So why is it every Halloween ABC Family, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime and so on release there Halloween TV schedule and never once to the mention the one Halloween Movie that changed life's. The movie that gave us Reese's Pieces, Video Piracy, and the worst Atari Game of all time.In 1982 director Steven Spielberg brought us a scary fun ride about a lovable extra-terrestrail that get's left behind here on earth. Henry Thomas spots his new friend and brings him home through the power of candy coated peanut butter.
I don't think I need to tell you the whole plot. I will tell you that at the age 12 this movie had some great intense scary scenes. When the government agents invade the house you can't help to jump. When E.T. is dieing and taking Elliot down with him you get wrapped up in the intensity and hold on to your seat. This to me is brilliant filmmaking.
And let's not forget the climax of this movie revolves around the great holiday Halloween. At this point in the movie you start to relax and laugh a little. The roller coaster at the end is great fun.
The concept for E.T. was based on an imaginary friend Spielberg created after his parents' divorce in 1960. In 1980, Spielberg met with writer Melissa Mathison and developed a new story from the stalled science fiction/horror film project Night Skies. A Boy's Life aka E.T. was shot from September to December 1981 in California on a budget of $10.5 million. Unlike most motion pictures, the film was shot in roughly chronological order, to facilitate convincing emotional performances from the young cast.Released by Universal Pictures, E.T. was a blockbuster, surpassing Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film and held that title for 11 years until being surpassed by Jurassic Park, which is also directed by Spielberg. Critics acclaimed it as a timeless story of friendship, and it ranks as the greatest science fiction film ever made.
Critics acclaimed E.T. as a classic. Roger Ebert wrote, "This is not simply a good movie. It is one of those movies that brush away our cautions and win our hearts."Michael Sragow of Rolling Stone called Spielberg "a space age Jean Renoir.... For the first time, he has put his breathtaking technical skills at the service of his deepest feelings." Leonard Maltin would include it in his list of "100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century" as one of only two movies from the 1980s. George Will was one of the few to pan the film, feeling it spread subversive notions about childhood and science.
E.T. is the first major film to have been seriously affected by video piracy. The usual account is that the public in some areas were becoming impatient at long delays getting E.T. to their cinemas; an illegal group realized this, got hold of a copy of the film for a night by bribing a projectionist, and made it into a video by projecting the film with sound and video recording the screen and the sound. The resulting video was used as a master to run off very many copies, which were widely sold illegally.
John Williams a long time friend of Spielberg composed the musical score for E.T. Spielberg loved the music for the final chase so much that he edited the sequence to suit it. Williams took a modernist approach, especially with his use of polytonality, which refers to the sound of two different keys played simultaneously. Williams combined polytonality and the Lydian mode to express a mystic, dreamlike and heroic quality. His theme—emphasizing coloristic instruments such as the harp, piano, celesta, and other keyboards, as well as percussion—suggests the childlike nature of E.T. and his “machine.”
During Christmas 2002 to the anticipation of many fan's was the DVD release. But like his buddy George Lucas, Spielberg felt the need to fix what bothered him. With the use of CGI came the modification of several shots.
Spielberg was never happy the look of E.T. running in the corn field and being spotted. He also would add more lights to the space ship. These minor changes were no big deal. But Spielberg became more sensitive about the scene where gun-wielding federal agents threaten Elliott and his escaping friends and had the guns digitally replaced with walkie-talkies.
In a June 2011 interview, Spielberg said that in the future,
there's going to be no more digital enhancements or digital additions to anything based on any film I direct.... When people ask me which E.T. they should look at, I always tell them to look at the original 1982 E.T. If you notice, when we did put out E.T. we put out two E.T.s. We put out the digitally enhanced version with the additional scenes and for no extra money, in the same package, we put out the original ‘82 version. I always tell people to go back to the ’82 version.
Fans who wish to take Spielberg's advice to watch the original version may have some trouble finding it, because the DVD that was issued in 2005 only contains the walkie-talkie version. The original version is only available on DVD releases that have been out of print for several years.
One more thing on the DVD this has one of the best extra's, The audio track featuring John Williams conducting a live orchestra is fantastic.
Atari made a video game based on the film. Released in 1982, it was widely considered to be one of the worst video games ever.
William Kotzwinkle, author of the film's novelization, wrote a sequel, E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet, which was published in 1985. In the novel E.T. returns home to the planet Brodo Asogi, but is subsequently demoted and sent into exile. E.T. then attempts to return to Earth by effectively breaking all the laws of Brodo Asogi.
E.T. Adventure, a theme park ride, debuted at Universal Studios Florida in 1990. The $40 million attraction features the title character saying goodbye to visitors by name. The only trouble with this ride it was alway broke. I did get to ride it and it was enjoyable.
So please do yourself a favor and knock the dust off of your DVD this Halloween and watch a great little movie with your family that gives you enough scare and fright for one night.
No comments:
Post a Comment