E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial

When I first saw “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” as a child, it scared me. Usually as a kid, any really good movie was hard for me to watch emotionally because of how real the film seemed. When I became a teenager, I got over that fear but my love for this movie did not surface until 2002 with the 20th anniversary special edition. I was in my first year of university and I went to see the film in theaters. I could feel the powerful of the newly re-mastered soundtrack and I loved the added special effects but seeing the story itself on the big screen had the biggest impact on me. I shed tears in various moments. As a result, it is my favorite film released in 1982. I feel the film works mostly because of director Steven Spielberg but other cinematic elements are very instrumental to its success. There is Melissa Mathison’s screenplay, the acting and John Williams’ musical score. Just as George Lucas and Frank Oz in 1980 took an alien puppet and made it into an authentic character, so did Spielberg and his team in 1982.

In the early 1980’s, Spielberg, along with his friend George Lucas, was already being credited for changing Hollywood. He had introduced the blockbuster era with films like “Jaws”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. He had already been nominated for two Best Director Oscars. Then came what Spielberg calls his “most personal film”: “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial”. When a filmmaker makes a personal movie, that emotion has a good possibility of touching the audience. Spielberg put a lot of his childhood into this movie and could relate to its story quite powerfully. As touching as the movie is, it doesn’t start out touching at all. The family dinner scene at the start of the film establishes the broken nature of the family and creates a relatable group of characters for the audience. Also in order for our main character’s appeal to be as strong as it can be and in order for the film to be as dramatic as possible, there must be contrast. Sometimes it is a villain that contrasts our main character but in the case of this movie, our first impression of E.T. is what contrasts his true nature. The audience must be afraid and unsure about him at first just like Elliot. The opening scenes portray E.T. as mysterious and scary. Once E.T. begins to mimic Elliot in the bedroom however and we finally see E.T.’s face, we share Elliot’s wonder. E.T.’s design itself is both cute but strange. Spielberg wanted to be on that fine line design-wise so that the audience would bond with E.T. gradually. Because our final impression of this alien is different from our initial impression, the film contains the message for kids that we must not be judgmental but rather look beyond our earliest impressions. The character of Keys is another part of this theme. He sure is a misleading character thanks to the direction of Spielberg. We don’t see his face until we near the end. When we finally see it, the lighting on his face is very intimidating. Then we come to understand however that Keys had a similar experience when he was a boy as Elliot. We realize that Keys has no evil intentions and cares for E.T. Our fear of him is now gone thanks to that first moment Keys has with Elliot.

The story includes moments early on that hint of the psychic connection that E.T. can make with living things. It appears that his race uses this connection as a part of their survival. E.T. connects with Elliot and the flowers because he has no one from his race to keep him healthy. I don’t think he does this intentionally. The drunkenness scene confirms that a strong connection does exist between Elliot and E.T. It is less psychic and more emotional in nature as Michael later points out. The emotional connection between Elliot and E.T. symbolizes the emotional connection we share with Elliot towards E.T. We come to love E.T. just as Elliot does. We are sad when he dies and also when E.T. leaves. E. T.’s ability to emotionally connect with other things also appears symbolic of the feelings we have for our family and friends. We feel different when someone close to us passes away. It also relates to our desire to live. There is some truth of the phrase “loosing the will to live”. We need emotional companionship in a way to survive. This emotional link we share as human beings is more vital for E.T.’s race. It would seem that when a member of his species dies, they literally cut themselves off emotionally so that the others may go on living. E. T. comes back to life because his race is close enough to reestablish a connection. The film’s use of E.T.’s heart shows how he connects to his family. At this point, the government is still an obstacle to E.T.’s well being. Keys might understand that E.T. needs to go home and in the end, he personally watches E.T. leave. The other government people will not understand however which gives us the amazing climax of the film. The excitement of the chase exists in part because we are watching kids trying to escape from bad men. I like how the line “We made it” is ironically followed by the sudden appearance of government agents on foot. When E.T. flies the whole group of bicycles, it is both relieving and funny as Mike’s friends have no idea what is happening. E.T.’s lines at the end of the film are very heart touching because he is still not fluent in English. His inability to fully communicate makes for a powerful farewell.

