ran the June 11, 1982 when ET the alien it reached the projection rooms, but it was not yet known that it would mark the history of cinema, especially science fiction. Forty years later, the creature continues to soften the world in its efforts to return home.
the original idea arose from the childhood experience of the director, Steven Spielberg, affected by his parents’ divorce and that he invented an imaginary friend.
Today, on its 40th anniversary, actress Drew Barrymore also joined the celebrations by wishing the character a happy birthday and the tape where he acted when he was only 7 years old old.
ET longs to return home, to a galaxy three million light-years from Earth. and with which he tries to communicate (“my house, telephone” became such a famous phrase that it became part of the cultural heritage). He, like little Elliot, feels that his home is incomplete.
An unforgettable plot
The story starts in Crescent City, California. Extraterrestrial botanists gather samples of vegetation to take to their distant planet, but agents of the American government follow them and in their flight they forget one of their members. Meanwhile, Elliot (Henry Thomas) falls victim to his older brother, Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and his friends.who have him as their servant and send him for a pizza.
In the path, Elliot discovers the lost and abandoned alien, who flees. However, the boy leaves some sweets on the way to his house to attract him. After various incidents, Elliot and his siblings, Michael and Gertie (Drew Barrymore)They try to find a way to get the little alien back to his planet before scientists and police find him.
The final scene, in which ET tells Elliot, “I’ll be right here”while pointing to the sky with the tip of his shiny finger, just before boarding the spaceship that will return him to his planet, became one of the most moving and tearful endings in the history of cinema.
Steven Spielberg’s Masterpiece
Coincidentally, the ET script came up during the filming of the also successful film Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. During breaks in filming, Spielberg met with screenwriter Melissa Mathison to work together on the film. Once they had the outline more or less spun, Mathison wrote a first version in two weeks that immediately convinced the director.
At the audition to select the actor who will play Elliot, and after not being very convincing in the test, Thomas improvised a scene in which, to express sadness, he thought about the day his dog died. Her tears so moved Spielberg that he decided to cast her on the spot.
The inspiration to design the face of the cute alien turned out to be a combination of the faces of the scientist Albert Einstein, the poet Carl Sandbug and the writer Ernest Hemingway.
ET moved millions of viewers, was acclaimed by critics and was nominated for nine Oscars, of which he won four, one of them the one with the best soundtrack, John Williamsa music that makes the viewer travel from the seat and that made a whole generation dream.
Spielbergwho had already worked with Williams on Shark (1975), was particularly amazed at the score of ET the alien. Her fascination was such that when he heard it for the first time she couldn’t hold back her tears and asked him not to change a single note.
What is so special about the film that 40 years later it continues to excite and attract the public? Perhaps the simplest answer is that it tells a story about a feeling as universal as friendship, in addition to showing the public that aliens can be affectionate and familiar, instead of simple monsters from another world as cinema imagined until then.
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
