A Tale of Two Aliens: TCM Festival Makes for Some Otherworldly Connections
thewrap.comit was a kick to hear Spielberg, who was supposed to have been joined by stars Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore until unspecified events prevented them from coming, talk about how he persuaded screenwriter Melissa Mathison to take on the film, and how the first 50 or so people to see the film heard a version in which the voice of E.T.
was none other than the director’s good friend Debra Winger.) But one of the great things about a festival like TCM is the way it allows you to make connections and follow themes through cinema history – in this case, to go from 1982’s “E.T.” on Thursday to 1953’s “Invaders From Mars” on Saturday.
And I have to admit: As much as certain lines from “E.T.” have stuck with me since I first saw it in a screening room at Universal in 1982 – “E.T.
phone home,” “I’ll be right here” and the one about penis breath foremost among them – there are images from “Invaders” that have stuck with me longer.The film by William Cameron Menzies is a ’50s sci-fi flick shot in three-and-a-half weeks for next to no money.
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