National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Universal Pictures released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in June 1982, with Steven Spielberg directing. The film became the highest-grossing release of its time and remains a defining work of the era, blending science fiction with a deeply personal story of childhood, loneliness, and connection. John Williams composed the score, and the production marked a turning point in how mainstream cinema approached emotional storytelling aimed at family audiences.

This cell, titled E.T., Elliott and Gertie, captures a quiet interior moment shared by the three characters in the warm amber light that cinematographer Allen Daviau used throughout the domestic sequences. The sideways orientation on the strip is characteristic of 35mm presentation strips, and all three frames belong to the same continuous shot.