Very enjoyable & on point here. Spielberg is so damned successful it's hard for some to take him seriously. But that's a mistake.

I appreciate you citing Close Encounters... one of my all time favorites. E.T., on the other hand, not so much. You call it "perfect" but unless I'm mistaken ET's resurrection isn't foreshadowed in the script, & so seems more convenient than organic to the story (though I must admit, having participated in many codes, they did a great job portraying one).

If you don't mind one minor quibble: you mention the "Hays Office" restrictions being lifted. Actually the Hays Office was superseded in 1934 by the Motion Picture Production Code, which was more consistent & often more restrictive—e.g. crime must always be punished; sex only implied. There's a minor genre of film called "pre-Code", that is talkies done between '29 & '34.