et-liveThe Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by David Newman

Royal Albert Hall, December 28, 2016

I’ll be right here…

You can always tell those who are seeing E.T. for the first time – they’re the ones in floods of tears during a certain scene about 15 minutes from the end. There were certainly a lot of people in that position during the live performance of the 1982 film at the Royal Albert Hall, as John Williams’ lush and magnificent score tugged at the heartstrings and added immeasurably to the atmosphere created in Steven Spielberg’s wonderful film.

Seeing the film on the big screen for the first time since its initial release reminded me of all the little details that – even with the best quality Blu-ray – you can miss when watching on a home screen. Sure, some of the effects don’t completely hold up (and why did the kids have to pedal their bikes when E.T. was flying them through the sky?) but you get caught up in the story so much that you really don’t think about these things till afterwards.

Hearing the score in its entirety, rather than just the 72 minutes on general release (and if there’s an extended version, I’d love someone to tell me where I can get it!), you gain yet further appreciation for Williams’ work. There weren’t any subtitles on the movie but – apart from one or two moments – you didn’t really need them, as the dialogue came across clearly; equally, quite a few scenes had no underscoring whatsoever – marking the difference between scoring back in 1981/2 and now, where it often seems that the mantra “less is more” is forgotten. The orchestra had a number of decent-sized breaks between cues, certainly far more than in something like Aliens or Independence Day, but soared when they were required to, particularly during that glorious 15-minute final piece as E.T. is reunited with his own people, with David Newman – getting over a little hiccup as he came on stage! – keeping them firmly reined in as required.

The presentation was a Christmas treat, but it’s a movie that really is timeless, so if you get the chance to go see this, take it. Even at the height of summer!

Verdict: A glorious presentation of a wonderful movie. 10/10

Paul Simpson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvvSPAMM0o