West
On this day in history, June 11, 1982, the film 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' is released: 'Deeply touching'
The landmark film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was released on this day in history, June 11, 1982.
With Steven Spielberg as its director, the film starred Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert McNaughton and Dee Wallace.
“In Spielberg’s enduring masterpiece, one of the most wondrous and deeply touching of all science-fiction movies, young Elliott, a lonely child of divorce, befriends an outer-space creature who has been abandoned by his fellow aliens and yearns to return home to his distant home planet,” says the Museum of the Moving Image.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JUNE 10, 1752, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FAMOUSLY FLIES KITE DURING THUNDERSTORM
“A symphony of feeling, featuring an audacious, overwhelming score by John Williams and cinematography by Allen Daviau that makes California suburbia look like a nocturnal dreamworld, E.T. is the rare blockbuster that is also a work of art.”
When the film was released, Spielberg was 34 years old and reportedly drew on his own experiences as an unusually imaginative, often-lonely child of divorce for his film, says History.com.
Steven Spielberg pictured recently at the Golden Globes. For his 1982 film “E.T.,” Spielberg collaborated with screenwriter Melissa Mathison to capture the tale of a wise and kind alien botanist who is stranded on Earth — and who changes the lives of three children in California. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
“For Spielberg, E.T. marked a return to territory he had first visited with the classic ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977), in which Richard Dreyfuss plays a man who comes face to face with a fearsome alien force that eventually proves to be human-friendly,” says the same source.
Spielberg collaborated with the movie’s screenwriter, Melissa Mathison (who would marry and eventually divorce Harrison Ford, the star of Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones” films) to capture the tale of the wise, cuddly and kind alien botanist who is stranded on Earth.
“Before long, a special link develops between E.T. and Elliott, who will eventually risk his own safety to return E.T. to his planet.”
He needs the help of a sensitive little boy, Elliott (Henry Thomas), to get back home, says History.com.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, NOV. 3, 1956, ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’ DEBUTS ON TV, ELEVATES OLD FILM TO AMERICAN CLASSIC
Elliott and his siblings, played by Robert MacNaughton (as Michael) and a seven-year-old Drew Barrymore (as Gertie), hide E.T. (as the alien names himself) in a closet to keep the creature out of sight from adults like their mother, the same source recounts.
E.T. looks out the window with actor Henry Thomas beside him in a scene from the film “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” which was released in 1982. (Universal/Getty Images)
“Before long, a special link develops between E.T. and Elliott, who will eventually risk his own safety to return E.T. to his planet,” History.com recounts.
At the time, Richard Corliss gave the film accolades in Time magazine.
“[E.T.] is a perfectly poised mixture of sweet comedy and ten-speed melodrama, of death and resurrection, of a friendship so pure and powerful it seems like an idealized love,” he wrote.
The film won four Oscars, for Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score and Best Sound.
The same magazine also included the heartwarming “E.T.” in its list of candidates for Man of the Year — the first film character to receive that honor, says History.com.
The movie received Oscar nominations in nine categories at the 1983 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
E.T. touching the finger of Henry Thomas in a scene from the film “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” 1982. (Universal/Getty Images)
The film won four Oscars, for Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score and Best Sound, according to multiple sources.
The motion picture enjoyed amazing success at the box office, raking in some $435 million.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, NOV. 15, 1956, ELVIS MAKES BIG-SCREEN DEBUT IN ‘LOVE ME TENDER’
In 1985 the movie was re-released and a special 20th-anniversary edition was issued in 2002, says History.com.
In 2022, the movie celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Actor Henry Thomas as Elliott on the set of Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
The timeless messages of the film continue to be relatable even four decades later.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
Shot from the perspective of a child, “the movie delicately addresses complex topics such as divorce, loneliness and sibling dynamics,” noted Smithsonian Magazine.
As film critic Sean Burns wrote for WBUR, “E.T.” continues to be “one of the purest and most emotionally direct of all American movies, with not a whit of adult condescension.”
Spielberg himself said in an interview about the film produced by Universal, “E.T. was about the empowerment of those kids in that family,”
“I saw this as a story about a family … [that had] suffer[ed] the tragedy of divorce, and how E.T. was able to give so much esteem back to Elliott, and to Gertie, and to Michael, and in a sense, pull that family together. [And] when E.T. sadly flew off in the end, that family would never be the same — in a good way. E.T. was an ambassador for peace.”
Read the full article from Here
NORTHWEST BOISE, Idaho — The Boise River is considered the heart of the city for many folks — floating, fishing and the gorgeous scenery on the greenbelt all rely on the waterway.
That’s why the City of Boise closely monitors the river’s water quality and the treated wastewater returned to the river from its water renewal facilities.
“The biggest question we get from people who are pedestrians and bicyclists is what are you trying to catch?,” said Bryan Dufosse, Senior Environmental Specialist with the City of Boise.
He and his team are often seen on the bridges over the Boise River with a unique crane looking contraption that they use to collect a series of water samples across the river.
WATCH | See how the city’s enviromental team tests the water quality of the Boise River
How the City of Boise tests water samples to ensure the Boise River runs clean
The city collects samples from locations upstream and downstream from Boise’s water renewal plants to ensure their treatment systems are working properly.
“We’re from the beginning of the pipe to the end of the pipe, making sure that we’re not putting anything into the river that takes away from the river’s water quality,” Dufosse said.
He says the majority of the time their samples come back nice and clean.
“We don’t see heavy pollutants fortunately here. Normally the Boise river is pretty clean, it’s pretty clean because the city citizens and the City Of Boise care about the River,” Dufosse said.
The city still conducts extensive testing to monitor for pollutants and other contaminants like heavy metals or nutrients. Samples collected from the river are brought to a portable water testing lab they built inside a camper before they’re taken to the city’s full size lab.
“Now we are splitting the samples so we can take them back to the water quality lab and then Alex and the rest of the team will test them for heavy metals and pH and all that kind of stuff,” said Corrine Smith, Water Quality Environmental Technician with the City of Boise.
If unusually high levels of metals or pollutants are detected, the city reports the findings to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and works to identify the source.
The city’s water quality team tests the Boise River 52 weeks a year to ensure the water remains clean and healthy.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Send tips to neighborhood reporter Allie Triepke
Have a story idea from your neighborhood? Share it with Allie below —
-
Hawaii46 seconds agoRecords were set for June rainfall – Hawaii Tribune-Herald
-
Idaho7 minutes ago
How the City of Boise tests water samples to ensure the Boise River runs clean
-
Illinois13 minutes agoData center fears mount after Illinois village residents prepare for the worst
-
Indiana19 minutes agoStatewide Silver Alert issued for two missing Indiana children
-
Iowa25 minutes agoWeight loss drug needles creating safety risk for eastern Iowa law enforcement
-
Kansas31 minutes ago
Kansas Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for July 15, 2026
-
Kentucky37 minutes agoCyclosporiasis spreads across Kentucky
-
Louisiana43 minutes agoLouisiana pastor ordered to stay away from home of man he attacked
