Two Films for One Song — Michael Jackson

THE FACT

Spike Lee directed two completely separate music videos for They Don't Care About Us — one shot in the favelas of Salvador, Brazil with the local samba troupe Olodum, and one shot inside an actual operating American prison. Both are powerful; both used real working people, not actors; both were partially censored or banned on release.

WHAT MOST DON'T KNOW

The Brazil version was filmed across three days in Salvador's Pelourinho district and Rio's Dona Marta favela. Michael had to obtain personal permission from local drug-cartel leaders to film without violence; Spike Lee handled the negotiations through the city's mayor. The Olodum percussion troupe — 200 drummers strong — was filmed in the streets, with locals dancing alongside Michael without rehearsal. Brazilian government officials tried to block the shoot, arguing it would damage tourism by portraying the country as poor. The prison version was filmed inside a working corrections facility (the location remains undisclosed but is believed to be in upstate New York), with real inmates as extras. It featured news footage of police brutality, Rodney King beatings, and Holocaust imagery. American networks refused to play the prison version; MTV ran the Brazil version only and only after Michael personally lobbied Tom Freston. The song itself was criticised on release for an antisemitic lyric ('Jew me, sue me, everybody do me') which Michael later changed in pressings and live performances. Spike Lee's prison version, fully restored, is now standard YouTube content; the Brazil version is the one most fans know.

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THE MOMENT

Michael Jackson — They Don't Care About Us (Brazil Version, Spike Lee, 1996) — Filmed in Salvador and Rio with Olodum — 200 drummers, no actors.

SOURCES

They Don't Care About Us — Wikipedia ↗