SKY Cinema has warned viewers that The Jungle Book, Aladdin, Dumbo and Aliens have ‘outdated values’, as broadcasters axe tv shows and films that doesn’t fit today’s narrative. Subscribers receieved a disclaimer from the media giant that some of its content has “outdated attitudes, languages and cultural depictions which may cause offence today.” Sixteen films […]
SKY Cinema has warned viewers that The Jungle Book, Aladdin, Dumbo and Aliens have ‘outdated values’, as broadcasters axe tv shows and films that doesn’t fit today’s narrative.
Subscribers receieved a disclaimer from the media giant that some of its content has “outdated attitudes, languages and cultural depictions which may cause offence today.”
Sixteen films have been issued with the warning, these include: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Goonies, Aladdin, Dumbo, Gone With The Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Tropic Thunder, The Jazz Singer, The Littlest Rebel, The Lone Ranger, Balls of Fury, The Jungle Book, Flash Gordon and The Last Samurai.
The remakes of Aladdin, The Jungle Book and Dumbo were issued the disclaimer but were removed shortly after, with Sky claiming it was a mistake.
The 1992 version of Aladdin came under fire for its use of Orientalist stereotypes and the casting was questioned as Aladdin, Princess Jasmine and the genie were voiced by white actors.
The original Dumbo animation has been accused of containing racist stereotypes of African Americans in the form of the black crows who used jive-like speech patterns.
The main bird was named Jim Crow, the name of the racist segregationalist Jim Crow laws of the time.
He was also voiced by a white actor.
The 1939 classic romance Gone With The Wind, set during the American Civil War and Reconstruction, has been issued with a disclaimer.
This comes after HBO Max removed the film from its options because of its ‘racist depictions’.
Not all the movies tagged with warnings are old films, some, like The Lone Ranger, were made as recently as 2013.
The broadcasting corporation came under fire for putting a warning on Alien, with some feeling that it discredits a film with a ‘strong female lead’.
One person wrote: “This is nuts. I’m guessing this is true and not a wind up. Sky Cinema warnings on films, even Disney ones.”
Sky is committed to supporting anti-racism and improving diversity and inclusion both on and off-screen
Sky spokesperson
Another added: “Seeing some accounts expressing outrage and confusion over these disclaimers on Sky Cinema. Y’all know Vasquez was played by a white woman in brownface, right?”
“Good on Sky Cinema for putting this content warning on,” said one person.
A Sky spokesperson 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.”
This comes as Little Britain and Come Fly With Me have been removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox after controversy over the use of blackface characters.
Both series starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams are no longer available to watch on the online streaming sites amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
An iconic episode of Fawlty Towers that coined the phrase “Don’t mention the war” from the streaming site UKTV.
The streaming service which is owned by the Corporation, have decided to take down the episode that also features racial terms.
This is the latest “classic” British TV show to be removed from a streaming service owned by the BBC, as broadcasters continue to re-assess old British television content.
A spokesperson for UKTV repeatedly refused to clarify why the programme had been removed, or whether the decision was permanent: “We aren’t commenting on individual titles.
“However, we regularly review our programmes, and make edits, add warnings and make schedule changes where necessary to ensure that our channels meet the expectations of our audience.”
The episode in question showed John Cleese as Basil Fawlty yelling the famous phrase while goose-stepping around a Torquay hotel.
Ant and Dec issued an apology this month for ‘impersonating people of colour’ on Saturday Night Takeaway.
