FMC 182: Contact Directed by Robert Zemeckis

November 30, 2023

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This episode of Filmmaker Commentary offers a fascinating deep dive into Robert Zemeckis’s 1997 sci-fi epic “Contact.” Join Reginald Titus Jr. and Casey G. Smith as they dissect the film’s groundbreaking visual effects, its compelling narrative blending science and spirituality, and its enduring cultural relevance. Get ready for a detailed breakdown of its production, performances, and underlying themes.

What We Cover

Explore the financial landscape of “Contact,” discussing its $90 million budget and worldwide box office gross, along with insights into the significant investment in early digital effects that often went unnoticed by audiences.
A thorough examination of Jodie Foster’s commanding performance as Dr. Ellie Arroway, placing it within the context of her impressive 90s filmography and her status as one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses at the time.
Dissect Robert Zemeckis’s visionary direction, highlighting his innovative use of special effects to bring Carl Sagan’s complex story to life, including the iconic space travel sequence and the subtle CGI elements.
Unpack the film’s intricate themes, contrasting scientific discovery with religious faith, and examining how political agendas and media influence shaped the narrative’s reception and its broader societal commentary.
Dive into current film news, covering the surprising box office performance of “Blue Beetle,” Michael Cera’s reflections on “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and the exciting announcement of an animated series featuring the original cast.
Reginald Titus Jr. and Casey G. Smith share their recent watches, including a deep dive into “Urban Cowboy,” the Peacock series “Mrs. Davis,” the thriller “The Kill Room,” and a compelling documentary on wrestler Cody Rhodes.

Key Moments

0:49 – Analyzing “Contact’s” budget and global box office, revealing the true cost of its pioneering digital effects.
5:44 – Casey G. Smith shares his surprisingly positive theatrical experience with “Blue Beetle.”
8:12 – The hosts discuss “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” the upcoming animated Netflix series, featuring the return of the original film’s entire cast.
1:40:00 – A closer look at the “Sweet Tee Alabama Brawl” internet phenomenon, featuring a dramatic dockside altercation and a thrown chair.

Gear & Films Mentioned

Films: “Contact”, “Blue Beetle”, “Barbie”, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”, “Urban Cowboy”, “The Kill Room”, “Mrs. Davis”, “Natural Hair the Movie”, “Sweet Tee Alabama Brawl”, “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday”, “Death Proof”, “Spider-Man” (2002), “True Blood”, “Forrest Gump”, “Panic Room”, “Taxi”, “Silence of the Lambs”, “Nell”, “The Brave One”, “Any Given Sunday”, “Rush Hour”, “Interstellar”, “Inception”, “Tenet”, “Memento”, “Arrival”.
TV Shows: “Dawson’s Creek”, “The Newsroom”, “Devs”, “Dallas”, “Donna Reed Show”, “My Adventures with Superman”, “First In”, “WWE” (Cody Rhodes documentary).
Gear: Blu-ray, DVD.

Listener Questions

What were the financial and technical challenges faced during the production of “Contact”?
How does “Contact” address the philosophical tension between scientific inquiry and spiritual belief, and how is this reflected in Jodie Foster’s character?
What insights did Jodie Foster’s commentary provide about the film’s themes, her acting process, and the directorial choices?

Full Transcript

Read the full transcript

Full Episode Transcript
This episode of Filmmaker Commentary reviews the 1997 film "Contact," directed by Robert Zemeckis, discussing its production, box office performance, and themes, alongside current film news and other media. Reginald Titus Jr. and Casey G. Smith delve into the film's cast, visual effects, and its scientific vs. faith-based narrative, offering their detailed insights and critical perspectives.

