National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Universal Pictures released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in June 1982, and Steven Spielberg's science-fiction fable became the highest-grossing film of its decade. Rooted in childhood wonder and suburban longing, the story of a boy who befriends a stranded alien touched audiences worldwide and cemented Spielberg's place as the defining popular filmmaker of his generation. John Williams's score and Melissa Mathison's screenplay gave the film an emotional weight that has kept it in continuous cultural conversation for more than forty years.

This cell, titled E.T. and Elliott Flying, captures three consecutive 35mm frames from the film's most recognized image: Elliott and E.T. silhouetted against a vast orange sunset sky as their bicycle arcs across the frame, with Michael visible among the riders below and the glowing orb of the moon anchoring the composition. Holding three frames in sequence gives the collector a rare sense of the shot's motion as Spielberg and cinematographer Allen Daviau committed it to film.