Steven Spielberg calls out 'CENSORSHIP' of classic movies

Steven Spielberg calls out ‘CENSORSHIP’ in movies saying that classics shouldn’t be changed for modern audiences adding that his biggest regret was editing guns out of E.T.

• Spielberg took a scene from E.T. with guns and changed them to walkie talkies 
• The edit ran in the 2002 20th anniversary re-release of the classic movie 
• The director called it ‘a mistake’ and decried ‘that form of censorship’ 

Legendary director Steven Spielberg said he regretted editing scenes, including one showing government agents with guns, out of his classic film E.T. and adding that he opposes similar forms of censorship now.

Spielberg took a scene from the 1982 theatrical cut that included the agents chasing children with guns from the 20th anniversary re-release.

He instead chose to replace the guns with walkie talkies in the new version that came out in 2002. 

Speaking at the Time 100 Summit in what was termed a ‘master class’ interview and amid a climate where many old works of art are facing similar edits, Spielberg said he was wrong for doing that.  

‘That was a mistake,’ Spielberg said. ‘I never should have done that. ‘E.T.’ is a product of its era. No film should be revised based on the lenses we now are, either voluntarily, or being forced to peer through.’

Legendary director Steven Spielberg admitted he regretted edited scenes that included guns out of his classic film ‘E.T.’ and said he opposed similar forms of censorship now

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CCB6NTM9ST4%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26start%3D208%26hl%3Den-US

‘E.T.’ was a film that I was sensitive to the fact that the federal agents were approaching kids with firearms exposed and I thought I would change the guns into walkie talkies… Years went by and I changed my own views,’ Spielberg added.

Spielberg previously admitted he regretted the choice in 2011 but now doubled down and said that other forms of art shouldn’t do what he did back then. 

‘I should have never messed with the archives of my own work, and I don’t recommend anyone do that. All our movies are a kind of a signpost of where we were when we made them, what the world was like and what the world was receiving when we got those stories out there. So I really regret having that out there.’

It comes as particularly Disney has fronted classic movies such as Dumbo and Peter Pan which helped forge the studio’s identity are now tarnished by woke warnings over racism fears and deleted episodes of old TV shows.

Edits have even been made where lines are ripped out of beloved songs and changed to acknowledge the ‘harmful impact’ of racial stereotypes. 

Spielberg seems to profoundly disagree with this kind of censorship, specifically citing the attempt to remove offensive passages from Roald Dahl novels.

‘Nobody should ever attempt to take the chocolate out of Willy Wonka! Ever!’ Spielberg quipped. He added on a more serious note: ‘For me, it is sacrosanct. It’s our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way.’ 

The legendary director was at CinemaCon Tuesday to present a new remake of his classic film The Color Purple with Oprah Winfrey.

The climax in the original version of the 1982 classic showed the children being pursued by government agents armed with rifles, shown here

In 2002 re-release, Spielberg replaced the gun with walkie talkies, later saying that he regretted the decision  

‘E.T.’ was a film that I was sensitive to the fact that the federal agents were approaching kids with firearms exposed and I thought I would change the guns into walkie talkies… Years went by and I changed my own views,’ Spielberg added

The movie is based on the Broadway musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel about Black women enduring trauma, sexual abuse and racism in the rural Deep South in the early 20th century.

‘The reason why it’s not your mama’s ‘Color Purple’ — but your mama’s gonna really like it — is because the musical factor is so dynamic, and the magical realism is so perfected here,’ said Winfrey.

Winfrey starred in the previous 1985 film, earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, and is a producer on the new version.

Back in 2011, Spielberg was promoting a 30th anniversary DVD and Blu-ray release, which included both the original and modified versions of the movie, which won four Academy Awards. 

‘A lot of kids only know E.T. from the digitally-enhanced version,’ he explained.

‘So in order not to traumatize that entire generation, I’ll probably come out with the old version and the enhanced version, but sell both at the same time, for the same price, so you can make your choice.’

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