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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: (John Williams) Little
introduction needs to be made for this, Steven Spielberg's most beloved
family film. While a handful of adults may get caught up in the
religious allegories involved in Melissa Mathison's screenplay for
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the story is nevertheless the kind of
hopeful view of alien civilization and has entranced children for years.
Stereotypes about suburban lifestyles of the 1980's, as well as deeply
rooted fears about the intentions of the government, play well with
adults, too, making
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial one of the
greatest blockbuster successes ever to overwhelm the box office. The
bond between a lovable extra-terrestrial and a young human boy leads to
the two to common curiosity, friendship, illness, escape, and salvation,
culminating in a depiction of a alien encounters even more positive and
rewarding than Spielberg's own
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
five years earlier. It was an era during which the famed director could
do no wrong, and he would revisit the production to clean up the special
effects and add a few scenes for a 20th anniversary theatrical release
in 2002. Also at the height of his phenomenal career in 1982 was John
Williams, whose journeys in the franchises of
Star Wars and
Indiana Jones were causing such a monumental response from
audiences at the time that the composer's output of the era is still
often considered the guideline for the redemptive success of the Bronze
Age of film music. Despite all of Williams' triumphs in the plethora of
great franchise scores that resulted from this period in his career,
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial remains perhaps the most magical in a
singular sense. The score finally earned the composer his fourth Academy
Award after several of his best nominated scores during the previous
four years were upset by inferior competition. The famous themes of
E.T. became the new staple of Williams' concert tours, serving as
a comfortable, "feel good" sound from the era. Indeed,
E.T. is
one of those films and scores that will always hold a special place in
the hearts of those who experienced it firsthand in 1982, for it evoked
the perfect emotional response for what audiences craved as "Hollywood
movie magic."
For movie critics, film music critics and collectors
alike, the
E.T. score is almost uniformly admired, usually
without reservation but at least earning significant respect from the
cynics in the crowd. One lingering exception has always remained the
extremely revered film critic James Berardinelli, who not only
downplayed the effectiveness of the film but also stated the following
in 2002: "One thing that has not stood the test of time is John
Williams' mediocre score. With the exception of the soaring 'E.T.'
theme, the movie's music is unmemorable and unspectacular - easily the
weakest of Williams' major motion picture efforts." The only reason
Berardinelli's quote is mentioned in this Filmtracks review is because
it proves, once and for all, that even the best reviewers completely
miss the mark sometimes. And, in cases like this, they deserve ridicule
for their immensely poor judgment. Regardless of Berardinelli's
comically inept remarks (perhaps some bad intestinal gas that day?), the
music for
E.T. is classic if only because it is so memorable; no
suite representing the entire history of film music would be complete
without a few bars from this score. Perhaps the most interesting aspect
of the popular response to this music, positive or negative, is how
focused such opinions are on the famous title theme for the picture. In
actuality, the
E.T. score is substantially more complicated than
that, with no less than eight major, recurring themes in the score (and
several minor motifs) and a very keen sense of instrumental choices and
final orchestration. Obviously, there are traits of Williams' writing
that helped define that entire period in his career, and to an extent
the abundance of these stylistic devices are a major appeal. But more
importantly,
E.T. is a score in which Williams absolutely nailed
the emotional atmosphere of each situation in the film, an ability
proven without question when Williams was allowed to score the final
chase sequence in terms of musical flow, with Spielberg altering the
final edit of the film to match the cue. That, ladies and gentlemen, is
respect. One of the more remarkable aspects of Williams' writing process
for
E.T. is the fact that he wrote most of the swells of the
title theme before the film's special effects were finished (including
the iconic "bicycle over moon" sequence).
Of Williams' eight major themes for
E.T., all but
one are a powerful influence in the film. For the purposes of this
review, the cue titles provided will reference the 2002 20th anniversary
album release, for it offers the most complete collection of cue titles.
