The Lost Ending of E.T.: How the Final Cut of the Movie Emerged

At the time of its release in 1982, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was something more than just a charming, enjoyable summer movie. It was also a phenomenon. People lined up around cinemas to see it, even sitting in the aisles of jam-packed theaters when it played. It remained within the top ten movies at the box office from June of 1982 until early February of 1983, going on to earn over 435 million dollars. It continued to be the top moneymaking movies of all time until the release of Titanic, 15 years later.

As a result, it's difficult to remember that E.T. was once just a simple, undeveloped idea, as all movies are. While creating the film was a labor of love for director Steven Spielberg, it did not exactly emerge as a finished product as soon as the last day of filming was wrapped.

Rather, it was carefully pieced together, as special effects were inserted, music for the movie was recorded, and Spielberg and the E.T.'s editor, Carol Littleton, went to work on assembling the footage filmed into the movie that would later be seen all over the world by eager audiences.

A handful of scenes were deleted from the E.T., mostly due to the need of moving the story along. (When E.T. was re-released in 2002, some of these scenes were cleaned up and reinserted by Spielberg; possibly to attract new audiences.)

However, one scene which was deleted from the film is somewhat curious. It appears to be an alternate ending of the movie. What is so unusual about it is that it suggests that while the movie was in development, the tone of its ending was also uncertain. This alternate ending is quieter in nature than its released equivalent. It is sober and emotional in its character, almost therapeutic. (Elliot delivers a monologue in the foreground as an adult, possibly a psychologist, sits listening in the background.)