September 15th, 2011
06:06 PM ET
Steven Spielberg regrets altering 'E.T.'George Lucas may keep tweaking “Star Wars,” but another big director regrets messing with his masterpiece. Steven Spielberg said at a recent event that he wishes he hadn’t altered “E.T.” when he re-released the movie in 2002, reports New York Magazine. "Speaking for myself, you know, I tried this once and I lived to regret it,” Spielberg said when asked about Lucas’ upcoming “Star Wars” DVD release at an anniversary screening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” He explained his regret was “Not because of fan outrage, but simply because I was disappointed in myself.” (For more in-depth discussion, check out Geek Out's coverage.)
Spielberg says he caved to parents’ groups about movie details “like Eliot saying ‘Penis Breath’ or the guns.” He also mentioned doing “some facial enhancement for E.T.” After he released an altered version of “E.T.” theatrically, Spielberg says, "I realized that what I had done was I had robbed the people who loved ‘E.T.’ of their memories of ‘E.T.’ And I regretted that." The director says the upcoming Blu-ray release will feature the original, untouched version of "E.T." As for Lucas? “He can do whatever he wants with his movies because those are his movies.”
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-Second hand, WWI horse worship and moral alibis galore.
MEANWHILE, as those Siberian winds whip down across Tibet,
Manchuria and North Korea and all the prison camps
--Hollywood AGAIN balks and runs from all treatment,
ALLLLL mention of the awesomely relevant,
Globalist–RED China and EUGENICS 'unfriendly'
---------KOREAN WAR-----------–
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The movie would not have suffered one iota if that stupid line had been omitted in the first place. It added nothing to the movie...maybe made it tad less great. Vulgarity is just that, vulgarity. Of course, with the standards of today residing permanently in the gutter, this is of no importance to the generally crass public in this country. But some of us remember and miss a time when having 'class' meant something, and I don't mean it in the 'warfare' sense.
So will he publicaly apologize for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
Parents are doing more harm to kids, with their politically correct everything. Why don't they go make their own films, or keep their kids from some movies. Saw nothing inappropriate with the original version, and would have my kids view it.
Spielberg should change "penis breath" to "dick breath", and claim it was due to complains from right-wing parents groups.
Honestly, I didn't think "penis breath" was appropriate even when I was 12 back in 1983, but, what I heard him say was "peanuts breath" (mental picture of an elephant; it didn't occur to me to accuse someone of smelling like a genital).
Exactly! It went over your head just like it should, just a good Warners Brothers cartoon. No harm no foul
If only his partner George Lucas would let this sink in and follow suit. I can only hope that if there is another Indy movie Spielberg keeps it true to the original trilogy.
VERY wise decision,Spielberg. Bravo!
é inclivel, principalmente nas palavra de Steven Spielberg, será que eles são de outro sistema solar!
Nico te gned Speilberg loaxarizos zaxat vaxakick staxackos te birm axabtol loroaxaso waxas pit vichaxako!!!
I get that this is someone else's work repacked for CNN but the least you could do is cite the organization and interviewer who put together the screening (which was not New York Magazine)! Serious movie fans in LA will know that it was another LA Time event hosted by Geoff Boucher.
@FANBOY & maykat18 ~ The article did say that the upcoming Blu-ray release would be the original unedited and Christmas is coming up!
I enjoy film. I've seen over two hundred of them.
What's next? Is someone going to pressure the vatican to paint a loincloth on adam in the cistine chapel because they find it offensive?
I love this movie. I remember watching it with my uncle when I was very young. It is a classic. Now that he has children I found it all to appropriate to purchase it for them for christmas a few years ago. I was very sad to see that it had changed. I am also saddened by the fact that they will not be able to enjoy the true original ET as I did. I thank my uncle for watching this movie with me when I was little.
@Steven Spielberg.. THANK YOU!!!1
Im a fan of Star Wars... im no so sure im gonna buy that bluray set with all the redos...
I think the South Park episode where they make fun of him and Lucas for altering their films finally got to him!
LOL. My thoughts exactly!
This is SO WEIRD! JUST TODAY I used two clips from the movie E.T. in a class that I teach on writing compelling endings to your screenplays... As I watched the end of the film, I asked myself, "I wonder if Spielberg regrets altering E.T." And then mere hours later, I read this article... CUE TWILIGHT ZONE MUSIC! Way to go Spielberg!!!
Ask yourself what some likely winning lottery numbers would be. Don't be shy.
@jhnz – I got your "secret code" right here in my pants.
MOOOOO. We usually dont watch Entertainment Tonight. The lil barnyard friends are still watching cartoons then. moooo : ) We hope you are doing super good. : )
We need to break the cycle of ignorant ba$tards that make stupid comments and cannot spell correctly! I f@rt in your general direction!!
E.T? People still watch that disaster? No wonder the world is in the mess it's in.
Mazeltov!!! and tip no more than 8%
Its the rotton christian rightious groups that he did it for, we need to break their grasp and infilteration of America!!!
Rotton? Infilteration? REALLY????
HE did it, not them. Let this be a WARNING to people who think streaming movies are the be-all, end-all. If you don't own a physical copy (Blu-ray, DVD) you are at the mercy of whatever whacko morality holds sway at the time.
hey penis breath, it wasn't religious parents groups it was parents groups
rotten, infiltration
Good to know he realizes that was a mistake, and screw these parents groups for trying to instigate those changes in the first place. Parents aren't film editors. Their complaints are NOT valid.
It was fine the way it was originally. Never cave in to pressure groups like that.
parents suck.