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 an intimate story of childhood, friendship, and belonging. Its cultural footprint — from John Williams's score to its visual iconography — has proven enduring across generations of audiences.

This cell, titled E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Title Card, captures three frames of the film's most recognized image: Elliott silhouetted on his bicycle against a luminous full moon, accompanied by the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial title text. The composition, featuring Elliott and E.T. together in that suspended moment of flight, is among the most reproduced images in cinema history.