Steven Spielberg Reveals His Biggest Mistake About E.T.
There is one thing the iconic director regrets about his sci-fi classic.
Famed film director Steven Spielberg made a stunning admission: he deeply regrets expunging firearms from his 1982 sci-fi classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
The scene in question showed young kids trying to get away from federal agents with loaded guns, but Spielberg decided to purge these weapons from the film in its 20th anniversary edition, replacing them instead with walkie-talkies.
During Time 100 Summit' master class, the acclaimed director shared his remorseful experience of altering the timeless film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by turning firearms into walkie-talkies.
Spielberg candidly admitted that he should have refrained from tampering with his own work and acknowledged that E.T. reflects the period it was created in.
He firmly stated that movies should not be modified based on modern perspectives, whether voluntarily or under pressure.
Fans remembered the 9th episode from the 6th season of South Park where FBI agents as well have walkie-talkies instead of guns, clearly referring to this decision made by Spielberg.
Spielberg also said that he had been too sensitive to the depiction of federal agents pursuing kids with guns in the original 1982 version of the movie.
However, over time, he changed his views and recognized the importance of preserving the authenticity of his work.
The filmmaker urged fellow artists to do the same and emphasized that movies are like signposts that capture the zeitgeist of their time.
Spielberg concluded by expressing deep regret for having altered E.T. and implored others to avoid making similar mistakes.
The moderator of the summit mentioned the recent controversial situation surrounding censorship of books by authors like Roald Dahl, who had their work edited to get rid of foul language and make it more inclusive by modern standards.
Spielberg's own experience with altering E.T. led to the discussion, and the director was quick to assert his stance against censorship.
He made a humorous remark about never attempting to remove the chocolate from Willy Wonka, but then expressed a more solemn viewpoint, stating that he regards cultural heritage as inviolable.
Spielberg firmly opposes censorship and believes that books and other works of art should be preserved as part of our history.
Source: TIME