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E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)

Starring Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, and C. Thomas Howell.  Cinematography by Allen Daviau.  Edited by Carol Littleton.  Produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg.  Written by Melissa Mathison.  Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Under the cover of darkness a small crew of alien scientists visits Earth to study its plant life. Their presence is nearly discovered and in the mad dash back to get back to their ship, one of them (played by E.T.) is accidentally left behind. The poor little guy finds refuge in a backyard work shed where Elliott (played by Henry Thomas), one of the children living in the adjacent house, finds him.  After an initial shock, curiosity gets the best of them and they soon become acquainted.

Elliott harbors E.T. (the name he has given his new friend) in his closet and teaches him how to speak English. The bond between Elliott and E.T. grows stronger; so strong in fact that when E.T. starts to suffer from a deadly home sickness, Elliott’s health follows suit.  The authorities discover the extra terrestrial living in the suburban neighborhood and they quarantine the area, making escape seem impossible.

In the late seventies Steven Spielberg was developing a film titled Night Skies that would portray a different kind of extra terrestrial life form than those featured in his Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  The story, written by John Sayles and Ron Cobb, was set on a farm that was being terrorized by small alien creatures. Night Skies’ screenplay had been finalized, story boards had been assembled, and alien effects had been created, but the project was eventually dropped due to budgetary concerns.

There was one element of the story, however, that would stick with Spielberg; at the end of Night Skies one alien was left behind by its crew. This idea, along with his childhood fantasies of having a “special friend” that came along to save him from the loneliness and hurt of his broken home, was the basis of the story that he would pitch to screenwriter Melissa Mathison while shooting Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Mathison, who was there with her fiancée Harrison Ford, had written The Black Stallion and other children’s stories and seemed a perfect choice to pen such a script.

So during the downtime in the hot Tunisian desert Spielberg and Mathison developed the basic plotline of what would eventually become E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.  When Spielberg got back to California he immediately showed the script to his friend Sidney Sheinberg, the head of Universal Studios, and the very next day the project was green-lit.

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial ended up not only being the biggest hit of Spielberg’s already enviable career, but ultimately became one of the biggest hits of all time. Audiences around the world flocked to see this film event; so much in fact that it was kept in theaters for over a year on its initial release.  The film was later re-released in 1985 and found some success.

On E.T. the Extra Terrestrial’s twentieth anniversary, Spielberg had the film entirely remastered with enhanced special effects, a digitized soundtrack, and previously edited footage. This “special edition” was greeted modestly at the box office, but has since found its way on to a fantastic two disc DVD set that is a must for any fan of the film.

Budget: $10,500,000

Total US Gross: $435,110,554

Genre: Science Fiction

Runtime: 115 Minutes

US Release Date: 6/11/82

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (intended ratio)

Awards:

Academy Awards: 
Won for best original score, sound, visual effects, and sound effects.
Nominated for best cinematography, editing, original screenplay, director, and picture.

Golden Globes: 
Won for best original score and best dramatic picture.
Nominated for best new star male star of the year, screenplay, and director.

Directors Guild of America: 
Nominated for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. 

Writers Guild of America: 
Won for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen. 

American Film Institute’s Top 100 Lists:
100 Years… 100 Movies (#25)
100 Years… 100 Thrills (#44)
100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes (#15 – “E.T phone home.”)
100 Years of Film Scores (#14)
100 Years… 100 Cheers (#6).

Tagline: His Adventure On Earth.

Quote: “He needs to go home.  He's calling his people… and I don't know where they are… and he needs to go home.”

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