Dispute over nude scene: Wim Wenders’ “False Movement” withdrawn from circulation for the time being

Previously, in a dispute over a nude scene with the then 13-year-old Kinski, Alice Schwarzer had asked the filmmaker to remove it from the film. “Wim: Stop talking – and act! Finally cut these damn two minutes out of your film!” wrote the 83-year-old in the magazine “Emma”, which she founded.

In the message, Wenders also apologized. “As the only person responsible for the ‘False Movement’ who is still there, I see that Nastassja Kinski should have been better protected back then. I apologize for that, Nastassja, without any ifs or buts.

“The many reactions, tips and conversations of the past few days have contributed significantly to further sharpening my view of the events at that time. I am grateful for that.” It is necessary for our society to find appropriate ways of dealing with controversial films from the 20th century and to embrace new learning processes and perspectives.

What the case is about

In this important debate, they would seek a broad exchange. “Only after that, even if it takes longer, and after we have been able to present an amicable solution, also in consultation with Nastassja Kinski, will we release the film again.”

The background is a dispute over a scene in the 1975 film “False Movement” in which Kinski, then 13 years old, bare-chested is shown. According to her own statements, the actress has been asking Wenders to remove the two-minute scene for years. She recently told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”: “Although I didn’t know that much when I was 13, I already noticed that it wasn’t okay.”

What Wenders has said so far

Wenders said at the German Film Prize that he would “never do the scene like that again today.” But he couldn’t blame his younger self at the time. He made a film in his time. But a question arises that concerns all filmmakers: “How do you deal with film heritage?”

Can and should you cut a scene if it hurts an actress – “whom I admire and admire very much”? “Can you shorten a film afterwards?” asked Wenders at the gala in Berlin. The director asked the German Film Academy for a debate.

Kinski’s lawyer Christian Schertz had criticized Wenders’ speech as an attempt to evade personal responsibility. Since, according to Schertz, Wenders has “refused to have a personal conversation with Kinski about the scene for years,” the lawyer had – before Wenders’ current announcement – ​​announced the transition to formal legal steps.

With films like “The Sky Over Berlin,” “Buena Vista Social Club” and “Perfect Days,” Wenders is one of Germany’s most respected filmmakers become. He also filmed the road movie “Paris, Texas” with Kinski. The German Film Academy awarded him this year’s honorary prize.