E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

How this film uses it

Allen Daviau's camera consistently shoots from a child's height, so for much of the film you only see the government agents from the waist down. Their authority comes down to how big they are. You see the adult world from below, and it looks like an alien threat.

Where to see it

The government agents arriving. They are shot from a child's height and you don't see their faces. Their authority comes entirely from their size next to the children.

How this film uses it

John Williams' main theme is one of cinema's great leitmotifs, which is a tune tied to a character or idea that keeps coming back. You first hear it as wonder. It then develops through danger and plays with the full orchestra during the bicycle chase. When it comes back at the end, it carries the weight of the entire film.

Where to see it

The bicycle silhouette against the moon. The theme is played in full here. The image and the music fit each other so closely that either one alone would feel incomplete.

How this film uses it

Spielberg keeps almost the entire film inside what Elliott sees and understands. The government's threat, the alien's biology and the family's grief all reach you through a 10-year-old's mind. He doesn't have all the facts, but he feels everything completely.

Where to see it

Elliott discovering E.T. in the shed. His fear gives way to curiosity. You work it out slowly along with him, and no adult steps in to explain.

How this film uses it

Spielberg fills Elliott's suburban house with the exact clutter of a real 1980s boyhood. There are Star Wars figures, baseball cards and a messy bedroom. When E.T. arrives, the fantasy lands in a world that is too real to write off as a fairy tale.

Where to see it

E.T. hiding in Elliott's bedroom closet among the stuffed toys. The alien blends in with a child's ordinary things. Those specific household details keep the fantasy grounded.