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 American cinema, blending science fiction with intimate family drama. Its score by John Williams and its portrayal of childhood wonder gave it a cultural permanence that few films of any era have matched. It was shot on 35mm by cinematographer Allen Davison, preserving a warmth and grain that became inseparable from the story itself.

This cell, titled Gertie, captures Drew Barrymore's youngest Elliott sibling in close interaction with E.T. across three consecutive frames from an interior home setting. One frame appears inverted on the strip, a natural artifact of how 35mm footage was handled during production or printing. The sequence holds a quiet, unguarded quality, two unlikely companions sharing a moment that anchored much of the film's emotional core.