List of films banned in Germany

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of films that are or were banned in Germany.

Weimar Republic (1918–1933)[edit]

Date Title Notes
1920–1945 Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others) Banned due to homosexual themes. During the 1920s, it was restricted for viewing to doctors and medical researchers only. After Hitler came to power in 1933, it was banned again and mostly destroyed by the Nazis.[1] The film was later partially reconstructed.[2]
1929 The Barnyard Battle (1929) Banned initially because the cats in this Mickey Mouse cartoon wear helmets that resemble German pickelhaube.[3][4] Today the ban is no longer in effect.
1930–1931 and again from 1933 to 1945 All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) Banned in 1930 after protests but then re-admitted in a heavily censored version in 1931 after public debate.[5] After 1933, it was banned by the Nazi regime for its anti-militaristic themes [6] and being "anti-German".[7] Erich Maria Remarque's novel was also banned as well, and was among the "anti-German" books burned in bonfires.[8] At the Capitol Theatre in West Germany in 1952, the film saw its first release in 22 years.
1932–1945 Kuhle Wampe Banned because it depicted the government, legal system, and religion in a negative light. Eventually, the ban was lifted due to protests and the film was released in a severely edited version. Six months later, Hitler came into power, causing the movie to be banned again under the Nazi regime until the end of the war. Its director, Slatan Dudow, was arrested for being a member of the Communist Party and banned from entering the country again.[9]

Nazi Germany (1933–1945)[edit]

Date Title Notes
1933–1945 All movies starring the Marx Brothers. Banned in Nazi Germany because the comedy stars were Jewish.[10]
1933–1945 Battleship Potemkin Banned in Nazi Germany due to fears it could inspire Marxism.[11][12]
1933–1945 Ecstasy Banned in Nazi Germany because of the erotic content.[13]
1933–1945 Mädchen in Uniform Banned in Nazi Germany because of its lesbian theme.[9]
1933–1945 The Mad Doctor Banned in Nazi Germany, because of the horror atmosphere in this Mickey Mouse short.[14]
1933−1945 Mysterium des Geschlechtes Banned in Nazi Germany because of the erotic content.[13]
1933−1945 Vier von der Infanterie (Westfront 1918, also known as Comrades of 1918) Banned in Nazi Germany for being a pacifist war drama.[9]
1934–1945 M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder Banned in Nazi Germany.[15][16]
1934–1945 Nana Banned in Nazi Germany because of its plot, depicting a soldier visiting a prostitute, which violated the military's sensibilities and honor code.[9]
1934–1945 The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) Banned in Nazi Germany because Max Baer was Jewish.
1934–1945 The Testament of Dr. Mabuse Banned in Nazi Germany for "presenting criminal acts so detailed and fascinating that they might tempt copy-cats". It also had an anti-authoritarian tone and certain dialogue of Mabuse was lifted directly from Mein Kampf.[17][18][19]
1936–1945 The Bohemian Girl Banned in Nazi Germany, because the positive depiction of Roma people "had no place" in the Third Reich.[20]
1936–1956 Modern Times Banned in Nazi Germany for supposedly advocating Communism.[21][22]
1937–1945 La Grande Illusion Banned in Nazi Germany for its anti-war message. Head of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels named its director Jean Renoir "Cinematographic Enemy Number One".[23]
1938–1950 A Prussian Love Story Banned in Nazi Germany because the plot of a love affair between the Emperor and an actress was too similar to Head of Propaganda Goebbels's own affair.[24] Even after the war it took until 1950 before the film saw a release.
1939–1945 Kitty und die Weltkonferenz (Kitty and the World Conference) Banned in Nazi Germany despite an initially successful box office run. Following the outbreak of the Second World War that same year, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels withdrew it from cinemas as he felt it presented a too favourable view of Great Britain.[25]
1939–1977 Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) The first anti-Nazi movie made in Hollywood before the start of World War II, Adolf Hitler banned it and all Warner Bros. films from exhibition throughout the remainder of his tenure as German chancellor. He reportedly planned to execute the makers of this film upon winning the war.[26][unreliable source] It was not publicly screened in Germany until 11 March 1977.
1939–1945 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Banned in Nazi Germany because it showed democracy working well.[27][unreliable source]
1940–1945 The Great Dictator Banned in Nazi Germany for mocking Nazism and Hitler. During World War II, it was once shown to German soldiers in 1942: In German-occupied Yugoslavia, local guerillas sneaked a copy from Greece into an army-cinema in an act of cultural sabotage. After half of the film had been shown, German officers stopped the screening and threatened to shoot the Yugoslavian projectionist. Apparently, the film was ordered by the Reich Chancellery.[28][29] It was first shown in West Germany as late as 1958.
1940–1945 La Kermesse Heroïque (Carnival in Flanders) (1935) Banned in Nazi Germany and Belgium by Joseph Goebbels because of its pacifist themes. The director, Jacques Feyder, was later hunted down for arrest, but managed to escape to Switzerland.[30]
1943–1949 Titanic (1943) Banned in Nazi Germany by Joseph Goebbels because some of the scenes could demoralize the audience, despite being made by the Nazi propaganda department itself. The Allied Control Council banned the film after the war too, because of its Nazi propaganda. After the end of the occupation, the German Motion picture rating system classified it to age 12 or older and to age 6 or older with parental guidance. It was sometimes shown on west German TV after the war and a censored, low quality VHS copy was released in 1992[citation needed].
1944–1945 Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (Great Freedom No. 7) Banned in Nazi Germany. It had its premiere in occupied Prague in December 1944.[31][32]

