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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Contact



This week's old movie from the library was Contact ...

a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact. Jodie Foster portrays the film's protagonist, Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, a SETI scientist who finds strong evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to make first contact. The film also stars Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, John Hurt, Angela Bassett, and David Morse.



I did read the novel from which the movie was adapted and it was pretty different. Still, I do like the movie very much - I identified with Foster's character when she saidd "For as long as I can remember, I've been searching for something, some reason why we're here." And when someone cheated her out of her chance to use the alien travel device and told her "I wish the world was a place where fair was the bottom line ... Unfortunately, we don't live in that world.", I agreed with her answer: "I've always believed that the world is what we make of it."

The way she described her alien contact experience reminded me of my retreat conversion experience ...

"I had an experience. I can't prove it, I can't even explain it, but everything that I know as a human being, everything that I am, tells me that it was real. I was given something wonderful, something that changed me forever. A vision of the universe, that tells us, undeniably, how tiny and insignificant and how rare and precious we all are. A vision that tells us that we belong to something that is greater then ourselves, that we are not, that none of us, are alone. I wish I could share that. I wish that everyone, if even for one moment, could feel that awe and humility, and hope ..."



If you haven't yet seen it, you might like it :)


2 Comments:

Anonymous Todd said...

There were many things I loved about this movie. Just to mention two ...

Jodie Foster's intelligent and sensitive portrayal of Dr Arroway. This was as spot on a performance as I've ever seen in film.

I also appreciated the exchange with MM at the White House gala when she says she loved her father and MM demands, "Prove it!"

That whole scene went from festive and playful, to confused and grasping, and then to get down to business.

7:43 AM  
Blogger crystal said...

Hi Todd :)

I especially liked that part you mention when MM asks her to prove she loved her father too. Also liked the inclusion of the blind scientist. And the part where she seemed to meet her father again. So much good stuff in that movie!

2:38 PM  

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