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 a deeply personal story of childhood, loneliness, and connection. Shot by cinematographer Allen Daviau on 35mm, its warm, intimate visual style gave the format a particular emotional weight that has only grown with the decades.

This cell, titled Gertie, captures three consecutive frames from a single shot of Gertie in quiet interaction with E.T. inside a domestic interior. The sideways orientation on the strip is a natural artifact of how the scene was framed during production. Holding these frames is holding a small, unbroken moment between two of the film's most beloved figures.