E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

USA, 1982
115m
35mm film, 70mm film (blow-up), Technicolor, 1.66:1 (negative ratio), 1.85:1 (intended ratio)
70mm 6-Track Dolby, Digital Dolby, English

An American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. It opened theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on 11 June 1982.

Plot Summary

A small alien is stranded on Earth when government scientists disturb his plant-collecting expedition and his colleagues take off without him. E.T. befriends a young boy, Elliot, and tries to find a way get home. But all the while, the government agents are closing in and E.T.’s time is running out.

Credits

Crew
Director: Steven Spielberg
Universal Pictures
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
Associate Producer: Melissa Matheson
Script: Melissa Mathison
Director of Photography: Allen Daviau
Editor: Carol Littleton
Music: John Williams
Sound Mixer: Gene Cantamessa
Make Up: Robert Sidell
Hair: Lola ‘Skip’ McNalley
Special Effects: Industrial Light and Magic
E.T. Created by: Carlo Rambaldi
Visual Effects Supervisor: Dennis Muren
Production Designer: James D. Bissell

Cast
Dee Wallace (Mary)
Henry Thomas (Elliot)
Peter Coyote (Keys)
Robert MacNaughton (Michael)
Drew Barrymore (Gertie)
K.C. Martel (Greg)
Sean Frye (Steve)
Tom Howell (Tyler)
Erika Eleniak (pretty girl)
David M. O’Dell (schoolboy)
Richard Swingler (science teacher)
Frank Toth (policeman)
Robert Barton (ultra sound man)
Michael Durrell (van man)
David Berkson, David Carlberg, Milt Kogan, Alexander Lampone, Rhoda Makoff, Robert Murphy, Richard Pesavento, Tom Sherry, Susan Cameron, Will Fowler Jr, Barbara Hartnett, Diane Lampone, Mary Stein, Mitchell Suskin (medics)
Pat Welsh (E.T. – uncredited)
Debra Winger [voice of E.T.- uncredited]

Alternative Titles

A Boy’s Life – working title
E.T. – advertising title
E.T. and Me – working title
E.T. – Der Ausserirdische – Germany
E.T. en Zijn Avontuur op Aarde – Netherlands
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in His Adventure on Earth – advertising title
Night Skies – working title

Links

See also
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000)
AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies (1998)
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
The Arrival (1996)
Back to the Future (1985)
Bad Taste (1987)
Balto (1995)
Barney’s Great Adventure (1998)
Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Chicken Run (2000)
Contact (1997)
Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island (1983)
Daijôbu, mai furendo (1983)
Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996)
The Day of the Triffids (1962)
Dogma (1999)
Donnie Darko (2001)
The Doom Generation (1995)
El E.T.E. y el O.T.O. (1983)
Explorers (1985)
The Faculty (1998)
Flight of the Navigator (1986)
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Gremlins (1984)
Harald (1997)
Horrible Horror (1986)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Independence Day (1996)
The Iron Giant (1999)
Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983)
Joey (1985)
King Kongs Faust (1985)
Last Action Hero (1993)
Men in Black (1997)
Moonwalker (1988)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Munchies (1987)
The Muse (1999)
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991)
Los nuevos extraterrestres (1983)
Orgazmo (1997)
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
Peter Pan (1953)
The Pickle (1993)
Scream (1996)
Six String Samurai (1998)
Spy Hard (1996)
Star Crystal (1985)
Star Trek (1966-1969)
Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
Top Secret! (1984)
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Warriors of Virtue (1997)
Wild Wild West (1999)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
Zenon: The Zequel (2001)

Includes extracts from
Sesame Street (1969)
This Island Earth (1955)

Extracts included in
100 Years at the Movies (1994)
AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies (1998)
The American Film Institute’s Tribute to Steven Spielberg (1995)
Coming Soon (1982)
E.T. and Friends (1982)
The Making of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1996)
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (1988)
My Science Fiction Life (2006)
Precious Images (1986)
The Universal Story (1995)
Visions of Light (1992)

Production Notes

Release
It was shown at the Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 1982

A charity screening in aid of UNICEF was held at the Marunouchi Piccadilly Theatre in Tokyo, Japan in January 1983 in the presence of Prince Hironomiya ¹Screen International no.377 (15-22 January 1983) p.8. The film opened to the public 10 days later ²Screen International no.377 (15-22 January 1983) p.8.

