National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 1994
“Written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Steven Spielberg, this film chronicles the relationship between a young boy (Henry Thomas) and a benevolent alien who is stranded on Earth and trying to find his way back to his home planet. The film's masterful blending of hopeful innocence with excitement and humor made it both a critical and popular success.”
Universal Pictures · Amblin Entertainment · 115 min
Box office
$792.9M worldwide on a $10.5M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 4 wins, 9 nominationsGolden Globe Awards — 2 wins, 4 nominationsLos Angeles Film Critics Association — 2 winsBritish Academy Film Awards — 1 win, 8 nominationsAll 20 wins · 27 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards: Best Original Score
Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing
Academy Awards: Best Sound
Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama
Golden Globe Awards: Best Original Score
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Film
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Director
British Academy Film Awards: Best Original Music
Japan Academy Film Prize: Outstanding Foreign Language Film
David di Donatello: Best Foreign Director
National Board of Review: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Saturn Award: Best Special Effects
Saturn Award: Best Writing
Saturn Award: Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Award: Best Music
Saturn Award: Best Classic Film DVD Release
National Society of Film Critics Award: Best Director
Boston Society of Film Critics Award: Best Director
Grammy Award: Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Scholarship
Named in the title of 28 peer-reviewed works
Examples
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial — 100 Science Fiction Films, 2013
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — A K Peters/CRC Press eBooks, 2010
E.T. the extra-terrestrial — Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter), 1982
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released by Universal Pictures in the summer of 1982, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became a defining moment for Steven Spielberg and for the era of blockbuster filmmaking built on wonder rather than spectacle alone. Its story of a stranded alien befriended by a lonely boy resonated far beyond its family-film label, earning critical acclaim, a place in the National Film Registry, and enduring status as one of the most beloved American films ever made. The bicycle flight sequence at its center became an iconic image of the decade, symbolizing childhood imagination and the bond between Elliott and E.T.
This cell draws from that celebrated flying sequence, pairing Elliott and E.T. with Michael, Elliott's older brother, who joins the escape that carries them skyward. Collectors prize material from this passage of the film because it represents the emotional and visual peak of the story, the moment friendship overcomes fear and pursuit. A 35mm cell from this scene preserves a piece of one of cinema's most referenced sequences, a fragment of the reel that helped make E.T. a lasting cultural touchstone.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds three frames, each with four perforations visible on the top edge and four on the bottom edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual variable-area (bilateral) optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-orange cast consistent with the dye image of a colour release print; no obvious fading or red shift beyond the warm tone of the image itself.
Projection history
Light horizontal scratching is visible in the black leader areas between frames, consistent with a print that has been projected.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the iconic bicycle-silhouette-against-moon image is consistent with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive print stock, and warm dye image are all consistent with a 1982 theatrical release print era for this title.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000062714
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
