You did justice to the dream of a child
A letter of thanks to Steven Spielberg
The following letter, written on this day in 1982, can also be found in the book, Letters of Note: Space. And if you keep scrolling you’ll also find audio of this letter being read for us by Shazia Nicholls, taken from the Letters of Note: Space audiobook.
Very few films have resonated with audiences like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Released in June of 1982, Steven Spielberg’s genre-defining story of friendship between a boy and an alien quickly shattered box office records, won multiple Academy Awards, and captured hearts worldwide. It also sparked curiosity, inspiring viewers of all ages to look up and ponder the possibility of life beyond our planet. Unsurprisingly, such a cultural phenomenon generated countless letters, including this one, sent to Spielberg three months after the film’s release.
September 14, 1982
Dear Mr. Spielberg,
I realize this letter must be one of thousands you have received since the release of E.T. And it's really not that extraordinarily different from most of those letters. I suppose I could quite truthfully rant and rave about what a marvelous movie E.T. is and what exceptional talent you have demonstrated in your direction of it, but I won't.
When I was a child growing up I dreamed of meeting life from other worlds. I can remember staring off into the heavens outside my window and hoping if I wished hard (and sincerely) enough that the inhabitants of the planetary system circling the only star I could see through my elm tree would come and visit me. I would go out at dusk and string yards of brightly colored wires on my dilapidated wire mesh fence. Maybe by some miraculous freak of physics I could somehow send a message to my star. And They would come.
Now the wires are gone, and the fence shows no signs of the enormous weight of dreams it once bore. The elm tree that once blocked all stars but my own got Dutch elm disease and lets hundreds of stars shine through its branches. And I have grown old, keeping childhood dreams hidden and tucked away.
E.T. found that favorite fantasy and let me live it again. You did justice to the dream of a child.
Thank you, Steven Spielberg.
Rita Calm
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Dreams of space. Just bought Letters of Note: Space. Thank you.
Just watched ET with my grandson. I remember the packed cinema erupting and me sobbing at the end. Maybe we need more shared great cinema moments to bring our country together.