National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Universal Pictures released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in June 1982, directed by Steven Spielberg at the height of his commercial and creative powers. The film became the highest-grossing release of its time, displacing Star Wars, and remains a defining work of American cinema — a story of childhood, loneliness, and connection that resonated across generations and cemented Spielberg's relationship with Amblin Entertainment as a major producing force.

This three-frame cell captures Gertie in what appears to be a domestic interior, reclining and holding a round object alongside a piece of paper, wooden furniture visible in the background. The three frames record the same moment in close succession, with a subtle lens flare visible along the right edge of the third frame — a quiet artifact of the original photochemical capture.