Opening Discussion
Reginald Titus Jr.: Filmmaker Commentary, episode 182. Welcome to Filmmaker Commentary, where we cover movies with commentaries from directors who take the time to record them on Blu-ray and DVDs. We also give our detailed insights, so look out for spoilers. We discuss the latest in showbiz news along with movies and TV shows that we've been watching. So join Reginald Titus Jr., that's me, and Casey G. Smith, that's me, every week here on Filmmaker Commentary.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Welcome, welcome to another episode of Filmmaker Commentary. I'm Reginald Titus Jr., I'm joined with...
Casey G. Smith: Casey G. Smith.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Welcome back, sir.
Casey G. Smith: Good to be back, sir.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And today we're talking about Contact, 1997, directed by Robert Zemeckis. What was the budget and box office for this film?
Casey G. Smith: So Contact on a $90 million budget, came out with a not so whopping $171 million at the worldwide box office.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is that? I have no idea.
Casey G. Smith: That was strange.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was strange. That was kind of creepy actually.
Casey G. Smith: It almost sounded like locus outside, but like but like with within the microphone.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's not good.
Casey G. Smith: Ghost in the machine.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh no. Is it? No. That's strange. Anyhow.
Casey G. Smith: Okay. But it came and it went.
Reginald Titus Jr.: It did. As as we're doing Contact, right? They easy?
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow, we made Contact everybody.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow, that's it? 100 it was 90 and it only made 170?
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That's a that's a fail.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's a that's a fail. Because that's not even including marketing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. But you know what, I didn't think it was that expensive until maybe it's just that one little whirly world thing, the
Casey G. Smith: No, there are a lot of digital effects in this film. There's a lot of digital effects. That's a special effects.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's the special effects ramped it up.
Casey G. Smith: 100%. Like like stuff you wouldn't think were visual effects are visual effects.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, there's a lot of them. And it was fairly, it was kind of early days of digital effects, so it was a little shoddy.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I wonder how much Jodie pulled in on that one. Like what was her Was this the, you know, was this 10 million, 20 million? When was her rate this time?
Casey G. Smith: She was kind of at the almost at the height of her
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, 'cause she was in the 90s, like Jodie was, she was one of the the, I'm sure one of the highest paid, probably her and Julia Roberts. Probably some of the highest paid actresses in the in the game.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Absolutely.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Man. That's unfortunate. Didn't win any like any awards or what was like the sentiment at the time?
Casey G. Smith: I think it was well respected and heralded. I didn't watch it until, well, this this go round. But it did get nominated for one Academy Award for Sound Design.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Man. My sound was shotty on mine.
Casey G. Smith: Oh yeah?
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, but I got it's a DVD, it's an older DVD. I'm pretty sure they remastered it since then.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. Mine was on the Blu-ray.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it sounded good and looked good on that one. I should've got one.
Casey G. Smith: It was solid.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But before we talk further about Contact by Robert Zemeckis in 1997, let's talk about TV news and movies watched.

News & What We've Been Watching
Casey G. Smith: All right, so in the news, according to Variety, Box Office Blue Beetle buzzing above Barbie after $10 million opening day, Strays looking hand dog. I don't know what that means. That last part.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Stray looking hand dog.
Casey G. Smith: I don't I have no idea what that means. Uh, after four weeks of pink, the box office is going blue.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yes.
Casey G. Smith: Despite a muted opening, DC Studios' Blue Beetle looks to dethrone fellow Warner Brothers release Barbie after the hot pink comedy spat nearly spent nearly a month atop domestic charts.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. Um, hmm. I wonder what the budget was for Blue Beetle Blue Beetle.
Casey G. Smith: Uh, actually, I didn't see here. I think I saw a headline.
Reginald Titus Jr.: The hero movie no one asked for.
Casey G. Smith: Actually, we'll get to it in movies. I actually I actually took in Blue Beetle.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh, let's get it.
Casey G. Smith: Um, says I think the Yeah, I'm not seeing the budget here immediately.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay. For it.
Casey G. Smith: But yeah, so Blue Beetle seems to be doing doing all right at the box office. I don't I I hope it I hope it does well. I think it's I think it's worthwhile going to see. Again, I'll touch more on that in a moment. But so that's that's one bit of news. Second bit of news, this ties it ties into a link that I sent you earlier this week. Probably I think I sent it to you on Friday. But according to IndieWire, Michael Cera says he felt depressed after Scott Pilgrim vs. the World wrapped. Uh, it just all goes away. 13 years after the film's theatrical release, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World remains one of the defining roles of Michael Cera's film career. And the actor's enthusiasm for his role in the Edgar Wright film hasn't diminished in the slightest. In a new interview with GQ, Cera took a trip down memory lane and revisited some of his most iconic roles. When the conversation inevitably turned to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Cera spoke fondly about working with Wright and his all-star supporting cast of the adaptation adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's hit graphic novel series. We just all had the greatest vibe with everybody, Cera said. I think that trickled down from Edgar and the energy that he was creating. We all got to rehearse together and spend a lot of time together before we started making the movie.
Casey G. Smith: Uh, nonetheless, so, I mentioned that article because it's pretty awesome that, uh, on Netflix in November, there is a Scott Pilgrim animated show that's going to be dropping and has like all the original cast members from the movie.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's legit.
Casey G. Smith: All right. Yo, come on. I'm here for it.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That alone, I mean, I'm here. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I don't that's yeah. It's exciting and I'm glad that they still have the same fire for it because it is one of those things like, oh man, you know, those guy, you know, everybody's kind of grown up since then, they're never look like that again. So they but with animation it always looks the same, so you can kind of always come and and be that character.
Casey G. Smith: And it's the true styles of the the the actual graphic novel, so it's like it's like that perfect marriage of everything. But to see like again, if you get a chance on on Netflix to see the trailer for it, it's it's specifically called Scott Pilgrim. Let me get the name right. 'Cause I respect on the name.
Reginald Titus Jr.: On the name. So I was I was introduced to the Scott Pilgrim, I forgot what episode. We covered it early on in our episodes, but I never did watch, look, read the graphic novel.
Casey G. Smith: Neither did I.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but man, that movie is fantastic.
Casey G. Smith: Oh gosh, it's so good.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So good.
Casey G. Smith: Um, what is this thing called? It is called, here we go. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. There we go. Is the name of the the animated series going to be dropping in November, but yeah, again, all the original, just about all the original