National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Universal Pictures released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in June 1982, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film became the highest-grossing release of its time and remains a defining work of American cinema, blending suburban family drama with science fiction in a way that resonated across generations. Its cinematography by Allen Daviau, particularly the warm, practical-lit interiors, gave the film an intimacy rarely achieved at blockbuster scale.

This three-frame cell, titled Trying To Flee The House, captures Mary Taylor, Michael Taylor, and Gertie Taylor grouped together within the family home. Shot from a low angle against amber interior light, the figures appear in silhouette across all three frames, preserving a continuous moment of quiet domestic tension as the Taylor family moves through their space together.