E.T. Page #14

As Mike drives away he drags along the plastic tunnel with the two men

still inside. Mike briefly stops by his friends and tells them to meet him

at the playground at the top of he hill. He then drives away, pursued by a

group of men. Mike's friends put on their hats and sun- glasses, and join

the fray.

[The chase is on. Suspense is created because the audience wonders whether

they will get E.T. back to the forest before the are stopped. They face

impossible odds, yet Mike's friends display loyalty as they join the fight.

Mike and Elliott's first objective is to reach the park. Their major

obstacle is the men trying to capture them.]

Mike drives the van down the street. The two men still in the plastic

tunnel try to climb back towards the van. Elliott starts to disconnect the

tunnel by pulling out metal braces.

[Jeopardy:
If these men get into the van, they will overpower Elliott and

Mike, and prevent E.T. from getting home.]

EXT:
ELLIOTT'S HOUSE: DAY

Mary backs her car out of the garage. Gertie is sitting next to her in the

front seat holding onto the flower pot. "Keys" runs up to Mary and asks

where she's going. Gertie blunts out "to the spaceship."

["Keys" now realizes that the aliens are returning for E.T. This is his

"crisis" information, that spurns him into action.]

EXT:
STREET: DAY

The van continues down the road, still pulling the plastic tunnel behind

it. The two men have almost made it to the back of the van as Elliott pulls

out the final stake. He tosses it to one of the men. When Mike turns a

sharp corner the plastic tunnel disconnects, leaving the two men behind.

[They have overcome their immediate obstacle. Humor is generated when

Elliott tosses the nail to one of the men, because it is the reversal of a

life saving situation. Instead of catching something (like a rope) that

will save him, he catches the object that is his undoing.]

EXT:
STREET: DAY

A convoy of police cars drive up a street.

[The chase is still on. Even though one obstacle has been overcome, the

antagonist brings more formidable forces into the fight. The protagonist is

still in jeopardy.]

EXT:
PARK: DAY

The white van drives up over the sidewalk and into the park. It swerves

between the children's rides, then finally stops. Smoke pours out of the

van, whose back two doors are still open.

[They have reached their sub-objective: the park where they are to meet up

with Mike's friends and continue on their bikes.]

Mike's friends wait on their bikes. Between them they also have bikes for

Elliott and Mike. E.T. is revealed to the boys. He stands among the smoke

from the dry-ice with his red-heart light flashing. "Okay, he's a man from

outer space and we're taking him to his spaceship," says Elliott, now

dressed in blue pants, white shirt, and red jacket.

"Why can't he just beam up?" asks Greg.

"This is reality, Greg," says Elliott.

[Of course, the joke is that it isn't reality. It is a fantasy movie with a

realistic response to a fantastic situation. Right?]

[Elliott finally wins the respect and admiration of Mike's friends,

something he's desired from his introduction scene when they wouldn't allow

him to play DUNGEONS & DRAGONS with them.]

EXT:
PARK: DAY

Mary, along with a crowd of plain clothes police, run towards the van.

"Don't shoot, they're only children," screams Mary.

[This introduces a life and death jeopardy into the scene. It also

characterizes the forces of the antagonist as characters who would shoot

children.]

They reach the back of the van only to find it empty.

EXT:
STREET: DAY

Elliott and friends ride down the street. E.T., covered with a white

blanket, rides in Elliott's basket. Elliott, with the red hood over his

head, shouts that they are to ride to the forest.

[To cloth a character in red is effective in chase scenes. This helps the

audience to visually pick out the scenes important character when the pace

is fast and the action intense. Spielberg used this technique for Elliot in

this scene and for Marion in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK when she runs through

the market chased by Arabs.]

Cars chase them. Elliott rides up the alley and tells the others to follow

him. Police cars encircle them and try to cut them off. The bikers turn off

the main road and ride into a dirt field. A tan car with "UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT" written on the driver's door rides parallel to the bikers.

Two men ride inside the tan car. One speaks into the car radio saying that

they'll get them at the bottom of the hill. The tan car pulls into the base

of the hill and stops. One man gets out and starts to climb up the

embankment. The bikers almost run him over. They ride over the hood of the

car, then continue down the street, now pursued by a blue police car.

The bikers cycle down a dirt road of a section of the community that is

still under development. E.T., with the white blanket covering his head,

sits in the basket of Elliott's bike. A blue car trails them. The bikers

decide to split up. Two ride down an embankment. They are followed by

another police car. The bikers then escape from their pursuers by riding

down steep embankments. The cars cannot follow and must stop on different

levels. The bikers unite and ride away.

[It seems that the chase is over and they have eluded the antagonist.]

The biker's are overjoyed by their victory. One takes off his hat, waves it

in the air, and shouts "We've made it!" Suddenly, he quickly ducks to avoid

being grabbed by a man. A group of men continue the chase. Several cars

pull up ahead and form a blockade in the road.

Elliott and E.T. ride forward. Horror grows on Elliott's face as he stares

at the enemy in front of him.

[This final confrontation between the protagonist (Elliott and E.T.) and

the antagonist.]

The antagonist is explicitly revealed at this moment. On the side panel of

a car is a sign stating:

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

U.S. GOVERNMENT

INTERAGENCY MOTOR POOL

GSA:

The shadow of a shotgun covers the sign. Next, two shotguns are raised

against E.T. and Elliott.

Elliott shuts his eyes with fear. There is a closeup of E.T.'s face. With

shotguns drawn, government agents gesture for them to stop.

[This is the life and death final moment before the climax. The audience

has been set up to expect that the government agents would shoot at the

protagonist by Mary's comments in the park scene.]

Suddenly, E.T. saves the day with his telekinetic powers. He lifts all of

the bikers up into the air as they fly above the blockade.

[The climax is over E.T. has saved himself and his friends]

E.T. then flies the bikers over the housetops, and across the setting sun.

Finally they float down onto a path in the forest.

EXT:
FOREST: DAY

Elliott has reached the landing site. He brushes the leaves away from the

turntable of the communication device. A blue-light floods Elliott's face.

He looks up into the, along with the other bikers. E.T., with red-heart

happily flashing, also gazes into the sky as his spaceship descends.

"Home," says E.T.

The spaceship continues its descent as E.T.'s red-heart flutters. The

spaceship finally lands in a golden glowing light.

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