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 landmark of American cinema, blending science fiction with intimate family drama. Shot by Allen Daviau, its visual language favored warm practical lighting and close human observation, qualities that made it both a commercial phenomenon and an enduring work of emotional filmmaking.

This cell captures E.T. and Elliott together in a domestic interior, the warm kitchen or living area light falling across both figures as they lean toward a table or counter. Three consecutive frames from a single continuous take, the strip preserves a quiet, close moment between the two central figures of the film.