E.T. The Extra Terrestrial 1982

Fig 1. Movie Poster

E.T. is a sci-fi phenomenon directed by Spielberg which like Third Encounters of a Third Kind defies the expectation of Alien in films, “Extra-terrestrials no longer had to be a laser-blazing threat to humanity: the universe, he was saying, is also full of awe and wonder.” (Lee, 2014) Spielberg focuses E.T. in the child’s world, the role of the protagonist is shared by E.T. and the young child Eliott. Elliott’s performance is given with modesty rather than by a child who has been learning to act since they could talk, same with Elliott’s older brother and younger sister. Another genuine performance contributor is that of the E.T. interactive animatronic that the actors interacted with, they wasn’t talking to nothing that would later be put in post production with CGI like most film these days. It makes the story feel all the more real, you can lose yourself in that film’s world.

This film is personal to Spielberg as he has set the family home without the father around and the mother is pre-occupied with her divorce - his parents were also divorced, E.T. evokes a glimpse into Spielberg’s childhood, perhaps E.T. was a figment of the child-Spielberg’s mind that has stayed with him through to adulthood. Another factor that takes you into the kid’s world is that it’s a parallel to the Wizard of Oz story as Canby points out, “Mr. Spielberg and Miss Mathison have taken the tale of Dorothy and her frantic search for the unreliable Wizard of Oz and turned it around, to tell it from the point of view of the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Woodman. Dorothy has become E.T., Kansas is outer space, and Oz is a modern, middle-class real-estate development in California.” (Canby, 1982). To emphasise it’s a child’s world, the adults in the start are only shown from mid body down a lot like in kid cartoons, and when we finally do get to see the adult’s faces they’re covered in masks this connotates the faceless authority, adults have grown up and away from innocence.

Fig 2. Masked Adults - Faceless Authority

Fig 3. E.T. and Elliott.

“At every moment from its beginning to its end, "E.T." is really about something. The story is quite a narrative accomplishment.” (Ebert, 2002). What makes E.T. such a loved film is how endearing it is, the bond created between E.T. and Elliott is a genuine one (see fig 2) emphasised by E.T. connecting himself telepathically to Elliott so whatever E.T. feels Elliott will too comedically conveyed when E.T. discovered beer. Also it’s endearing to watch these children take in this alien, teach him how to use foreign objects and teach him to talk, the audience root for them when they try to help E.T. go home after being left behind by his spaceship in the beginning, the audience have great empathy for E.T. being homesick to the point it temporarily kills him. A lot of the story tells itself with no dialogue, Spielberg finds other visual ways to get across E.T.’s thoughts and feelings to move the plot along. This film alongside Close Encounters of a Third Kind reinforces Spielberg’s belief that family is where the heart lies. By the end, E.T. becomes a member of that family which makes it all the more urgent to save him from science experiments like frog dissection which earlier on is foreshadowed. Also the strong attachment formed makes it heart breaking when he has to go and asks Elliott to go with him, E.T. filled the hole that the Dad created when separating from their mother so when E.T. leaves they’re feeling that loss all over again.

Fig 4. E.T. Abandoned.

Praise for character design and development for E.T. something original and special, it’s a film adults and children now can grow up with. E.T. you can easily tell is an alien but he’s not the green thing that walks on two legs the classic stereotype, they’ve given E.T. his own characteristics, he squeals, waddles, extends his neck, has eyes with colour that you can see character and emotion in, his skin isn’t slime green etc etc. His chest glow on and off like fireflies at night and his alien abilities that allow the bikes to defy gravity and give dead flowers life makes him charming, endearing, special and loved. The first scene watching his species look for plant life, you see the innocence of it, then authorities try to find them, E.T. is immediately in danger and we want him to make it back to the ship in time from that moment on we begin developing our attachment to E.T. and the empathy only grows, (see fig 4). Everything that makes this film a success, is what makes it such an enjoyable film, you can get lost in the film’s world if your mind is open enough to it.



Bibilography:

Canby, Vincent. 1982. ”Movie Review - - 'E.T.,' FANTASY FROM SPIELBERG - Nytimes.Com". Nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Ebert, Roger. 2002. ”E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Movie Review (2002) | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Lee, Marc. 2014. “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Review: 'Redefined Popular Sci-Fi'". Telegraph.co.uk. N.p., 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Illustration List:

Figure 1. E.T. Movie Poster. (1982) [Poster] http://comicbook.com/popculturenow/2016/10/14/e-t-movie-poster-sells-for-nearly-400k/ (Accessed on 19 March 2017)

Figure 2. Masked Adults - Faceless Authority. (1982) https://jwerees.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/the-empathetic-tellurian-e-t-the-extra-terrestrial/ (Accessed on 19 March 2017)

Figure 3. E.T and Elliott. (1982) https://jwerees.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/the-empathetic-tellurian-e-t-the-extra-terrestrial/ (Accessed on 19 March 2017)

Figure 4. E.T Abandoned. (1982) http://www.writeups.org/e-t-extra-terrestrial-spielberg-et/ (Accessed on 19 March 2017)