E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

by Melissa Mathison

To coincide with the 20th anniversary re-release of the classic film, digitally remastered with new scenes and never-before-seen footage—here is the never-before-published screenplay and story behind the movie in the filmmakers' own words, lavishly illustrated with more than 200 photos. Directed by Steven Spielberg from the Oscar®-nominated screenplay by Melissa Mathison and produced by Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, this landmark film won four Oscars® and grossed $700 million worldwide. The touching story of a lost little visitor from another planet who is befriended and protected by a young boy who, together, find a way to return the young alien home, the film co-stars Dee Wallace-Stone, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton, and Drew Barrymore. Published to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary, the Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook includes stories from the makers and stars of the film, how the project was conceived and written, how the alien was drawn and made, how the movie was cast, how anxious the filmmakers were about its reception, the stunning unveiling at Cannes, Spielberg's thoughts as a filmmaker about making films for kids and adults, and much more. 200 color and b/w illustrations.

Genres: Film, Fantasy, Media Tie In

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Melissa Marie Mathison (June 3, 1950 – November 4, 2015) was an American film and television screenwriter and an activist for Tibetan freedom. She was best known for writing the screenplays for the films The Black Stallion (1979) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the latter of which earned her the Saturn Award for Best Writing and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Reviews

[Scott Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice extra to the Deluxe boxset I bought. It has the whole script in the book as well and photos and interviews on the making of the film. I did learn a few new things.

[SBF · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good supplement for those who enjoy the movie, especially having the screenplay included. There's some interesting notes and reminiscences from the cast and crew, and a lot about the E.T. puppet and how it worked. The only thing that sticks out is that since this was published for the 20th anniversary, there's a note from Spielberg about taking out the guns from the scene where the boys fly on the bikes with E.T. That's been put back into the movie in the years since; I remember very harsh criticism at the time for making the changes. All in all, a good look at making an interesting and difficult film.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book makes it very clear that I have been spoiled by the meaty behind-the-scenes oral histories of J.W. Rinzler. It's a charming, polished, well-compiled work that details the process of bringing E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial to the screen, and even has a section near the end that covers some of the digital "updates" from 2002. It includes as its centerpiece Melissa Mathison's script for the movie, accompanied by sidebars, concept art, and on-set snapshots.
It should have been a 5/5 for me, but the "script" is a transcription of what actually made it to screen. For a movie where Spielberg famously encouraged his child-stars to ad-lib or adjust the dialogue to be more naturalistic, I would have loved a chance to see the actual shooting script with annotations about what changed and why.
That said, it's a pleasant stroll down memory lane that augments any "making of" documentaries that you might already have watched.

[Pocketroid · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a big fan of ET, reading books and unused scripts, watching documentaries, and collecting rare images: This is a must-have.

[Ken Proudfoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birth and development of this classic movie, not 40 years old! If you love movies, here is the inside about how it was created and it includes the final script of the film.