E.T.'s Wish Fulfillment Fantasy
Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 8:00AM National Bike to Work Week. Here's Lynn.
It’s fun to zip around on a bike, but who among us hasn’t dreamed of having a bike that can literally fly? If The Wizard of Oz engraved the image of a flying bicyclist into our brains as the ultimate nightmare (that moment when the mean neighbor turns into the Wicked Witch of the West still sends chills down the spine), then E.T. replaced it with the ultimate wish-fulfillment fantasy for legions of ’80s kids everywhere.
In a movie filled with memorable images, this one (which Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment would later adopt as its logo) remains the most iconic. Separated from the film, there’s something haunting, even melancholy, about the sight of that tiny silhouette suspended against the giant, low-lying full moon – a hint, maybe, that E.T. must wane before he waxes again. Yet the memory it evokes is Elliot’s incredulous joy as E.T. lifts his bike into the night, accompanied by John Williams’ soaring strings. No matter how many times you’ve seen it, it still feels like the first time. Never mind that the scene was shot against a blue screen, with cranes, and the footage of the forest and moon added in post-production. It’s still magic.
The second liftoff comes at a much tenser moment, following an emotionally draining sequence in which E.T. dies and is brought back to life, and a white-knuckle bike chase – a standout scene in itself – in which E.T. and the boys are almost cornered several times by the authorities. The suspense is surprisingly drawn out, as the viewer knows by now that E.T. has the power of flight at his fingertips and can’t help wondering, What’s he waiting for, why doesn’t he do it?
The moment he finally does, taking the boys with him, brings as much relief as exhilaration. It also marks a brief return to the joy and wonder of the first half of the film before the imminent four-hankie farewell. Once again, we have the image, now expanded, of a whole row of bikes against a large bright orb. This time it’s the sun—a setting sun. E.T.’s time on earth is drawing to an end. But we’ll always remember when he made our bikes fly.
E.T., Steven Spielberg, Visual FX, bikes
Reader Comments (3)
Lovely piece, Lynn. The first bicycle flight is one of the most transcendent moments in cinema history - especially if you see it as a kid. But you're totally right that there is a touch of melancholy in the magic of the moment - there's the exhilaration of flying, and the reality that it can't last forever, and that all life's troubles are still waiting for Elliot when he lands. I don't know if I always read it that way, but I certainly do now when I watch it. There's an emotional honesty in this film that staggers me to this day.
Too bad the clip of the 2nd flight is from the 2002 director's cut, though, which Spielberg altered (defaced) it in significant ways from the original. He's since disavowed that cut, and the changes he made to this sequence, so it's odd that it's the semi-official on-line clip.
Anyway, here's the original cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c9Y39wT0Ww
Thanks, Roark! This is why, even though I have the 2002 version, when I want to watch it I always pop in the original theatrical cut (which Spielberg at least had the grace and foresight to include).
And yeah, it's funny to me that E.T. sometimes gets flak for being sentimental or emotionally manipulative because while it does make me cry (still!), for me there's not a single false note in the entire movie. Not one.
yeah the other clips online either have ads or they are fuzzier. sorry about that. i put the clip in.