Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
I had not watched E.T. since its theatrical release. I remember that summer well because I spent a lot of it babysitting my younger cousins. One of them loved E.T. so much that we went to go see it a lot. So much so that my aunt finally said, "no more".
Anyway, I was pretty burnt out on it, and being a punky, know-it-all know it all teenager, who would rather be home listening to Judas Priest and Motorhead, I resented having to sit through a "kid's movie". (I also took them to go see Night Shift, and could not understand why my Aunt was disturbed that I would take her small children to see a movie about prostitution...but that's another story)
But I watched E.T. the other night with my wife and kids on the home theater.
Wow, all I can say is, "what the hell did I know?"
Within the first ten minutes I was looking over at my wife saying "Y'know, this isn't shot like a kids movie". The shadows, the fog, the cuts, the motivated source lights, all reminded my of either a noir or a horror film. That impressed me. So many kids movies are shot flat, like romantic comedies, to keep the focus on the characters in a more generic way.
But then, I was more impressed when I started to see that it was shot like a kids movie...but a smart kids movie. The lighting is a bit over-stylized at times. The hazer is running on overdrive a little more often than normal. The camera never sees an adult's face (aside from Dee Wallace) until near the end of the film when Peter Coyote takes off his mask.
This is a brilliant collaboration between Daviau and Spielberg. I am sure that there were people who were saying "enough with the hazer already" when this thing first screened. It borders on the ridiculous. But it isn't ridiculous. It's perfect.
Nowadays it is common to see movies that appeal to both children and adults, mostly through irony, and self aware pop-culture references. But back then, this was breaking new ground. And Spielberg et al did it in much more earnest way, which is much more difficult. The script is well written, and the allegory is very effective. But the way this movie was shot is the real kicker for me. It feels grown up to adults. But it is the perfect balance between the fantastic and the real for kids to enjoy it.
I know that Spielberg sometimes gets a bad rap in the indie world because his films can be so populist, and the revenue they generate could support most third-world countries. But the one thing that guy NEVER forgets, is that he is a storyteller. Whatever it takes to tell a great story in an effective way, he is willing to do.
E.T.=Genius.
Anyway, I was pretty burnt out on it, and being a punky, know-it-all know it all teenager, who would rather be home listening to Judas Priest and Motorhead, I resented having to sit through a "kid's movie". (I also took them to go see Night Shift, and could not understand why my Aunt was disturbed that I would take her small children to see a movie about prostitution...but that's another story)
But I watched E.T. the other night with my wife and kids on the home theater.
Wow, all I can say is, "what the hell did I know?"
Within the first ten minutes I was looking over at my wife saying "Y'know, this isn't shot like a kids movie". The shadows, the fog, the cuts, the motivated source lights, all reminded my of either a noir or a horror film. That impressed me. So many kids movies are shot flat, like romantic comedies, to keep the focus on the characters in a more generic way.
But then, I was more impressed when I started to see that it was shot like a kids movie...but a smart kids movie. The lighting is a bit over-stylized at times. The hazer is running on overdrive a little more often than normal. The camera never sees an adult's face (aside from Dee Wallace) until near the end of the film when Peter Coyote takes off his mask.
This is a brilliant collaboration between Daviau and Spielberg. I am sure that there were people who were saying "enough with the hazer already" when this thing first screened. It borders on the ridiculous. But it isn't ridiculous. It's perfect.
Nowadays it is common to see movies that appeal to both children and adults, mostly through irony, and self aware pop-culture references. But back then, this was breaking new ground. And Spielberg et al did it in much more earnest way, which is much more difficult. The script is well written, and the allegory is very effective. But the way this movie was shot is the real kicker for me. It feels grown up to adults. But it is the perfect balance between the fantastic and the real for kids to enjoy it.
I know that Spielberg sometimes gets a bad rap in the indie world because his films can be so populist, and the revenue they generate could support most third-world countries. But the one thing that guy NEVER forgets, is that he is a storyteller. Whatever it takes to tell a great story in an effective way, he is willing to do.
E.T.=Genius.
