Spielberg's Role: Director, Producer
US Release Date: 1982

E.t. has become a trade mark movie for Spielberg in the past 15 years. This says allot for the movie. E.T. was the highest grossing movie of all time, beating the Star Wars record set in 1978. The record wouldn't be broken again until his own Jurassic Park. Still it is said to be one of Spielberg's favorite projects along with Schindler's List.

This was Spielberg's first major movie aimed at children. The story brings together the Extra Terrestrial and a young boy to protect each other from others who don't understand. The movie shows the possibility of alien explorers as those who aren't interested in intelligent life as much as plants and nature. They seem to have the child like innocence that we find in any animal in our world besides ourselves.

E.T. became a household name and a part of all of our lives, and at the same time became the symbol that Spielberg used to represent himself in many more entertainment ventures. When it came time to form his own production company, Spielberg chose the Elliot and ET flying across the moon as the corporate symbol for Amblin Entertainment.

In June of 1998, E.T. was chosen as one of the 100 best American films in the 100 year history of cinema by the American Film Institute. Steven Spielberg had more movies honored than any other director, with 5. The other 4 movies were Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Schindlers List. E.T. was ranked 25^th.