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Spielberg says new movie reflects post-9/11 unease
Worlds apart: Film director Steven Spielberg, right, poses with actor Tom Cruise, left, and actress Dakota Fanning during a press conference. They are in Tokyo for the world premier of Spielberg's latest film, War of the Worlds, starring Cruise and Fanning. Photo: AP
June 13, 2005

Steven Spielberg said on Monday that War of the Worlds, his remake of the classic tale of alien invasion, could be taken as a statement of America's deep unease following the September 11
attacks.

The three-time Academy Award-winning director and the film's star Tom Cruise were in Japan, a top overseas market for Hollywood, for the world premiere of the special effects-packed picture which opens later this month worldwide.

The 2005 edition of War of the Worlds depicts terror being unleashed by aliens on modern New York, the latest version of the story originally written in 1898 by HG Wells.

Spielberg said each time the story has been told there has been a larger backdrop. "Today's shadows 9/11. I think the film has found a place in society," Spielberg told a news conference after the premiere in Tokyo.


Spielberg noted that Wells' original story, beyond being science fiction, was a statement against British colonialism. In 1938, Orson Welles famously terrified audiences who believed his radio version of War of the Worlds was a real news item.

"The radio show happened just before World War II. Everybody in America was nervous about Hitler and what was happening in Eastern Europe," Spielberg said.

In 1953, George Pal turned War of the Worlds into a movie, that time reflecting fears over the Cold War.

"These films are relevant because they've occurred at a time of history when there was great unease in the world," said the legendary director of Jurassic Park, ET and Schindler's List. - Sapa-AFP

      




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