This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
4 Wheels
Young Dorothy opens the door of her black and white house to reveal a technicolor world of munchkins and a yellow brick road. A mafia boss consolidates his power by simultaneously ordering the killings of his enemies as he watches his son's baptism. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, an ominous star destroyer is revealed to be so large that it takes our breath away.
These are moments of absolute perfection in cinema, and they are few and far between. But there is another of these perfect moments in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and even better, this one features a bicycle. E.T. is such a perennial classic that I'm sure you already know the scene. If for some strange reason, you are one of the few who have not seen it, you're missing a wonderful experience.
Many creative elements conspire to etch into our memories the scene of E.T.'s granting Elliot's bicycle the gift of flight. The key, however, is composer John William's score. It is only here, more than halfway through the film, that the famous E.T. theme is revealed in full. This grand musical moment combined with the now iconic image of the bicycle riding in front of the moon is as close to perfect as movies get.
If you are unfamiliar with the name John Williams, just think of any bit of classical theme music you remember from a film. Chances are it's a John Williams score. He is responsible for the music in Star Wars, Superman, Harry Potter, and almost every film Steven Spielberg has made. E.T. may be his most powerful score because it so embodies its many moods. As E.T. begins, the music is dissonant and Spielberg is mostly using darkness, save for his trademark beams of light breaking through the fog.
In its original advertising campaign, the public was kept unaware of what the alien looked like. Try to imagine not knowing how heartwarming E.T. eventually becomes and the first 20 minutes plays as a quasi-horror film. Think of that glowing shed in the backyard and the little boy knowing that there's something inside, but not knowing what.
Some consider E.T. a children's film, but that's only because the camera is so adept at looking at the world through children's eyes. Aside from the mother, we see no adult clearly until the resolution. I still believe that Henry Thomas playing Elliot gives the best child actor performance I have ever seen. (Yes, even better than that kid who saw dead people a few years ago.) Drew Barrymore wasn't so much acting as being a natural little girl who happens to provide some of the best comic moments.
The 20th anniversary CGI additions were completely unnecessary because the alien is never less than fully convincing on both a technological and emotional level. Spielberg, who is responsible for so many masterpieces, was so skilled in involving us in this typical suburban family that the special effects were beside the point.
One consistent theme that keeps reappearing in bicycle movies is the connection of riding bikes to childhood, whether literally or symbolically. In E.T. a second scene of flying bicycles loses none of the magic from the first. Spielberg has hit upon so many truths of childhood and imagination that kids will always embrace this film and adults will treasure it as a reminder of what is was like to be a kid.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
4 Wheels
Young Dorothy opens the door of her black and white house to reveal a technicolor world of munchkins and a yellow brick road. A mafia boss consolidates his power by simultaneously ordering the killings of his enemies as he watches his son's baptism. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, an ominous star destroyer is revealed to be so large that it takes our breath away.
These are moments of absolute perfection in cinema, and they are few and far between. But there is another of these perfect moments in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and even better, this one features a bicycle. E.T. is such a perennial classic that I'm sure you already know the scene. If for some strange reason, you are one of the few who have not seen it, you're missing a wonderful experience.
Many creative elements conspire to etch into our memories the scene of E.T.'s granting Elliot's bicycle the gift of flight. The key, however, is composer John William's score. It is only here, more than halfway through the film, that the famous E.T. theme is revealed in full. This grand musical moment combined with the now iconic image of the bicycle riding in front of the moon is as close to perfect as movies get.
If you are unfamiliar with the name John Williams, just think of any bit of classical theme music you remember from a film. Chances are it's a John Williams score. He is responsible for the music in Star Wars, Superman, Harry Potter, and almost every film Steven Spielberg has made. E.T. may be his most powerful score because it so embodies its many moods. As E.T. begins, the music is dissonant and Spielberg is mostly using darkness, save for his trademark beams of light breaking through the fog.
In its original advertising campaign, the public was kept unaware of what the alien looked like. Try to imagine not knowing how heartwarming E.T. eventually becomes and the first 20 minutes plays as a quasi-horror film. Think of that glowing shed in the backyard and the little boy knowing that there's something inside, but not knowing what.
Some consider E.T. a children's film, but that's only because the camera is so adept at looking at the world through children's eyes. Aside from the mother, we see no adult clearly until the resolution. I still believe that Henry Thomas playing Elliot gives the best child actor performance I have ever seen. (Yes, even better than that kid who saw dead people a few years ago.) Drew Barrymore wasn't so much acting as being a natural little girl who happens to provide some of the best comic moments.
The 20th anniversary CGI additions were completely unnecessary because the alien is never less than fully convincing on both a technological and emotional level. Spielberg, who is responsible for so many masterpieces, was so skilled in involving us in this typical suburban family that the special effects were beside the point.
One consistent theme that keeps reappearing in bicycle movies is the connection of riding bikes to childhood, whether literally or symbolically. In E.T. a second scene of flying bicycles loses none of the magic from the first. Spielberg has hit upon so many truths of childhood and imagination that kids will always embrace this film and adults will treasure it as a reminder of what is was like to be a kid.
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