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 the New Hollywood era, blending science fiction with intimate family drama. Its score by John Williams and its practical creature effects set benchmarks that influenced popular filmmaking for decades.

This cell, titled E.T. and Elliott, captures three consecutive frames from a single shot set within the domestic interior of the family home. Gertie appears in the first frame alongside E.T., followed by two frames showing E.T. and Elliott in nearly identical composition, the warm practical lighting giving the sequence a quiet, close familiarity that characterizes the film's most personal moments.