Steven Spielberg, one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers, has participated in cultural debates about whether books, movies, and television shows should be altered to be more receptive to modern sensibilities, and has advocated for such. We call revision “censorship”.
Most of the debate in recent weeks has been about publishers removing references to the race and appearance of characters in the works of deceased authors such as Roald Dahl, Agatha Christie and Ursula K. Le Guin. . However, film and television directors, including Spielberg, have also made revisions to their published work.
Spielberg said in 2011 He revealed in the 20th anniversary edition of “ET” that he regretted replacing the gun carried by a federal agent with a walkie-talkie and later took the gun home. Its 30th anniversary releaseThe director went further on Tuesday Forum sponsored by Time Magazinecondemns all such alterations to the artwork.
“We shouldn’t voluntarily or forcefully modify a film to look into it based on the lens we currently have,” he said, adding that every film should be “when we made the film.” It’s a signpost of our position in and what the world was like,” he added.
When asked about changes in Dahl’s novel, including removing depictions of characters as “fat,” Spielberg said, “Nobody should ever try to take the chocolate out of ‘Willy Wonka.’ , do not remove chocolate, vanilla or other flavors from what is written.”
“For me, it’s sacred,” he continued. “This is our history and our cultural heritage. I don’t believe in censorship like that.”
Streaming service removed in recent years nude and tobacco From movies and movie posters. In some cases, such as the work of George Lucas, the artist himself edits the work after it is released. The infamous reversal of the shootout Between Han Solo and Greedo in the first “Star Wars” movie. In 2020, Tina’s four episodes of her sitcom ’30 Rock’, which used blackface, were unpublished at the request of her Faye. Last year, Beyoncé revised the lyrics of her album Renaissance to what activists called competent.
As entertainment is increasingly consumed digitally, it has become easier for producers to modify content. This may prevent viewers (who may not technically own what they paid for) from seeing the original.
In 2019, Netflix removed graphic scenes from the first season of 13 Reasons Why, two years after the show’s release. DVDs of that season are available, but most viewers are Netflix subscribers and can’t easily watch the original.
Aaron Perzanowski, a University of Michigan Law School professor who studies digital ownership, said in an email:
“In some cases, there may be good reasons for editing, but in terms of cultural preservation, media criticism and historical context, this is a troubling trend,” he added.
