SKY CINEMA has added a warning to several films on its service that present “outdated attitudes, language and cultural depictions which may cause offence today”.
It comes as the entertainment industry attempts to address some of the concerns sparked by the civil rights movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in police custody earlier this month.
A selection of notable comedians and sketch shows have been forced to apologise for previously blacking up on screen, with several programmes also removed from streaming services as a result.
In the US, HBO took the decision to temporarily removed Gone with the Wind from its film streaming services over its depiction of race and the fact it is set on a plantation.
The film later returned to the service with a new introduction attempted to explain the historical context of the movie.
Now Sky Cinema has followed suit in the UK and Ireland with a disclaimer that has appeared on at least 16 films deemed guilty of showcasing “outdated values” on the screen.
The 16 movies featuring the warning, include Aladdin, The Goonies, Aliens, Dumbo, Gone With The Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Tropic Thunder, The Jazz Singer, The Littlest Rebel, The Lone Ranger, Balls of Fury and The Last Samurai.
A spokesperson for Sky said: “Sky is committed to supporting anti-racism and improving diversity and inclusion both on and off screen.”
“We constantly review all content on Sky’s owned channels and will take action where necessary including adding additional information for our customer to allow them to make an informed decision when deciding what films and TV shows to watch.”
The inclusion of Aliens on the list initially baffled Twitter users who argued Sky Cinema was discrediting a film with a “strong female lead for no reason”.
However, a spokesperson has since noted the disclaimer stems from the fact Jeanette Goldstein, a non-Hispanic actress, played a Hispanic character, Jenette Vasquez, in the hit sci-fi sequel and even applied bronzer to her skin for the part.
Sky Cinema’s actions come after UKTV removed an episode of Fawlty Towers from its on-demand service before reinstating it with a warning about “potentially offensive content and language”.
