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 an intimate story of childhood friendship. Shot by Allen Daviau, its visual language drew heavily on shadow, silhouette, and practical light, giving the film an emotional warmth that has kept it in cultural memory for decades.

This cell, titled E.T., captures the film's most iconic visual register across three frames: E.T. silhouetted against a luminous moon glow, bare branches cutting through a purple-blue sky, the camera angled upward from below. The composition is quiet and unmistakable, a piece of 35mm original photography from one of cinema's most recognizable images.