Dir. Steven Spielberg. 1977, 137 mins.

New 35mm print of the director’s cut. With Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, François Truffaut. This operatic tale of a group of humans (including Dreyfuss’s suburban everydad) preparing to make contact with mysterious outer-space visitors is an emotionally stirring, visually jaw-dropping journey. Featuring Oscar-winning cinematography by the great Vilmos Zsigmond, Spielberg’s first story about extraterrestrial life is out-of-this-world moviemaking. On the big screen, that’s one mother of a spaceship.

Free with Museum admission.