National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Universal Pictures released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in June 1982, with Steven Spielberg directing at the height of his creative powers. The film became the highest-grossing release of its era, displacing Star Wars, and remains a defining work of American cinema — a story of childhood, longing, and connection that resonated across generations and cultures.

This cell, confirmed as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Title Card, preserves three consecutive frames of the film's iconic title sequence: the silhouetted moon, the bicycle carrying Elliott and E.T. across the night sky, and the red logo lettering against black. Holding three frames of this composition in 35mm is holding a piece of one of cinema's most immediately recognizable images.