ET: The extraterrestrial is one of the most beloved movies of all time. It’s one of those timeless films that holds up for generations to come, but while it hasn’t changed in the way it touches our hearts, one aspect has changed since its release.
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When the film was released in 1982, the theatrical cut featured a scene of officers chasing young boys while brandishing firearms. The director of the film, Steven Spielberghe fitted the guns for the 20th anniversary of the film’s release and replaced the firearms with walkie talkies.
During a recent appearance in a master class at the Time 100 Summit, the Oscar-winning director announced that he regrets the editing decision, explaining:
“It was a mistake. I never should have done that. ‘ET’ is a product of its era. No film should be reviewed based on the lenses we are now, willingly or forced to peer through. ‘ET’ was a film in which i was sensitive to the fact that federal agents were approaching the children with exposed firearms and thought i would switch the guns to walkie talkies… Years went by and my views changed. i should never interfere with the records of my work and I don’t recommend anyone to do that. All of our films are sort of a marker of where we were when we made them, what the world was like and what the world was getting when we released those stories. So I’m really sorry to have that out there.
Spielberg’s regret about censorship ET led the Time 100 moderator in reporting recent news stories about Roald Dahl and other authors’ books edited for offensive language and republished with language considered more inclusive by today’s standards. Spielberg responded by saying:
“No one should ever try to take chocolate away from Willy Wonka! Never! For me it is sacrosanct. It is our history, it is our cultural heritage. I don’t believe in censorship like this.
I think it is complicated to compare the two cases. The guns inside ET they represented these government officials and how serious they were about reaching out to ET. The changes in Roald Dahl’s books were made to reduce the rude language used in children’s books in hopes of being more inclusive. I can appreciate every side of the argument on every project. Anyway, the movie ET and Roald Dahl’s books are classics that will continue to entertain and delight.
via: variety
by Jessica Fisher
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
