VIDEOS AND MOVIES






What happened to the "They Don't Care About Us" video?
What is said in Brazilian version of "They Don't Care About Us"?
How does Michael do the 45-degree lean in "Smooth Criminal"?
What is the "Smooth Criminal" video pause about?
What does the Panther Sequence in "Black or White" mean?
Why do only some versions of "Black or White" show racist graffiti?
Is there a video for "Human Nature" or "Liberian Girl"?
What is the video "Michael Jackson: Unauthorized"?
When did Michael record "When You Wish Upon a Star"?
What Fred Astaire movie inspired parts of MJ's videos and lyrics?
Is MJ supposed to appear in a movie "Cats Don't Dance"?
What happened to MJ's plans to star in a "Peter Pan" movie?
Has Disney removed "Captain Eo" from its theme parks?


What happened to the "They Don't Care About Us" video?

There were two videos made for the song "They Don't Care About Us". One was shot in Brazil, and the other was a "prison" version shot in New York. Both versions were directed by Spike Lee. In the United States, the videos were banned by MTV and VH-1, not because of their content, but because of the controversy surrounding the lyrics. In both versions, Michael deleted the original lyrics with sound effects so they could not be heard.
The Brazil version of the video was shot on location in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. It showed Michael dancing and singing in the streets alone and with the towns' citizens. In other portions of the video, he is accompanied by 200+ members of the Brazilian percussion group, "Olodum".
The "prison" version catered more to the meaning of the song, utilizing graphic news footage showing violence around the world. In this video, Michael is seen in the role of an angry prison inmate, upset about all the injustices in the world, and about man's inhumanity to fellow man.


What does the girl say at the beginning of the Brazilian version of "They Don't Care About Us"?

"Eles nao ligam pra gente" means exactly "They don't care about us" in Portuguese.


How does Michael do the 45-degree lean in "Smooth Criminal"?

It was observed on videotape of the Bucharest concert that when he performed the song on the Dangerous Tour, little metal hooks popped up through the stage, and the dancers anchored their heels onto these studs to allow them to complete the maneuver. In order to distract the audience's attention from what they were doing, another dancer came on stage with an explosion. How the move was accomplished for the video clip is unknown.


What is the meaning of the section about 3/4 of the way through the long-form video of "Smooth Criminal" where the music stops, and MJ and the other dancers are making groaning and screaming noises as the music builds up to the chorus?

A video clip from behind the scenes during the making of "Smooth Criminal" shows Michael talking to the director on the set about the "groaning" scene. He explains that he wants the feeling to build and build until everyone's voice reaches a climax. He says, "It's gotta have that feeling, gotta have that emotion." He shows the director how he wants the dancers to put more of their bodies into the scene.


What is the meaning of the Panther Sequence in the "Black or White" video?

Click here to see the Interpretations section.


Why do some versions of the end of the Panther Sequence in the "Black or White" video show racist graffiti on the car and store windows, but others don't?

In the original cable-music broadcast version of the video from November 1991, there was no graffiti at the end of the Panther Sequence. Because of controversy over its sexuality and violence, the Panther Sequence was removed from the broadcast versions of the video a few days after it was released. Then, when the Dangerous video collection appeared on the market, the Panther Sequence was put back, but a new ending with racist graffiti on the car and shop windows was substituted. Later, the original broadcast version of the ending was restored for the HIStory video collection.


Is there a video for "Human Nature" or "Liberian Girl"?

There is no actual video for "Human Nature", just a recreation for the "Moonwalker" film. It is animated in very pale colors and shows Michael wandering through the streets.
There was a video for "Liberian Girl". It shows many of Michael's celebrity friends congregated on a studio set waiting for Michael to show up. He does turn up at the end of the video sitting behind the camera. "Liberian Girl" video is available on the "HIStory on film: Vol II" home video released in 1997.


What is the videotape "Michael Jackson: Unauthorized"?

It is a bootleg. In 1984, Michael hired cameraman Steven Howell to make the videotape for MJ's own private collection. It shows Michael, relaxed and informal, speaking about future projects and singing songs with sister LaToya. The sound quality is poor, with Michael's voice muffled by the noise of a nearby water fountain. The cameraman secretly copied it and began selling it without permission. In December 1989, the now-defunct US tabloid TV program "A Current Affair" broadcast parts of the video, prompting a protest from MJ's representatives. In the early 1990s, the videotape and a CD with the audio portion of the interview ("Michael Jackson: The Interview") were manufactured and sold by several companies from Europe to Canada. Michael filed suit against Howell and won in 1994, forcing a halt to production of the tape. It is therefore illegal to distribute the tape or any audio recordings made from it. (from club members, and A Visual Documentary)
On "The Legend Continues" video collection, Michael sings "When You Wish Upon a Star". When did he record this?
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"When You Wish Upon a Star" was performed by Michael in a Disney special broadcast on US television in 1979-1981.


What is the name of the old Fred Astaire movie that inspired parts of Michael's videos and lyrics?

"The Band Wagon". If you watch the entire movie (it is out on video), you will see a lot of familiar things, including parts of "Billie Jean" and the speakeasy set and costume that inspired "Smooth Criminal". Also, MJ incorporated some of the lines into the "Dangerous" lyrics.


Is MJ supposed to appear in a movie called "Cats Don't Dance"?

MJ was to lend his voice to this $50 million David Kirschner animated film, which concerns the film stars of the 1930s. There has been little recent word on this film, however. (from Black & White)


I heard for a years that Michael wanted to star in a movie based on the "Peter Pan" story. Is it true and what happened to those plans?

Michael provides an answer in the December 1997 issue of Life magazine, when he talks about his current plan to make a movie:
"....[Michael] is planning a film version of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan fable, having been misled, he says, by Steven Spielberg, who he believed reneged on an offer to cast Michael in Hook six years ago. "I worked on the script, writing songs, for six months," Michael says. "And they let me down. I was so heartbroken, Steven Spielberg admitted later it was a mistake. I was torn. He put me through a lot. We're friends now, though," he adds.


Has Disney removed "Captain Eo" from its theme parks?

Disney World in Florida, USA was the first Disney park to replace "Captain Eo" by a new feature called "Honey, I Shrunk The Audience" (based on the Disney movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"). "Captain Eo" was removed not because of the allegations, but because the technology had gotten old, and they wanted a new production to keep up with 3-D shows at other amusement parks.
"Captain EO" was replaced by the same feature at Disneyland in Anaheim, California in March 1997.
On August 16, 1998, "Captain Eo" had its final showing at Disneyland-Paris in France. It also will be replaced by a new attraction.
"Captain Eo" is still being shown in Disneyland Tokyo, Japan.


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