It happened with “Citizen Kane,” “Anatomy of a Murder,” Bridge on the River Kwai” and a few other movies that rose above other fine films to the realm of classics – all given their due in the media and on screens as their renewed glowing moments in the sun. And all nostalgically remembered by you.

And now, it’s Steven Spielberg’s turn with “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” June 1977 was the date set for its premier, but delayed for technical reasons and not shown until November 15, 1977. Still, there will be appropriate publicity, especially on the Turner Classic Movie channel later this month; watch for it.

No one but Spielberg could have made this film, and made it so masterfully. A small town Midwestern kid, he was born to an Orthodox Jewish family and suffered humiliation and bullying throughout his early school years because of it. Undaunted, he threw himself into his singular love, the making of home movies, which later led to learning his craft at a prestigious film school in Los Angeles and then whisked quickly after that to a career as one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era as well as being viewed as one of the most popular and influential directors and producers in film history that in a career spanning more than four decades.

His films have covered many themes and genres, beginning with adventure and sci-fi themes, only later in life addressing humanistic issues such as the Holocaust, the transatlantic slave trade, war, and terrorism. His films won him the Academy Award for Best Director (for “Shindler’s List” and “Saving Pvt. Ryan”), while three of his films (“Jaws,” “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park”) achieved box office records and came to epitomize the “blockbuster” movie. Spielberg surrounded himself with equally talented, film-absorbed people, learned to think “big” and learned to make films that encompassed subjects that went beyond normal budgets intelligently produced films that had a child-like aura yet catered to all ages.

And then came “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” an epic sci-fi adventure about a disparate group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. That hit the screens with a bang in 1977 and hasn’t slowed down yet.

The story, according to a summary in Rotten Tomatoes, begins with Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), an electrical lineman who, while sent out on an emergency repair job, witnesses an unidentified flying object. His wife and children are at first skeptical, then concerned, and eventually fearful as Roy becomes prepared to give up his job, his home, and his family to pursue the truth about UFOs.

His obsession puts him in contact with others who’ve had similar close encounters, including Jillian (Melinda Dillon), a single mother whose son disappears during a UFO experience; and, much later, Claude Lacombe (French filmmaker Francois Truffaut) who believes we can use a musical language to communicate with alien visitors.

Eventually, they all wind up at the base of Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, where military espionage and a lot of confusing incidents come together in a spectacular display of unearthly pyrotechnics.

And while the title suggests only three specific episodes, the film was also shot in various locales where other “close encounters” occur: in Alabama, California, Mexico, India, and even on the Gobi Desert of Mongolia all leading to the final awe-inspiring effect, the landing of a huge, brightly lit alien ship beneath the Tower, and then, after an impressive display of mutual friendships between the occupants of the ship and the earth people, the grand space ship lifts off the ground and leaves with a child’s farewell “Bye” and an embellished chorus of the five musical notes that joined the disparate groups – as over the closing credits begins what sounds like “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Silly? Yes. Crazy? Yes. But overwhelmingly impressive!

It became Columbia Pictures’ biggest grossing film up to that time, and without question helped to usher in the era of the blockbuster sci-fi film.

Not satisfied with some choppy (and confusing) editing, Spielberg in 1980 created a “Special Edition,” which also included scenes inside the space ship. The movie reminds us of what would become Spielberg’s style: foggy lighting, careful cutting, abrupt close-ups, a deceptively nave approach to human innocence, and a camera eye that forces us to see the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.

Reactions from critics followed dozens of national and international awards, including these excerpts:

“His new movie is richer and more ambitious than “Jaws,” and reaches the viewer at a far more profound level than “Star Wars.” (Frank Rich, Time Magazine)

“This is dopey Hollywood mysticism all right, but thanks to considerable craft and showmanship, it packs an undeniable punch.” (Jon Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader)

“It features some of the most heart stopping sights in popular cinema. Trumbull’s special effects are spectacular, John Williams’s score is emotionally charged, nouvelle vague director Truffaut makes an elegant UFO expert, and it’s impossible not to get caught up in the protracted climax.” (Andrew Collins, Radio Times)

“The conclusion is a breathtaking piece of filmmaking.” (Graham Jones, Star Critic).

Move over, “Manchurian Candidate” and “Sunset Boulevard.” Make room this June for a return of Spielberg’s masterpiece.