In terms of top of mind awareness, the "flying theme" is easily the
heart and soul of
E.T.. The score's most famous theme, this
string-dominated piece is hinted at in "E.T.'s Powers" and other cues
before its full, major debut in "The Magic of Halloween." This theme
dominates the last few minutes of the film and "End Credits,"
technically serving to represent the powers that the alien creature uses
to both heal and fly but also conveying the broader sense of magic that
prevails in the story. Almost equally important in
E.T. is the
general "wonder theme," consisting of two six-note figures on flute and
serving as the bookends of the score. It's the first and last melody you
hear in the film, wistfully performed on flute at the outsets of "Far
from Home" and "At Home" and explosively concluding "Saying Goodbye"
with triumphant brass. This theme provides the sense of fantasy in the
full spectrum of imagination. The "friendship theme" is likely the
weakest in the score, if only because its renderings are so slight. Most
extensively performed by harp and strings in "The Beginning of a
Friendship," "Toys," and "At Home," this idea receives one last flourish
in "E.T. is Alive!" before fragments assist in the score's climax in
"Saying Goodbye." Although this theme is adequate in quality, its tender
tones are not among Williams' most compelling, and they especially
become lost when compared to the extroverted nature of the other themes.
The "alien theme" is the score's most religious experience, mirroring
the chime-tolling and organ-backed tone of Williams' material for the
Ark of the Covenant in
Raiders of the Lost Ark. This theme makes
itself heard very prominently as the aliens abandon E.T. in "Far from
Home" and, more curiously, during the discovery cue "Searching for E.T."
The theme doesn't make a significant impact, as you might expect, during
the climax of the film during which the aliens return. Given that the
bond between alien and humanity is so strong by then, maybe the
overwhelming use of the humans' fantasy themes is more appropriate.
There are two major themes of darkness in
E.T., and
because they often intermingle, many listeners generally apply them both
to the evil government forces. There is indeed a very sinister theme for
the government and its pursuit of the aliens. It's another case in which
Williams uses the bass woodwinds to very effectively represent evil (he
would take the idea to near-comical levels in
Home Alone), not to
mention that he once again constructs a "badguy" theme with the repeated
use of the note of key at its outset. The technique is a habit that
Williams utilizes to drive home the point that there is relentless power
behind a character or entity, and listeners can hear the same general
idea in everything from "The Imperial March" in
The Empire Strikes
Back to the theme for the president in
Nixon. In
E.T.,
the government's theme is employed ominously in "E.T. Alone," "Bait for
E.T.," "I'm Keeping Him," "At Home," and "Invading Elliot's House,"
developing into a frenzy in "E.T. Alone" that foreshadows the sense of
child abandonment and horror in
A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The
other theme of darkness is a bit more nebulous in Williams' intentions,
but it is typically applied as a "mystery theme." This is the deep organ
theme heard in "Far from Home" that accompanies the government's
stalking of (and forced entry to) the suburban home where E.T. is hiding
in "At Home" and "Invading Elliot's House." The prominent mix of this
theme in especially the first two mentioned cues causes it to have a
significant emotional impact on the film, with the final usage finally
resorting to stark drum hits to accentuate the score's only truly scary
scene. The incorporation of the two unsettling themes into the score is
quite thorough, giving both of them the weight and responsibility of
perpetuating the film's creepier side. Williams very astutely alludes to
these two themes in lighter cues, reminding the audience of the peril
involved. The "At Home" cue is especially intelligent in its use of the
instrumentation of the "friendship theme" (the harp, specifically) to
perform to the "government theme" in such a way that it gives you the
uneasy sense that any of your family moments in the home could be
monitored by "big brother." Williams did similar things with "The
Imperial March" in the training scenes of
The Empire Strikes
Back.
Ironically, none of the aforementioned themes is
E.T.'s most infectious. That label belongs to the propulsive
"chase/mischief theme," also made famous by its inclusion in Williams'
concert suites of music from the film. Most listeners will recognize
this theme in the form of its gorgeous piano performance at the outset
of "End Credits" and the concert arrangement titled "Over the Moon." The
rolling rendition of this theme at the end of the film is beautifully
overtaken by the ensemble, and it's no surprise that Williams expanded
upon the idea for his tours. What's more important to remember, however,
is the role that this theme plays in the picture itself. Its mischievous
incarnation is heard in "Bait for E.T.," a cue that very obviously pays
tribute to the style of Bernard Herrmann (those muted trumpets and
staggered rhythms are unmistakable) for twenty seconds before
transitioning into the "chase/mischief theme." The theme goes absent
from the score until "Escape," which affords the idea several explosive
and uniquely motivational performances that assist the children in their
efforts to elude government forces. This theme receives a momentous
sendoff at the climax of "Saying Goodbye." The final major theme in
E.T. is the "victory fanfare," another usual inclusion in the
concert suite arrangements of material from the score. This theme is
heard at the height of the film's "Chase" sequence (about 4:30 into the
suite-like cue) and again at 0:45 into "End Credits." The theme is
typically introduced by the flurry of high range elements (led by flute)
forming a flighty rhythmic bed, one that tends to be annoying in its
extreme, upper-range enthusiasm. A few minor motifs are employed in the
score as well, including a "government chase motif" heard throughout
"Escape" and most clearly at 1:30 into that cue. Once again, the use of
the repeated note on key at the outset of theme connects it to Williams'
usual treatment for the forces of evil. Also heard, of course, is Yoda's
theme from
The Empire Strikes Back, which is not only a cute
reference included by Williams due to the Halloween costume seen in the
film, but also as a pun on the physical similarities between Yoda and
E.T. (a point made by Spielberg himself in E.T.'s scripted reaction).
