10 Movies Weirdly Changed In Foreign Countries
9. Spileberg Stopped The Movie In Japan (To Explain It) - Lincoln
One would imagine the civil war was a fairly simple concept for any country to grasp. It's not just politely shooting one another, but rather it was a battle that tore brother against brother from 1861-1865, culminating in the assassination of sitting President Abraham Lincoln who had just succeeded in his fight against the South to ban slavery.
Now that we're on the same page, it seems like it's a good time to get Japan caught up. For the European release of his biopic, Steven Spielberg and John Williams worked to assemble a preamble with actual photos from 1865 and a new score. It highlighted Lincoln's role in the Emancipation Proclamation, something he and screenwriter Tony Kushner were concerned those outside of the county may not understand.
But Spielberg felt it especially necessary to drive it home in Japan for some reason, appearing onscreen before the preamble to introduce the film.