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 early career. The film became the highest-grossing release of its time, displacing Star Wars, and remains a defining work of American cinema — a story of childhood, longing, and connection that resonated across generations. Its cultural footprint extended well beyond the box office, shaping how science fiction could be told with intimacy rather than spectacle.

This cell, titled E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Title Card, captures the film's most enduring image: Elliott silhouetted against a full moon, bicycle airborne, with E.T. riding in the front basket and the film's title text overlaid across the lunar surface. The frame repeats across three exposures, preserving the composition that became synonymous with the film itself and with a particular moment in popular imagination.