Some directors have a specific look to all their films like Tim Burton. Spielberg’s movies are not unique because of their design but rather because of lighting and little, personal touches in the portrayal of the story. Just like on “Close Encounters”, Spielberg utilizes the pop culture of that particular time in the storytelling. For example, we hear “Popa-Oom-Mow-mow”, we see “Sesame Street” and also see a commercial. In our time years later, these uses of pop culture end up establishing the time period just like “The Power of Love” in “Back to the Future”. A little moment that shows Spielberg’s talent is when the tin can falls down the stairs after E.T. runs away. How do you direct something like that? Of course, that is probably a happy accident but the inclusion of that shot in the final film shows how the director was able to put it to use for the story he was telling. Spielberg can add a human touch to the movie. His movies have heart because he puts his heart into them. His creative nature is another good quality of his. I like his use of cinematography when Elliot sits up in bed to block the sun shining into his room so that we can see him. Another Spielberg touch I like is the steam from the sink rising in front of Elliot. I find it funny that Mars, Inc. said no to having M&M’s included in the film. As a result, Reese Pieces are still in being made today thanks to “E.T.” The references to “The Empire Strikes Back” date the film but they add to the entertainment experience. I love when E.T. sees the Yoda costume and mistakes the kid wearing it for a real alien. Lucas would later repay the favour in “The Phantom Menace” by including E.T.’s in the senate. The part where E.T. hides with the dolls in the closet is funny because of the cinematography. We see the dolls and E.T. from the perspective of Mary and that creates dramatic irony. Spielberg’s friend and future collaborator (pun not intended) Robert Zemeckis was responsible for this idea apparently. Spielberg uses his directorial skills very well when the government takes over the house. It is scary because we were not expecting the guys in space suits. The march up the street silhouetted against the setting sun shows their power and the threat they pose. Unlike others, I don’t mind Spielberg’s 2002 special edition. It makes the film better in my opinion because I didn’t grow up with the film. Just as “E.T.” and other blockbusters helped society recover from the events of the 60’s and 70’s, we needed a similar pickup after September 11th. I find it wonderful how you can’t tell exactly how much and what was changed. The final bicycle flight for example does not feel out of place despite the improvements because they are subtle. The kids that you see are no longer little puppets on little bikes but at the same time, they appear to be the same actors. Being a perfectionist, Spielberg wanted to correct moments that made him cringe in later years and I support acts like that. An artist has the right to improve his work if he so desires. A masterpiece wouldn’t exist without the artist who created it in the first place and so any special film edition usually appeals to me.

After the direction and the story, it is the acting and musical score that make “E.T.” special. Henry Thomas was a great discovery. His ability to show genuine emotion is key the story. If his acting did not work, we would not believe that E.T. was a real character. Many times, Drew Barrymore is able to deliver the lines as if she made them up. Her charm and innocence are her best qualities. My favorite performance is Robert MacNaughton as Michael. He is the typical 80’s teenager, more so than Michael J. Fox in “Back to the Future”. Even though I am older than Mike now, he still feels like the older figure for me. I love MacHaughton’s delivery of the line, “You stay here Mom. We’ll check it out.” Mike initial reaction to E.T. is funnier than anyone else’s because of the how lightly he is taking things until he sees E.T. It is also funny for the same reason when Mike first hears E. T. speak. Mike’s friends are also cool. One time, I got to watch "E.T." with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra playing the score live to the film. That was such a unique experience. For the aforementioned 2002 Special Edition release, John Williams did the same thing for the premiere. By 1982, Williams had already won Oscars for such film scores as “Star Wars” and “Jaws”. He also was nominated for his work on “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Superman”, “Close Encounters” and multiple other films. His work on “E.T.” earned him his 18th Oscar nomination and 4th win and this score was just as special as his past works. One moment I like is the transition from the score of “The Quiet Man” back to his original score. Another great moment is the aforementioned scene with the Yoda costume and the inclusion of Williams’ own theme for that particular character. Williams’ best work on this film is of course on Halloween when E. T. and Elliot fly over the forest. The film’s theme swells with such power that Spielberg’s images become even more special. I feel that the image of our main characters silhouetted against the oversized moon would not have become so iconic without Williams’ score.

“E.T.” will forever be a part of pop culture. The film was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. While it lost both of those awards to “Ghandi”, even its director felt that “E.T.” and Spielberg should have won. Spielberg appears to have rewarded that director, Richard Attenborough, for his compliment by later casting him in “Jurassic Park”. “E.T.” did win four Oscars for visual effects, sound, sound effects editing and, as mentioned, for musical score. The American Film Institute has rated “E.T.” as #24 in their list of the greatest films of all time. “E.T.” is on other AFI lists such as those for movie lines (“E.T. phone home” at #15), musical score (#14), most thrilling movies (#44), most uplifting movies (#6) and science fiction films (#3). It is also one of my top ten favorite science fiction films and top ten favorite musical scores. Spielberg and Williams appeared unstoppable during the success of this film. Everything they touched was turning to gold. Both men have continued to give us many amazing experiences in the movie theaters since “E.T.” Spielberg even started making dramatic films after this film, two of which gave him Oscars. As a fun fact, this is the only Spielberg-directed film between 1977 and the present time that was not edited by Michael Kahn. E.T. was brought to life in many different ways and that is why he feels so real. The direction, the acting, the story and the music all contribute in making this puppet a living character on screen. Just as “The Wizard of Oz” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” have inspired audiences for many decades, may this film follow suit.

5 Stars