5. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Spielberg's work is often discussed through the lens of the auteur theory - an commonly accepted analysis put forward by the French magazine Cahiers du Cinema in the 60's that explains that the director is the true "author" of a film and that films must be viewed within the context of their entire body of work. While Spielberg is undeniably an auteur - his stamp and style is clearly prevalent on all of his films - Spielberg's actual skills as a director, eliciting effective performances from his actors, is often overlooked. And few of his films demonstrate his true talents better than what is possibly his most stylistically iconic film. E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial. One of Spielberg's unsung triumphs is his ability to elicit some truly mesmerizing performances from child actors, and Henry Thomas' turn as Elliott in E.T. is one of the finest child performances in any Spielberg film. The emotional maturity and complexity of Henry's performance on screen is quite remarkable, and one can only imagine the work Spielberg had to do with his young star to get him into that emotional place. Child actors can't rationalize acting decisions; theirs is a purely instinctual and reactionary style. And the fact that Spielberg managed to get such strong emotional reactions from Thomas over a rubber animatronic is a true testament to his abilities as a director. I chose to single out Henry Thomas' performance because everything else that can be said about this film has pretty much been said already. Along with the following two films, it is undoubtedly the most iconic work of Spielberg's career, and a flawless masterpiece of entertainment in every possible sense of the word: Flawlessly structured, perfectly made, hilarious, touching, heartfelt, thrilling, and wonderful. It deserves all of the love and praise it has received over the years and then some.