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Seeing "E.T." again also made me noticed things about it from a professional standpoint that I hadn't before; like the fact that most of the film is shot from either Elliott's or E.T.'s perspective, or from their eye level. The only adult's face we see for about 80 minutes is that of Elliott's mom (Dee Wallace); other grown-ups are faceless or shrouded in darkness. Elliott's science teacher is just a torso and a voice, while Peter Coyote's character, who eventually reveals himself to be a sympathetic, kindred spirit, for a long time is little more than jangling keys on the waistband of a pair of jeans. Fundamentally, though, there's a great authenticity to the kids in "E.T." that makes it so universal, and that comes from the honesty and purity of Melissa Mathison's script. There is zero irony here; they wholeheartedly goof on each other. They don't have cellphones. They're not overscheduled. Elliott, his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and younger sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore, displaying impeccable comic timing at age 6) truly believe in this creature. It makes absolute sense to them that he'd show up and be their friend. Why shouldn't he be able to cobble together a phone using a Speak and Spell, a coat hanger, a record player and a fork? This was the childlike wonder of early Spielberg. This was the optimism of the decade. Anything seemed possible. "E.T." similarly looks very of-its-time technically -- and that includes some forgivably cheesy green screen during the flying scenes. As in Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the effects have a quaint tangibility. Today, E.T. would be rendered with CGI or performance capture. It would probably be in 3-D. Thomas himself told me recently that only now, at 41 with three kids of his own, can he finally appreciate the film's enduring nature. "It's my great hope that the message of compassion and friendship, and that kind of being a universal thing that crosses all boundaries
-- that, to me, is the great thing about the film and the reason it's stuck with audiences for so long." ___ What are your memories of "E.T."? Share them with Christy Lemire through Twitter: https://twitter.com/christylemire
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