FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial [Special Edition] [DVD]

E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial [Special Edition] [DVD]
enlarge	Director: Steven Spielberg Actors: Dee Wallace Stone, Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote Studio: Universal Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy New: £6.72 as of 23/11/2009 17:50 GMT details You Save: £6.27 (48%) New (12) Used (6) from £4.79 Seller: findprice Rating: 18 reviews Sales Rank: 540 Format: PAL Rating: Parental Guidance Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 2 Running Time: 115 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3 Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5050582361025 ASIN: B0009UCEV4 Release Date: July 4, 2005 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit about a stranded alien and his loving relationship with a fatherless boy (Henry Thomas) struck a chord with audiences everywhere, and it furthered Spielberg's reputation as a director of equally strong commercial sensibilities and classical leanings. Henry Thomas gives a strong, emotional performance as E.T.'s young friend, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore make a solid impression as his siblings, and Dee Wallace is lively as the kids' mother. The special effects almost look a bit quaint now with all the computer advancements that have occurred since, but they also have more heart behind them than a lot of what we see today. --iTom Keogh/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 18 1 2 3 4 Next » Beautiful, magical and sweet April 16, 2007 J. Roberts (Maryland) 15 out of 17 found this review helpful This film is excellent for a variety of reasons, but I think one of it's main areas of appeal is the fact that it taps into the fear we all have of losing someone who matters to us. br / br /In this case, we have a young boy named Elliot who, after suspecting that an alien spacecraft has landed within his local area, discovers an Extra-terrestrial who he befriends, hides in his room and promptly names 'E.T.' br / br /From there on out, Steven Spielberg uses a variety of successful dramatic devices to draw the viewer into the story, creating an overwhelming feeling of empathy. It is nigh on impossible not to become emotionally involved in this film, and the plight of Elliot as he struggles to come to terms with the idea of losing his new friend, who he cares about so much. The compassion which is shared by Elliot and E.T. is also shared by the viewer, and as the two main characters suffer, we as the viewers share in that, and suffer too. br / br /But there is also great humour, innocence and poignancy here, as the viewer is forced to look at life from a child's perspective, something we could all benefit greatly from doing. Every camera shot, every scenario and every piece of dialogue is executed with sensitivity, charm and innocence, as Elliot introduces E.T. to the human world and tries, often with hilarious results, to keep E.T. as his own special secret. br / br /Then, there is the inevitable, as Elliot is forced to face the reality of separation from his new friend, saying goodbye to the innocence of his childhood in the process. The sad scenes in this film are very sad, beautifully shot and simply mesmerising. This is almost a golden example of storytelling, and one of Spielberg's most fantastic moments. br / br /This is everything you could possibly want it to be: a tribute to the innocence of youth and childhood, wonderful escapism, a tribute to friendship, a masterclass in funny dialogue, a heart-warming and sentimental tale, an optimistic reminder to all of us to keep believing in the good things and ultimately, a sterling example of fantastic film-making. br / br /This film will move all except the very coldest people. Allow yourself to be charmed and moved by this beautiful film. A MASTERPIECE October 21, 2005 J. S. Meins (UK) 26 out of 31 found this review helpful What can you say about E.T.? For those of us of a certain age it reflects childhood and a time when the U.S. was nothing but cool (BMX! Take-away Pizza!). For everyone else its a cracking adventure up there with Spielbergs best. A lot of people accuse him of cynically pushing emotional buttons in the name of entertainment, like being able to tap into peoples raw emotions is an easy thing to do. Its not. The last 20 minutes of this film are the most upsetting and uplifting in cinema history. Spielberg and Williams are geniuses. Watch and watch again Incredible May 8, 2008 Mr. C. Carron Brown 8 out of 9 found this review helpful I first watched this film at the age of 7, and was completely drawn in within the first few minutes of this film. I loved the way the simple story line, of a young boy finding a new friend and nearly loosing him forever is unreal, and I think its something that everybody who watches this film can relate to. br / br /As for the music, I mean what can I say. John Williams has again created a masterpiece for the score of this film, which again adds to the emotion. I find myself whistling the tune over and over again!!! br / br /Probably one of the best childrens films ever!!! a film forever for us all March 22, 2007 sean paul mccann (ireland) 5 out of 7 found this review helpful steven speilberg always had the notion to see the world from a childs point of view better than most,and the film E.T is a great example of that,what speilberg does best is to keep it simple without being patronising,to always blur the fine line between fantasy and reality and of course to enchant the young so much so that as grown ups we still look at E.T almost as if its the first time again,this film does all that and more and its legacy is vast. br /E.T tells the story of a young lad called elliott who finds an alien and hides him from the adults who he knows cant be trusted,and builds an unlikely friendship with E.T,one that touches his soul,they become interwoven almost,one example being when E.T gets drunk and a young elliott who is at school feels all the effects of it and when E.t watches tv and elliott reinacts the scenes that E.T is witnessing. br /Of course life cant continue in the same vein for the youngster and scientists want a piece of E.T and with the help of some friends the struggle to free E.T and get him so his ship is a daunting and ultimately moving one. br /The film works in so many aspects,giving us all the thought that we would love a friend like E.T when we were young,young actress drew barrymore who was only a few years from her drug hell,is great here as a girl who in real life didnt know that E.T was a prop so the look of joy and wonderment in her eyes is actually real and i can identify with the scene where elliott shows E.T all his toys as we all did that when we were young,the film still is powerful today,a simple story brought to the world that in the 25 years since still is capbale of stirring an