Yeah, we’ve been saying that was dumb for years.
Popular filmmaker Steven Spielberg, commonly known by his work on classics like Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, spoke with Time magazine and blasted the new trend of censoring old content to fit with modern day sensitivities.
Spielberg spoke at Time magazine’s “100 Summit” Tuesday and admitted how dumb it was to change films and books to fit what producers and publishers think won't offend people in the 21st century.
The Time interviewer asked, “Is this a feeling you have across the world of art that we shouldn’t apply today’s standards to yesterday’s work?”
Steven Spielberg on editing work after the fact: "It's our history. It's our cultural heritage... I do not believe in censorship in that way" #TIME100 pic.twitter.com/1dOEm8HPLk
— TIME (@TIME) April 25, 2023
“It is sacrosanct," Spielberg responded. "It is our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way."
Specifically, he announced his regret for changing parts of 1982's "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" for its 20th-anniversary version. He said it “was a mistake” to digitally swap FBI agents’ firearms with walkie-talkies.
“I never should have done that. E.T. is a product of its era," Spielberg noted. "No film should be revised based on the lenses we now are either voluntarily or being forced to peer through.”
Steven Spielberg regrets editing the guns out of E.T.: "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" #TIME100 pic.twitter.com/pvC45zcMNy
— TIME (@TIME) April 25, 2023
You can say that again, Spielberg. His work is some of many works that have been censored to fit the sensitivities of today’s world. Dr. Seuss has been changed, Roald Dahl’s children’s books have been edited to remove so-called “offensive” language, and even R.L. Stine's Goosebumps stories have been edited to cater to perceived public sensitivities. By the time our great-grandchildren are here, these titles are going to be unrecognizable if we continue changing them with all the made up sensitivities of this world.
Note that Spielberg isn't completely against censorship in general. He’s not exactly a raging conservative, but his idea that old texts and films should be left as they are is spot on and fights against how mentally sensitive everyone seems to be these days.
