entirely by others based on his outline. He just didn’t have time to finish the script as pre-production was looming). It’s for the best as Spielberg himself has mentioned that he is, at best, an awkward writer. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfus) has his life changed when he is sent out to deal with power outages and encounters an alien spacecraft. He suddenly becomes obsessed with, not just finding out what it was or where they came from, but with an image of a mountain which he keeps crafting. Whether it be when he is putting mashed potatoes on his plate or building a diorama in his living room. Needless to say his wife (the late Teri Garr) becomes concerned with Roy’s behavior. When he is fired because of his encounter, his whole world unravels. He meets and befriends another person who encountered the aliens (the late Melinda Dillion). Her son is later abducted which makes finding out what this is all about personal. The 4K looks terrific. Keep in mind that this was shot in the late 1970’s and film stocks tended to be much more grainy than more contemporary stocks. Add in the use of optical effects and there is the issue of some generation loss. Nevertheless, the film has never looked better. The HDR grading also improves colors in the film and detail in dark scenes also improves. We get all three versions of the film. The original theatrical cut which Spielberg felt rushed to complete in time for its premiere. He had wanted to tweak the film and finish some other sequences. The cost of that was that he had to prepare an ending for “The Special Edition” re-release going inside the ship (something he was against) to get the money from Columbia to finish some sequences and do the re-editing of the film. Then there is the third version a “Final Cut” that has the best moments of the theatrical cut (which was far and away superior to the “Special Edition” in my opinion) and included the scenes that helped the “Special Edition” work well. This version combines the two but removes the ending where Neary goes inside the space ship (which was shot years later with a noticeably heavier Dreyfus) but retains some of the scenes that worked in both editions. The 4K has a lot of special features. “A View From Above” is a pop-up special feature that compares and contrasts the three different versions (which are all on one 4K disc). “Three Kinds of Encounters” is new to this disc (at the time it was released) and is a retrospective look back at the reception to the film. There’s also behind-the-scenes footage included as a featurette. There’s a making of doc that was on the previous blu-ray (and included on the current blu-ray here), deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons, a photo gallery, two trailers and deleted scenes. Arguably, one of Spielberg’s best films, “CE3K” was imperfect when released but was a marvelous, involving thriller (I don’t want to call it Science Fiction because some folks believe that we have been visited by aliens). It demonstrated that Spielberg’s talent was already at its peak during these early years. This remains a pivotal film for Spielberg and Sony has done a terrific job in presenting the film. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A Masterwork of Wonder, Restored to Its Full Brilliance in 4K” *by A***R on June 4, 2025* Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind isn’t just a science fiction film. It is a spiritual experience. In an era when alien visitation stories often defaulted to paranoia or destruction, Close Encounters dared to ask a more profound question: What if contact meant something beautiful? This 4K restoration of the 1977 classic is nothing short of breathtaking. Every frame of Vilmos Zsigmond’s luminous cinematography has been lovingly preserved. The inky black skies, the gentle wash of red over Devil’s Tower, and of course, the dazzling light show in the final act—all glow with a new vibrancy. The film has never looked or sounded better. It feels not just restored, but reborn. Richard Dreyfuss, as Roy Neary, gives one of the great everyman performances in American cinema. He doesn’t play a hero—he plays a man slowly unraveling in the face of something he doesn’t understand, yet must follow. His journey is both cosmic and deeply human. In the midst of mashed potatoes shaped like mountains and lights in the sky, Spielberg gives us a story about faith, obsession, and the longing for connection. There are moments in Close Encounters that play like dreams—unsettling, beautiful, otherworldly. Spielberg was only in his late 20s when he directed it, but already had the confidence of a seasoned storyteller. He paces the film like a symphony, building tension with a quiet crescendo until the final act explodes in light and music. The five-note motif—composed by John Williams—is as iconic as anything in cinema, simple yet haunting, like a greeting from another world. Unlike many sci-fi films, there is no villain here. The aliens are not monsters; they are mysteries. And Spielberg, to his credit, doesn’t overexplain them. He respects our imagination. What matters is not what they are, but what they mean to us. In the end, it’s about seeing the world—and the universe—with childlike awe. This 4K edition includes multiple cuts of the film, each with subtle differences. But no matter the version, the emotional truth remains the same. Few movies have captured the sublime the way this one has. It taps into something eternal—the yearning to know we’re not alone, and the courage it takes to seek that answer. Nearly 50 years later, Close Encounters of the Third Kind hasn’t aged—it has endured. And in this stunning 4K release, it stands taller than ever. Not just as a sci-fi classic, but as a rare cinematic hymn to wonder. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great 4K upgrade *by K***A on May 26, 2022* I have not seen this movie for years. I did get to see it at the show up on the big screen. Steven Spielberg is a master film maker and really knows how to make entertaining epic adventure stories come to life on the big screen. He also makes some pretty interesting sci-fi movies. Close Encounters is one of his best and he broke new ground in sfx with this one. His real genius is making his characters believable. Having read some of the negative reviews on the 4K release of this fine film I was a little apprehensive but I ordered it anyway to get my own take on the 4K version and I must say I had none of the issues that others were saying they were having. Some were complaining that the 4K version was too dark in places and too bright in others. I have a SAMSUNG 55" tv that I purchased back in late 2019. It wasn't until recently that I learned how to play with the controls to get the best picture. There are some things that I changed or got rid of completely that are just unnecessary. For instance, the sharpness needs to be set all the way to neutral as adding sharpness can cause blurriness to the image. I know that sounds counter intuitive but believe me that's how it works. I also changed the brightness controls down to -2 and the backlight to 35 on the "movie" setting and depending on the ambient light in the room I set the contrast enhancer to "off" for night time viewing and "low" for daytime. All these settings help to keep the washed out brightness and the darkness under control while maintaining the HDR resolution. I must say having seen the movie several times over the years from VHS to DVD and Blu-ray and now on 4K blu-ray it has never looked better. The details of the mother ship at the end are sharp and clear and the colors just pop off the screen. This disc has three versions. The original theater version, then the enhanced version where Roy goes inside the huge mother ship, and the directors version. All on one disc. The price is also a very good deal. I will probably be ordering E.T. in the very near future after seeing the excellent restoration of this classic from COLUMBIA and Steven Spielberg who I know is very proud of his work and the restoration of these film masterpieces. ## Frequently Bought Together - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director's Cut) - Dune: Part Two (4K Ultra HD + Digital) [4K UHD] - The Thing [4K UHD] --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.fr/products/77615016-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-directors-cut](https://www.desertcart.fr/products/77615016-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-directors-cut) --- *Product available on Desertcart France* *Store origin: FR* *Last updated: 2026-09-24*