E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Why It's a Classic

Steven Spielberg shot E.T. largely from the perspective of children, keeping the camera low and frequently cutting off adults at the waist, which forces the audience to experience the story with the same limited understanding and overwhelming emotion that Elliott feels. Henry Thomas's audition for the role is legendary: he made himself cry by thinking about his dog that had died, and the casting team knew immediately that they had found their lead, because Thomas could access real grief and transform it into performance at ten years old. The decision to make E.T. a puppet rather than a special effect gives the creature a physical warmth and imperfection that CG has never quite replicated, and Carlo Rambaldi's design, with those expressive eyes and extending neck, is one of the great achievements in creature creation. John Williams' score is inseparable from the film; the flying bicycle sequence would be a fraction as powerful without the swelling orchestra carrying Elliott and E.T. into the sky. Spielberg drew on his own experience as a child of divorce, channeling his loneliness into Elliott's need for connection, and that autobiographical sincerity is why the film's emotions feel so unmanufactured. The goodbye scene at the end has made generations of audiences weep because it earns its sadness through ninety minutes of genuine friendship.