emotion or two,a real masterpiece. "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) February 3, 2007 Jake M. Cochrane (Harrold, Bedfordshire) 5 out of 8 found this review helpful Steven Spielberg's "E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial" features a closing sequence that creates such an emotion, that it can easily be compared with movies like "Schindler's List" and "The Elephant Man." The extra-terrestrial arrives at the woods, with his best friend (a little boy) and his family. The extra-terrestrial's ship is waiting for him. He goes to greet his mother, who is inside the ship, but first - he must say goodbye to his friends. He finally comes to his best friend and they find themselves hugging each other passionately while sobbing. The dialogue is simple (E.T.: "Go," Elliot: "Stay") but when the extra-terrestrial finally breaks out "I'll...be...right...here" everybody in the movie theatre finds themselves in tears. br / br /The alien's name is ironically E.T., and the little boy's name is Elliot (Henry Thomas). We see them laughing, frightened, flying in the air on a bicycle, dressing up and even screaming at each other. Yet, nothing they do can compete with their final moment together. Except maybe the flying bicycle's before it. br / br /Spielberg chose Henry Thomas for the role as Elliot straight after his audition. Thomas thought about the day his dog died to express sadness, causing Spielberg to cry, and hire him on the spot. br / br /The early scenes show a spaceship landing, and they suggest that a little creature has been left behind. The ship escapes quickly after men in pickup trucks come looking for it. Their headlights and flashlights make visible beams through the foggy night, and you remembered the same effect during the ride at Universal. And the keys hanging from their belts jangle on the soundtrack. It's how a lost little extraterrestrial would experience it. br / br /Then there are shots of a suburban house, sort of like the one you live in, with a wide driveway and a big backyard. A little boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas) is in the yard when he thinks he sees or hears something. We already know that it's E.T. br / br /The camera watches Elliott moving around--we are seeing everything from low to the ground, as a short little creature would view it, and experiencing what he (or she) would see after wandering out of the woods on a strange planet. br / br /The whole movie is based on what moviemakers call "point of view." Almost every single important shot is seen either as E.T. would see it, or as Elliott would see it. And things are understood as they would understand them. There aren't any crucial moments where the camera pulls back and seems to be a grownup. We're usually looking at things through a child's eye--or an alien's. br /When Elliott and E.T. see each other for the first time, they both jump back in fright and surprise, and let out yelps. We see each of them from the other's point of view. When the camera stands back to show a whole scene, it avoids showing it through adult eyes. There's a moment, for example, when Elliott's mom (Dee Wallace Stone) is moving around doing some housework, and never realizes that E.T. is scurrying around the room just out of her line of sight. The camera stays back away from her. We don't see her looking this way and that, because it's not about which way she's looking. br / br /Later, we do get one great shot that shows what she sees: She's looking in Elliott's closet at all of his stuffed toys lined up, and doesn't realize one of the "toys" is actually E.T. I laughed at that shot, but it was an exception; basically we looked out through little eyes, not big ones. (For example, in the scene where they take E.T. trick-or-treating with a sheet over his head, and we can see out like he can through the holes in the sheet. br / br /Later, the men in the trucks come back. They know E.T. is in Elliott's house, and they're scientists who want to examine the alien creature. But there isn't a single moment when they use grownup talk and explain what they're doing. We only hear small pieces of their dialogue, as Elliott might overhear it. br / br /By then we know Elliott and E.T. are linked mentally, so Elliott can sense that E.T. is dying. Elliott cries out to the adults to leave E.T. alone, but the adults don't take him seriously. A kid knows what that feels like. And then, when Elliott gets his big brother to drive the getaway car, and the brother says, "I've never driven in forward before!" Kids are always watching their parents drive, and never getting to do it themselves. br / br /I loved the scene where the bicycles fly. We suspect it is coming, because E.T. had taken Elliott on a private bike flight earlier, so we know he could do it. I was thinking that the chase scene before the bikes fly was a little too long, as if Steven Spielberg was trying to build up too much unnecessary suspense. But when those bikes took off, what a terrific moment! When it previewed at Cannes; even the audience there, people who had seen thousands of movies, let out a whoop at that moment. br / br /Then there's the scene at the end. E.T. has phoned home, and the spaceship has come to get him. He's in the woods with Elliott. The gangplank on the ship comes down, and in the doorway we can see another creature like E.T. standing with the light behind. br / br /By the last moments, we're identifying with E.T. And who did he miss the most? Who did he want to see standing in the spaceship door for him? His mommy. Who happens to be standing in the spaceship, waiting for her son. br / br /Of course, maybe Steven Spielberg didn't see it the same way, and thought E.T. only seemed like a kid and was really 500 years old. That doesn't matter, because Spielberg left it open for all of us. That's the sign of a great filmmaker: He only explains what he has to explain, and with a great movie the longer it runs, the less has to be explained. Some other filmmaker who wasn't so good might have had subtitles saying, "E.T.? Are you out there? It's Mommy!" But that would have been dumb. br / br /Out of all the great films Spielberg has made - "Close Encounters," "Schindler's List," "Jaws," "Minority Report," "The Color Purple" - this one still ranks as my favourite Spielberg movie. I have a good friend who stresses the point to me that he thinks "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is a better movie. Well, maybe he's right, maybe it is a better movie. But "E.T." has effected me more than "Close Encounters." It's a film I loved as a small child, and still love now. br / br /And like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Pinocchio," which both are films close to my heart, the more I watch of "E.T.," the more the memories come flooding in from the back of my mind. Showing reviews 1-5 of 18 1 2 3 4 Next »

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