Restored Isolated Score: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

[Holko 9,526]

I figured we'd have to start the year and formal decade on a high note.

 

 

X Main Title
1M1 The Forest (Revised)

1M2 Keyes Arrives
1M2A The Final Solution
2M2 Looking for E.T. - Might be my favourite little discovery here, the "mickey mousing" as Elliot throws the Pieces around and downs a couple.
X The Encounter

 

In this extended overture, themes are set up, some action grabs your attention, and the mood is established.

 

 

2M3 The First Meeting
3M1 Into the House
3M2 Meeting E.T.
3M3 E.T. and Elliot - Unused, movie tracks E.T. is Alive over it
4M1 In the Closet

 

The gentle friendship blossoms during this calm break in the score, but the ominous Keys theme still reasserts itself a couple times.

 

 

4M2 E.T.’s Magic
5M1 Mary Seaches the Closet
5M2 E.T. Raids the Icebox
5M5 E.T. Gets and Idea
5M6 The Quiet Man
6M2 Levitation - Unused, meant for but also unused in the Laserdisc-exclusive deleted scene
6M3 Bed Time Stories - First time I had to shorten the footage to fit the score.
7M1 Halloween
7M2‐8M1 E.T.’s Machine

 

An idea is born, moods shift into more tension and themes mingle and develop.

 

 

8M2 Michael’s Search (new Intro)
9M1 Keyes Enters the House (revised) - Second time I had to shorten the footage, the shot creeping in on E.T. for lack of a better opportunity. It bothers me that the strikes don't always match up with the cuts but it's the same way in the film.
9M2 Stay With Me (new intro)
10M1 He Came to Me
10M2 E.T. Phones Home - This was shortened in the film but fits just fine like this!
11M1 The Rescue - Had to extend the footage in multiple places
11M3 The Bike Chase
11M4‐12M1 The Departure (plus sweetener bars 79‐82)
END CREDITS (revised)

 

Everything culminates into the grand finale, good on its own but mindblowing as the payoff to all the buildup.

 

 

1M1 The Forest - too long, had to add a short black screen
1M2 Keyes Arrives (New Ending?)
8M2 Michael’s Search - only included the original opening here
9M1 Keyes Enters the House (original) - still had to shorten the footage but not by as much as the film version
9M2 Stay With Me
11M4‐12M1 The Departure (no sweetener, Steven’s fix) - this runs shorter than the film take, but not out of sync by much and not too many hard sync points except by the second half anyway.
END CREDITS

[JohnnyD 1,223]

Awesome!

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Anybody who doesn't love this magical film has my sympathy!

[crumbs 14,316]

Beautifully done Holko. Loving the longer videos  -- dividing the score into 'suites' based on the story progression, like one long symphony divided into movements.

 

This score is so masterful, you can easily follow the film's narrative without any of the unscored scenes; JW's music is so evocative that you only need the scenes he scored to grasp what's happening.

 

I'd forgotten how much harp JW bundled into that first act; utterly sublime writing. How I wish more composers utilised instruments like this in modern scores.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Barry and Herrmann used harp to great effect also!

Very nice job, H!😍

 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

This really helps remembering where each cue goes in the film. Last time I listened to ost I had trouble remembering!😊

[bruce marshall 1,315]

I ran into Peter Coyote at an event months after I saw the film, June 1982.

I recognized him but couldn't remember what I saw him in- he was pretty unknown at the time.

Now I realize why: you never really get to see any of the adults faces until late in the film!

[Jay 37,364]

Wow can't wait to watch this - this looks awesome!

 

Out of curiously, what made you want to highlight the alternate take for Keyes Enters The House in the alternates video, but not the alternate takes for The First Meeting, E.T's Powers, or Into the House?

[Holko 9,526]

8 minutes ago, Jay said:

Out of curiously, what made you want to highlight the alternate take for Keyes Enters The House in the alternates video, but not the alternate takes for The First Meeting, E.T's Powers, or Into the House?

I decided Keyes Enters had a significantly different enough bit in place of a memorable section - the strings and winds instead of the pipe organ solo.

The First Meeting was on the table but it turned out to be longer than the final cut and it doesn't even really do much different beside using a different instrument. So I decided not to bother. I realise it's all subjective but obviously some alternates are more alternate than others and look more interesting.

I didn't notice anything different in Into the House either besides that one more Call on a woodwind and different timing for the second half.

E.T.'s Powers? checks spreadsheet  Oh. So it's not on the LLL, that's why I wasn't aware of it. Listening to the 2002 and LLL versions back to back in sections, I honestly can't tell where that overlay is on first try, so it can't be that significant.

[Jay 37,364]

Aye, that Keyes Enters the House difference is probably the most noticeable of all the alt take stuff

 

Aye, the extra harp in E.T.'s Powers is relatively subtle

[Faleel 5,348]

49 minutes ago, Jay said:

Aye, that Keyes Enters the House difference is probably the most noticeable of all the alt take stuff

 

Aye, the extra harp in E.T.'s Powers is relatively subtle

Aye, dunno matey, claire-o'net versus Pick-lo be a my-tee obvee dif'rinse

[Jay 37,364]

Arrrrrrrrr

[Holko 9,526]

Hook confirmed again!

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

This will always remain JW's story-telling masterpiece. I feel he has never displayed better mastery of narrative than here. Every single cue is lifting the movie up - providing suspense, providing pathos, providing tension and poignancy, provider wonder and magic.

 

The music does soooooo much of the work in this film it is absurd though the movie is magnificently directed anyways.

 

I can understand a composer overcompensating for a bad script and direction and performances to life up the picture but for an already excellent picture, JW just hits it out of the park. The desperation of the chase theme, like in the above Michel's search cue and the climatic chase cue always gets me. 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Williams was obviously inspired and deeply moved by the film. He reached deep into his soul to produce music of great pathos- equal to the profound storytelling.

A directorial/musical masterpiece .

[bruce marshall 1,315]

One of most original aspects of the score is the opening- when the space craft descends to earth and E.T. explores the forest. JW scores this in unison, the way Rozsa might do for for a Biblical epic( BEN HUR etc).

It lends an aura of religiosity and deep spirituality , which the film itself will convey as the story plays out.

Like I said, Williams was inspired by the finished cut and wrote music of the heart and soul.

[JohnnyD 1,223]

Excellent!

[Bespin 8,482]

Thanks for these videos, and thank you for dividing them into 4 parts instead of around 20!