The film went on to a huge box office hit, taking a record $34,810,211 in its first ten days of release. On the back of its success, MCA’s stock rose dramatically. ³Screen International no.349 (26 June – 3 July 1982) pp.1-2 – note (‘E.T.’ sets a $34 record)

References

Periodicals

• Empire December 1998 p.146 – review
• Radio Times 26 March – 1 April 1994 p.52 – credits, synopsis
• Radio Times 5-11 June 1999 p.59 – credits, synopsis
• Screen International no.343 (15-22 May 1982) p.1 – note (Official festival time-table)
• Screen International no.347 (12-19 June 1982) p.8 – note (June releases)
• Screen International no.348 (19-26 June 1982) p.2 – note (‘E.T.’ – a star)
• Screen International no.349 (26 June – 3 July 1982) pp.1-2 – note (‘E.T.’ sets a $34 record); 6 – illustrated article (A blockbusting summer ahead)
• Screen International no.350 (3-10 July 1982) p.1 – illustrated article (The hype that money can‘t buy by Frank Barron)
• Screen International no.351 (10-17 July 1982) p.2 – note (New record)
• Screen International no.376 (8-15 January 1983) p.26 – illustrated note (UK provincial box office: ‘Tron’ makes big strides by Tina McFarling)
• Screen International no.377 (15-22 January 1983) p.8 – illustrated note (World news desk: Japan: Prince at ‘E.T. charity show by Nancy Hata)
• TV Filmes December 1997 p.54 – review (by Manuel Pereira)
• Variety vol.307 no.1 (5 May 1982) p.5 – note (‘E.T.’ finale at Cannes)
• Variety vol.307 no.11 (14 July 1982) p.1 – note (Film B.O. is ‘Extra-terrestrial’)
• Variety vol.307 no.4 (26 May 1982) p.14 – credits, review (Film reviews by Cart)
• Variety vol.311 no.2 (11 May 1983) p.4 – note (E.T’ Fuels Record Quarter For MCA; Gravy Train Halting)

Books

• 101 Things You Never Knew About the Movies p.7 – credits, review
• The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction by Phil Hardy (ed) p.374
• The Best 80s Movies by Helen O’Hara pp.44-45 – illustrated review
• BFI Screen Guides: 100 Science Fiction Films by Barry Keith Grant pp.53-54
• Darkness in the Bliss-out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg by James Kendrick pp.1-2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 21, 23-68, 111, 133, 144, 172, 176, 181, 191, 193, 197, 209
• Escape Velocity by Bradley Schauer pp.3, 4, 10, 135, 193-94, 199-202
• Film Fantasy Yearbook 1983 pp.42-47
• The Films of the Eighties by Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan p.171 – credits, synopsis
• The Films of the Eighties by Douglas Brode pp.80-82 – illustrated credits, review
• The Ghost of One’s Self: Doppelgangers in Mystery, Horror and Science Fiction Films by Paul Meehan pp.173, 174
• Heroes, Monsters and Values: Science Fiction Films of the 1970sby Michael Berman and R.S. Dalviu (eds.) p.190
• Hoffman’s Guide to Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991-1991 p.124 – credits, review
• Horror and Science Fiction Films III by Donald C. Willis p.85-86
• Looking for a New England: Action, Time, Vision: Music, Film and TV 1975-1986 by Simon Matthews p.11
• The Pocket Essentials Steven Spielberg by James Clarke pp.61-67
• Sci-fi Chronicles by Guy Haley (ed.) pp.282, 365
• Sci-Fi Now’s 80s Sci-fi Almanac: Complete Movie Guide 1980-1989 pp.42-45 – illustrated article
• Silver Screen Saucers: Sorting Fact from Fantasy in Hollywood’s UFO Movies by Robbie Graham pp.31, 75, 113, 120-121, 126-127, 137, 250, 285
• Steven Spielberg (2nd ed) by Philip M. Taylor pp.14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 23, 26, 28, 33, 36, 40, 41, 42, 44, 51, 52, 64, 55, 56, 58, 59, 62, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 73, 108, 113, 114, 119, 123-135, 141, 149-150
• Steven Spielberg by Donald R. Mott & Cheryl McAllister Saunders p.181
• Steven Spielberg by George Perry pp.47-51, 114-116
• Steven Spielberg by Sean Connolly pp.4, 34-35
• Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride pp.13-14, 17, 18, 40, 47, 49, 61, 72, 75, 95n, 115, 197, 266, 320, 324-336, 504
• Steven Spielberg, Filmmaker by James Robert Parish pp.6, 9, 65-71, 77-79, 81
• The Stop-motion Filmography by Neil Pettigrew pp.203-204
• Trick Cinematography by R.M. Hayes pp.268-271
• The Vampire in Science Fiction Film and Literature by Paul Meehan pp.84, 206
• Variety Science-Fiction Movies by Julian Brown (ed.) pp.41-42 – illustrated credits, review

Other Sources

• BFI Southbank Guide June 2016 p.16 – illustrated listing