Sky slaps race warnings on its ‘outdated’ movies
... but disclaimer includes Disney favourite from as recently as 2016
SKY has shocked viewers by issuing warnings over a number of popular family films claiming they have ‘outdated attitudes’.
Many were surprised to see a disclaimer appearing across titles including Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind, Aladdin, Dumbo, The Jungle Book and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
The films on the Sky Cinema channels also include more recent productions such as Aliens and recent Disney offerings.
They now include a message cautioning that they contain ‘outdated attitudes, language and cultural depictions which may cause offence today’. And they include a 2016 live-action remake of The Jungle Book as well as the original 1967 Disney cartoon.
It appears as text in the films’ descriptions before the viewer decides whether they want to watch it or not.
The move comes as broadcasters react to the death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests by looking at their content for examples of potentially racist material.
It has seen a number of TV shows and films pulled from streaming services. Little Britain was removed from BBC iPlayer, Netflix and BritBox because of its inclusion of ‘blackface’ characters. But the move by Sky has sparked anger from some viewers who felt it was an overreaction, with one branding the decision ‘idiocy’.
Films ranging from 1980s children’s classic The Goonies to relatively recent movies such as Balls Of Fury and The Last Samurai also have the warnings.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s, released in 1961, includes Mickey Rooney playing an Asian character, while Flash Gordon features a villain called Ming the Merciless, which has been criticised as a racist portrayal. Gone With The Wind (1939) has already been removed from US streaming service HBO Max following criticism of its ‘racist depictions’.
But some viewers criticised the moves by Sky. One wrote: ‘We’re having some kind of collective national nervous breakdown aren’t we?’ Another said in reference to Aliens, starring Sigourney Weaver: ‘Well nice to know a strong female protagonist is an outdated attitude to Sky Cinema.’
A Sky spokesman said: ‘Sky is committed to supporting antiracism and improving diversity and inclusion both on and off screen. We constantly review all content on Sky’s own 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.’
It comes as the BBC is facing anger that its archive digital radio station has aired ‘racist’ comedy material. The row centres around Radio 4 Extra’s decision to repeat a more than 40-year-old episode of The Burkiss Way. The show included a sketch ‘parodying colonialism’ with ‘so-called jokes’ about black South Africans.
Listeners contacted Radio 4’s Feedback programme to air their criticism. One said: ‘It’s unbelievable that the BBC should be broadcasting this offensive and racist material in 2020.’
Another said the final sketch of the show from 1979 was ‘racially offensive in its entirety’.
‘Collective nervous breakdown’