2. E.T. - Saying Goodbye
Admission time. I cried like a baby watching E.T. When he died and when he went home. I was 8 years old and screaming the cinema down. I remember a woman in her early 20s offering me some Jelly Babies to try and placate me but all that did was distort my cries as the sweets got stuck in my teeth and inbetween my lips and gums. I then blubbed at 16 when the BBC had the television world premiere. And again at 21. And so now I refuse to watch the film ever again even though its a master class in storytelling, in film, and is amongst my top 3 favourite films of all time. So when E.T. says goodbye, I cry for the friendship between him and Elliot, the bond they share that spans species and galaxies. Its true love and true appreciation. Feelings and emotions we aspire for in our own lives but rarely get to experience. You can see the scene as a commentary on racial harmony, man & nature, or simply just friendship. Whichever way you look at it, its a heartbreaking scene. A loner boy, already struggling with the loss of his dad, now has to say goodbye yet again - to the best friend hell ever have - and an alien that was lost, frightened and vulnerable has to leave behind the one other creature that sheltered him from the hostile environment that ended up killing him. And its a bond neither wants to break. I suspect its a scene many dog lovers hold dear in their hearts, for its the same unconditional love between pet and master. And it has that one thing that all animal lovers wish they had: the ability to talk to have a conversation. All I know is that when E.T. says
Ill be right here and then hugs Elliot, my heart cries.