Great Moments From Cinema - 7

One Flew Over The Moon
Movie: E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (Amblin Entertainment & Universal Pictures; 1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Melissa Mathison
Major Cast: Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton & Drew Barrymore

Film Synopsis: A heartwarming story of friendship between a young boy and a lost alien who is trying to find a way home.

My Favorite Moment: A bicycle flying across the moon.

Why I Like It: There is a moment in the film when young ‘Elliot’ (Thomas) shows the alien (‘ET’) to his elder brother (MacNaughton) and kid sister (Barrymore). The young girl starts screeching in high pitch while the elder brother, who has been trying to put up a brave face, starts screaming as well. This scares ‘ET’ and he too screams in his own peculiar way. The children’s mother hears this and comes to investigate. This sends the kids and ‘ET’ scurrying into the closet, all screaming at the same time. With this scene Spielberg does two things. He establishes that this is a movie about kids and made for the kids. Secondly, he shows that the alien is just as scared, perhaps more, of the tiny little girl because he too is a young one away from his family. In fact Spielberg takes great care in the first hour of the movie, not to show the face of a single adult, except the mother. All the others are shot from shoulders down. Even later, most of the adults are either behind masks or in shadows. Adults in this film are unimportant. They are the skeptics. They will not understand. It is not about them. At times you can almost feel the child in Spielberg grinning during some of the scenes, while in some others; you can feel his parental hand pat your shoulder. This movie is his most noble achievement.

‘ET’ has been mistakenly left behind by his spaceship and hides in ‘Elliot’s’ garage. When ‘Elliot’ finds out, both of them are scared, but soon develop a friendship and love which grows so strong, that it binds their life-force to each other. ‘Elliot’ starts feeling ‘ET’s’ pain due to homesickness and wants to help him get back. ‘ET’ is a super-intelligent being who amongst other qualities, has healing powers at the tip of his fingers. In one scene, ‘Elliot’ cuts his finger and says “Ouch”; ‘ET’ just touches his finger with his and repeats the same word which he now assigns to pain. In an inspired scene at end, the only conversation between ‘ET’ and ‘Elliot’ during their parting is:

‘ET’: “Come”
‘Elliot’: “Stay”
‘ET’ (pointing towards himself): “Ouch”
‘Elliot’ (doing the same): “Ouch”
Such magical moments are plenty, including the famous shot of ‘ET’ pointing towards the sky and crying out “Home!” In the film’s most subliminal sequence, ‘Elliot’ is riding with ‘ET’ on his bike which starts flying, with the moon as a backdrop. John Williams has composed a score for the ages and young and old alike are sure to gasp each time they watch this scene. In fact, “ET” is a film which every parent should watch with their kids, since it is the most incredible way of bonding for a family at the movies. This scene of the bike is not just great moment in cinema; it is a great moment in the life of a child.

Spielberg at the end of his career may be regarded as the greatest director the world has seen and his films like “Schindler’s List”, “Jaws”, “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind”, “Minority Report”, “Jurassic Park”, “Indiana Jones”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Color Purple”, “Munich” etc. will be seen as examples of his mastery. But generations of people will see “ET” for the wonder that it is, not because it is another masterpiece by him. That is the difference between great movies and life-affirming experiences at cinema.