Norman — In 1977, Dr. Jerry. R. Ehman, an astronomer at Ohio State University, was listening to a powerful radio telescope called The Big Ear when a strange signal caught his attention. The signal lasted 72 seconds, which wasn’t all that weird, but the fact that it wasn’t coming from Earth or from anywhere else in our solar system was. Stunned, Dr. Ehman wrote a very unscientific “wow” by the signal in the margin of the computer printout to commemorate the cosmic event.
Sadly, the Wow Signal (as it came to be known) hasn’t been heard since, but one wonders if it might have been another species trying to reach out and say hello — an idea that the late Carl Sagan explored in “Contact” (1997), an exhilarating look at what happens when ETs call Earth.
For Ellie Arroway (Jena Malone), it all started with a ham radio, a gift from her beloved father, Ted (David Morse). From the beginning little Ellie is fascinated with the idea of voices in space. If she can carry on a radio conversation with people on Earth, is it possible to talk to someone who’s from… somewhere else?
“Do you think there’s life on other planets?” Ellie asks her father. “Well, it would be an awful big waste of space if there weren’t,” he tells her (which is what Sagan used to say). Convinced that there are intelligent beings out there, Ellie studies astronomy with a vengeance, becoming Dr. Ellie Arroway (now played by Jodie Foster) a brilliant young scientist with a bright future. If she’ll just forget all this ET nonsense.
That’s the opinion of Dr. David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), a noted astronomer who thinks Ellie’s work for SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) is loony. When Ellie finally gets coveted “dish” time at the world’s biggest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Drumlin pulls the plug on the project, claiming it’s a waste of money and that Ellie is committing professional suicide.
Undaunted, Ellie approaches the super-wealthy Hadden Corporation for funding. She is thrilled when her request is immediately granted, although four long years later there’s nothing to show for it — until one memorable night in the New Mexican desert when Ellie Arroway’s dreams of contact finally come true.
That’s only half the story, though. That initial contact leads Ellie to the creation of an enormous spacecraft, several encounters with her eccentric benefactor S.R. Hadden (a scene-stealing John Hurt), battles with nasty government guys (like James Woods), a run-in with a terrorist (Jake Busey), conflicted feelings about her sometimes boyfriend, spiritual advisor Palmer Joss (28-year-old Matthew McConaughey, looking heavenly), and eventually the ride of her life.
Sagan, who wrote the book and served as advisor for the movie, insisted that “Contact” be accurate and believable, and it is. It’s a bummer that Sagan didn’t live long enough to see the finished product. He died in December 1996, of pneumonia after a long battle with a blood disease. I know he would have loved “Contact,” though, especially the awesome opening sequence, Ellie’s ride back from the desert dishes, the sets for the spacecraft, and Ellie’s memorable trip to the cosmos, which is breathtaking.
Actually, after thinking about what happens in the opening of “Contact,” maybe Carl did get to see his movie after all. I hope so.
You can find “Contact” (rated PG) On Demand. Check it out.
