Tuesday, April 11, 2006

E.T. - 1982

I have very fond memories of seeing this movie a dozen or so times when I was young. I'm sure I could have quoted the movie verbatim. Even though it's been years since I last saw E.T., it brought back a warm fog of nostalgia. For the record, it's a great movie. On the assumption that everyone reading this has seen the movie, a few observations:

-The genius of Speilberg is the details. Every seen looks great. The shadows and silhouettes are just right. The dialogue snaps and you fall in love with the correct things.

-Drew Barrymore makes this movie. She adds just the right note of humor. As E.T. leaves he tells her to 'Be good'. It's a shame he didn't tell her to stay away from drugs and cross her legs.

-There's a Halloween part where kids in costume have absolutely run amok. It looks like the Piston's just won a championship. Things are in flames and human sacrifices are just around the corner. The adults don't care. Very strange.

-The 'phone' that E.T. makes is very clever. As a kid I never realized that it's powered by a branch being blown by the wind.

-Another thing I didn't realize is that E.T. was dying on Earth because he needed a more humid climate. The heartbreaking scene where his dying body is found in a river (with racoon!) is proof of this. He was trying to submerge himself. If only they'd explored Seattle instead of SoCal he'd have been fine.

Again, this is a great movie.

No comments: