Review of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (2 Discs)

Introduction

When I first heard about the Special Edition I really didn’t want to see it. I had particularly fond memories of ET and remembered with horror "Close Encounters Special Edition". The good news, unless you beg to differ is that ET still hits the spot. I was in floods after about ten minutes and sniffed through the rest of the film. It is a sentimental film and deliberately wrings out the emotions from every scene. Pure emotion. Stephen Spielberg poured his heart into this film. Everyone who has seen it will have a favourite remembered scene; a drunken ET crashing into the kitchen cupboards, Eliot kissing a girl he likes as ET watches John Wayne kissing Maureen O`Hara in "The Quiet Man", the freeing of the frogs, Halloween with ET pretending to be Gertie, ET`s rebirth. Noticeable too is the obsession with Peter Pan, the absent father- a theme revisited in "Hook" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". More noticeable on a personal level was the relationship between mother and son. The pain of separation still so raw in Mary`s face was also something that didn`t mean quite so much when I was only twenty.

Let`s get the changes over with and most of these do tend to upset purists who feel films are finished product and should not be tampered with. O.K I`m in that school, not big on colourising or adding extra spaceships. It`s so tempting though, now it is possible digitally to make the film you would have made 20 years ago. This is where the dreaded CGI comes in. Fears of another Jar-Jar Binks are luckily unfounded. Yes, E.T has been changed. He is more expressive than before. I do have a bit of a problem with "humanising" his expressions and making him a comic turn. The 1982 model, which Spielberg was determined, would not look like a man in a suit, could not be manipulated fully thereby leaving ET with a sometimes uncertain expression. These close-ups have been "revisited" digitally. The CG effects have been overlaid on the original face. This leaves the very personal interaction with the original ET that is missing from films that have totally computer generated characters.One scene at the beginning of the movie has been added. ET is shown running away from the "keys" men, watching his spaceship as it leaves him behind. As Spielberg explains originally that was just a light on a rail! Two scenes, which have been added back, are in the bathroom and an additional Halloween sequence. Neither scene adds much to the overall film but both are fun, which seems to have been Spielberg`s intention. In the Halloween scene Gertie (a young Drew Barrymore) explains where Eliot has gone whilst trying very hard not to. Originally the bathroom scene was dropped because the ET model was leaking. Enhancing the scene digitally, they could eliminate the drips! In the new enhanced scene the CG ET is slightly too cartoon like. A scene with Harrison Ford as the School Principal, telling Eliot off after the frogs` incident, can be seen on the documentary extras but this was not added back to the film.

Spielberg has made his film more politically correct. The word "terrorist" has been expunged and replaced with "hippie". The other major revision is the elimination of guns in the bicycle chase scene. This does appear to reflect the current "troubled times" he refers to in his introduction. Now obviously all these agents would have carried guns because that`s what they do, so by doing this Spielberg has made the film more of a fairy tale and less grounded in reality. Realistically this kind of revisionism and self-censorship does happen. At least he was the one to snip and change. If you buy the Region 1 Version of the Special Edition it includes the 1982 version for comparison.

Sadly for us, in the UK, we have seen a rather overused representation of ET as the face of BT. "Phone home, home phone" spawned a huge BT advertising campaign and this has degraded and over familiarised his image. Happily this film does much to bring back the magic.

Video

It`s a visual delight with brilliantly clear colours and the magic that made it special 20 years ago is still there. The now clichéd bicycle across the moon has been digitally enhanced so that Eliot`s Halloween costume now blows in the wind. The scene that launched a trademark.
A lot of this film does take place at night and ET is often in the shadows so as not to overexpose him. The darkness emphasises the almost claustrophobic encounter.
Presented on anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Remastered, tweaked and some deleted scenes added back as the technology has moved on quite a lot in the last few years.

Audio

The sound is available in 5.1 and DTS on the English language option.
It`s not a hugely noisy film apart from the orchestral manoeuvres. The surround works well as the little spaceship zooms across the sky on the menu sequence. There is a deliberate use of atmospheric sound and the Foley artistes have been at work. Certain sounds have been intensified. ET is gathering plants in the opening sequence and it is possible to hear the earth reluctantly letting go as he pulls out a sapling. When the grownups invade the children`s fantasy world the sounds are dominated by technology-monitors on the child and alien, the hiss of liquid nitrogen in the cryogenic chamber and Eliot`s screams. The jangling keys are perhaps the most overused sound. The agents bug the houses to see if anyone has encountered the ET, Gertie tries to tell her mother about her new friend but she is not listening!

The other important element is the John Williams score that adds greatly to the impact of the film. Particular use is made of music during the non-verbal chase scenes. The most famous scene is Eliot riding with ET in front of a huge moon with the music also soaring upwards.
The dialogue is clear and the script is witty with most of the best lines from the children.

Features

On disc 1
Steven Spielberg`s short introduction –why he did it.
Option for DTS
John Williams`s score- you can listen to John Williams plays the "live score" over the film. You can be there and listen as the orchestra starts; the credits roll and the star names are applauded. It`s very good orchestration and is not overused.
Subtitles –many languages indicates its worldwide appeal.
Scene selection.

Disc 2
Evolution and creation of ET
A documentary of how it all came about with some commentary by the cast and Spielberg. This is a good length with behind the scenes footage and lots of interesting chat about the project.

Reunion of the Cast and Crew
All the major cast members are together with Melissa Mathison and Steven Spielberg. Talking about their memories with behind the scenes footage of the making of ET.

The Music of John Williams
To pretty much anyone of a certain age the music is as familiar as the Close Encounters, Star Wars themes. John Williams is pretty overworked with some impressive films on his CV.


The 20th Anniversary Premiere
A documentary covering the charity premiere of the re-release. Remarkable for the live, yes live music, as played by John Williams and orchestra. Spot today’s child celebrities in the audience. Sabrina’s no teenager!

Space Exploration
The solar system as described by the voice of ET

Designs, photographs and marketing

Stills of ET designs and spacecraft

Trailers.
The theatrical trailer for the re-release of ET.
The trailer for the game-available on many formats.
The trailer for the soon to be released back to the Future Trilogy.

DVD ROM Features

Total Axess-link up to an Internet site to view trailers, behind the scenes footage of new movies said to change on a weekly basis.
ET Trivia game
Free the Frogs Game, wallpaper, downloads

Quite a lot of extras for the price but if you buy the Region 1 version it comes with the 1982 film as well. A commentary by Spielberg would have been nice but he`s a busy guy.
Packaged in a slip case cover, fold out disc case, production notes and recollections from Mr Spielberg.

Conclusion

You may think this is just a kid’s film but it still has a lot to offer. A film made for all the right reasons 20 years ago it still holds its own against the competition. It was a hugely succesful movies and the sales of the special edition will not doubt reflect the nostalgia of the older viewer and perhaps the curiosity of the new.
Mr Spielberg has resisted the urge to change too much despite the politically correct climate- and what he has changed? Well he`s only human. It certainly looks like he was pretty pleased with it and just wanted to shake out the sheets for its re-release. It does come over very much as an event and the documentaries included satisfied a little of my curiosity about how those cute little kids turned out. Thankfully ET has not become some animated monster- he is as I remember him. You may think what`s all the fuss about?
Well, the performances of the children who must carry the majority of the film show are incredibly professional. These kids only met ET the day they went on set to film their scenes with him. The film was shot in sequence and the emotional highs and lows run from scene to scene until the end when they say goodbye and cry what look like real tears. Spielberg manipulated his actors to get the performances and shows keen attention to detail. No scene is wasted.
The mud-mound, that is ET, is a special creation. Remarkably few aliens in films are seen as benign and kindly. Initially seen as a lost puppy he is able to rapidly learn a new language and communicate to survive. The relationship between boy and alien is touching. The human relationships are fractured by loss and at the end Eliot at only nine must lose the friend he so recently gained in a unique bereavement. These are issues that adult films have problems addressing, all wrapped up to go. I was only occasionally aware of the overly heavy hand of the young director and mostly it is a marvellous escapist fantasy.
This is not an epic adventure but in many ways a small and personal film. Buy it for your children but don`t forget to watch it yourself.
If you have tears, prepare to shed them now, and if not, go chip that ice splinter out of your heart.