Steven Spielberg admits that changing a crucial sequence in his beloved 1982 movie “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” in order to reflect more recent cultural standards was a mistake.
He made recent changes to the film showing the federal agents with walkie-talkies instead of guns while chasing after the kids.
The renowned director made the unexpected comments about changing the scenario to portray federal officials pursuing children while wielding walkie-talkies rather than guns during an interview on Tuesday at New York’s Time100 Summit. Spielberg said,
“That was a mistake. 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.”
Director Steven Spielberg REGRETS Altering ‘E.T.’ To Conform With ‘Today’, “That Was A Mistake. I Never Should Have Done That”
He continued by saying that he switched from using weapons to walkie-talkies because he wanted to be sensitive to the fact that federal officers carrying guns were approaching children.
But as time passed, Spielberg came to regret his choice to make changes to the movie for its 20th anniversary special edition.
Spielberg added “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.”
Following up on his E.T. remarks, Spielberg argued against banning the well-known novel “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” by author Roald Dahl, because of its objectionable language by modern standards.
Spielberg jokingly said, “Nobody should ever attempt to take the chocolate out of Willy Wonka! Ever!” Then he seriously spoke saying, “For me, it is sacrosanct. It’s our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way.”
What do you think? Are you a fan of Steven Spielberg and what did you think of the changes made to ‘E.T’ and do you agree with what he is saying now about how he should not have done that? Let us know in the comments below.
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