Other motifs are explored in the more comical first half of the score,
but these are of little consequence.
Overall, the multitude of themes for
E.T. merge
to form a spectacular accompaniment for the film and an undeniably
rewarding listening experience on album. Williams' fantastic integration
of his themes for the film is evident in nearly every cue. By the
fifteen-minute suite that makes up the climax, the themes are so
seamlessly expressed in succession that you begin to forget their
individual purposes. It is perhaps because of this methodology that some
listeners mistake this score as one that is largely monothematic. The
work's only weakness comes in the somewhat unconvincing and shallow
emotional depth of the "friendship theme" and the silly tones of the
tandem of "E.T. and Elliot Get Drunk" and "Frogs." Otherwise, the
E.T. score is a lasting powerhouse in the history of cinema, and
is among even the best of Williams' illustrious career. Because of its
immense popularity, the score for
E.T. has been released on album
many times throughout the two decades following its debut. From 1986 to
1996, the only recording of the
E.T. score available, on LP or
CD, was a 40 minute collection of recordings that weren't those that
originally appeared in the film. Williams recorded those eight tracks
himself at the time of the film's recording, but meant for the second
recordings to be only a concert variation of a large portion of the
score. Such practice was common in Hollywood's previous ages of film
music, though it was somewhat rare to see it occur in the 1980's. These
recordings are noticeably different than those made for the film, and
although some collectors were satisfied with them, others obviously were
not. It was often claimed that the sound quality of the re-recordings is
superior to that of the film versions, though direct comparisons with
the later album releases of the actual score would beg to differ. The
original concert arrangement albums, which received several re-pressings
by MCA between 1986 and 1990, naturally contained material in the wrong
order and with different orchestrations. The typical favorite on those
albums was the "Adventures on Earth" suite, which consisted of the
"Escape/Chase/Saying Goodbye" cues that have largely been overexposed in
their constant performances in concerts through the years.
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2002 Album: | | |
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Only $11.99
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After a very attractive expanded edition of Williams'
Raiders of the Lost Ark was released the previous year, MCA
followed in 1996 with a release of nearly the entire
E.T. score
in its film performance. This 71-minute album offered 31 more minutes of
music and arranged the contents into faithful film order. Williams never
recorded many of the dark passages for his original album release,
completely ignoring some of the brilliant performances of the two organ
and bass woodwind themes, as well as a few of the great string
performances of several other themes. The only downsides to this 1996
version are that it is not a complete selection of the film's final
music and, most unfortunately, it doesn't contain the version of the
"End Credits" that was heard in the film (an alternate mix was pressed
onto this CD instead). Thus, to hear the lovely piano performance of the
"chase theme," you needed to continue holding on to the earlier MCA
products. For the 20th Anniversary release of the film in 2002,
MCA/Universal released the score once again, this time offering the
complete score of almost 76 minutes. The added three cues are definitely
not necessary (the actual "Main Titles" consist mostly of atonal sound
effects), and the 2002 album is not remastered any better than the 1996
one had been. The packaging of the two contain precisely the same
information. The one true benefit of the 2002 product is the overdue
appearance of the original end titles performance that is similar, but
not identical to "Over the Moon." An SACD version of the 2002 album was
also released concurrently. On the whole, the album situation continues
to present problems for Williams completists and die hard
E.T.
fans. Which version should you get? Unfortunately, each album has its
unique benefits. The original MCA pressings, with the eight concert
tracks, featured the necessary "Over the Moon" arrangement and a
powerful performance with resounding bass. The 1996 album cleaned up the
sound quality and features all of the material actually from the film
that you will ever need. The 20th anniversary album completes the
picture with the extra few minutes of score and the original "End
Credits" cue. Thus, it's possible that many Williams enthusiasts will
pursue all of the albums. In any case, you're hearing a great
presentation of a classic score, an achievement that still stands as one
of the maestro's very best.
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