tighe (06/21/82)
I finally made it to see E.T. and have had a chance to discuss it with some friends. My first comment is that it is a very good film, I intend to see it a few more times, I think it has the depth and staying power to justify seeing it again. In response to inuxc!ralph's question concerning the "revival" of E.T., I noticed quite a similarity with the plot of Peter Pan (yes fans, Tinkerbell and Peter Pan). Spielberg has carefully arranged for you to see that by having the mother read Peter Pan to her daughter, specificaly the sequence where Tinkerbell drinks the poisoned medicine to prevent Peter Pan from drinking it. We all remember the scene: Peter Pan rouses the audience to shout that they believe in fairies and to cheer in support of Tinkerbell, since that is the only cure for her. When E.T. is encased in the refigeration unit, Eliot is left alone, and he says something like "I'll always believe in you, I love you." E.T. wakes up almost immediately. Like Tinkerbell, who drinks the poison to prevent Peter from drinking it, E.T. separates from the kid to take the disease from him. Whether it is the kid who is sick and E.T. cures him, or it is E.T. that is sick and sacrifices himself for the benefit of the kid I can't say without seeing the film again. I saw lots of other pieces from other favorite films as well, All the sequences with bright lights and smoke (When the NASA guys are caseing the the house on Halloween) I thought of Close Encounters footage of the same nature... Especially E.T. crying "home" at the first seeing of Yoda on Halloween. And this special piece of dialog: Eliot: "We have to get him to his ship." Friend: "Well, why doesn't he just beam up?" Eliot: "Come on, this is reality!" The sequence of flying across the back yard pools of Los Angeles broke me up, reminded me of Mary Poppins flying over the rooftops of London. Oh well, enough foolishness. Michael Tighe sii!DESTEK!tighe