Since the release of the popular film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, more than 40 years have passed.
A true cinematic icon as the weeks passed, it was one of the most anxiously anticipated movies of that year and has since been hailed as a masterpiece by one of cinema’s all-time greats.
In fact, E.T. is thought by many cinema experts and Steven Spielberg himself to be one of his finest works.
has not lost any of the impact it had when it first hit theaters in 1982.
The acclaimed director, who strives for impossibly high levels of excellence in each of his films, has seen how some areas of the picture may have been enhanced. He also has some regrets.of the later modifications.
2002 saw a remastering
To improve the appearance of the alien visitor to Earth and other changes that sparked controversy among fans when the movie turned 20 years old, special editions of the movie were released on DVD and it was re-released in theaters.
When the federal agents try to capture Eliot in one of the movie’s most famous moments, one of these changes—the replacement of the shotguns with walkie-talkies—infuriated viewers and is now something the filmmaker regrets.
That was a mistake. I never should have done that. ‘E.T.’ is a product of its era. No film should be revised based on the lenses we now are, either voluntarily, or being forced to peer through.”
He went on to explain that the edits were made in order to be sensitive to the fact that the federal agents were chasing children, but he has come to change his mind on that.
“I should have never messed with the archives of my own work, and I don’t recommend anyone do that,” Spielberg said.