Allied-occupied Germany (1945–1949)[edit]

Date Title Notes
1945 Auf Wiedersehn, Franziska! (Goodbye, Franziska!) Banned by the Allied Forces after World War Two, because of its ending, which reminded the viewers to support the war effort. It was eventually allowed back after director Helmut Käutner was able to convince officials that the propaganda sequence was no reflection of his political ideology and was added at request of Nazi censors. Since the rest of the film was fairly a-political it was brought back in circulation, with only the propaganda end sequence removed.[32]
1945– Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) Banned since 1945 because of its anti-semitic Nazi propaganda content. It is exclusively allowed for use in college classrooms and other academic purposes; however, exhibitors must have formal education in "media science and the history of the Holocaust." Public use is prohibited as of 2013.[33]
1945– Jud Süss (1940) Banned in 1945 from German exhibition by decree of the Allied Military Occupation.[34] Director Veit Harlan was required by court order to destroy what was then believed to be the only remaining negative of Jud Süß and he reportedly did this in April 1954. A few years later, however, copies of the film began to turn up to the embarrassment of the West German government. After a lengthy investigation, it was determined that another negative existed in East Germany and it was used it to make prints that were dubbed in Arabic and distributed in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Lebanon. Though that negative has never been located, it has been widely suspected that this version was produced and distributed by the Stasi or the KGB in order to arouse anti-semitism among Egyptian and Palestinians against the US backed Israel (and henceforth, support for the Soviet backed Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser).[35][36][37] The copyright of the film is held by the government-owned F.W. Murnau Foundation. The Foundation only permits screenings of the film when accompanied by an introduction explaining the historical context and the intended impact.[38]

East Germany (1949–1990)[edit]

Date Title Notes
1965–1990 Das Kaninchen bin ich (The Rabbit Is Me) Banned by the East-German Communist government for its criticism of everyday life in the country. While not directly referring to politics it still was perceived as dangerous criticism of the system.[39] Due to the film's infamy all banned films in the DDR were referred to as "rabbit films". The film remained banned until Germany was unified again in 1990.[9][40]
1965–1990 Denk bloss nicht, ich heule (Just Don't Think I'll Cry) Banned by the East-German Communist government for its criticism of the regime.[9]
1966–1990 Spur der Steine (Trace of Stones) Banned by the East-German Communist government.[9]
1971–1990 Die Russen kommen (The Russians Are Coming) Banned by the East-German Communist government because of its theme where a young Nazi lives in fear of the approaching Russian army. Even though the Russians are eventually portrayed in a sympathetic light, the plot was too controversial, especially three years after the Prague Spring.[9]

West Germany (1949–1990) and Germany (1990–present)[edit]

Date Title Notes
1951 Der Untertan (The Kaiser's Lackey) Banned in western Germany because of "anticonstitutional" content.[41] Uncut version released in western Germany in 1971.
1956 Du und mancher Kamerad Banned in western Germany because of "anticonstitutional" content.[41]
1956 Thomas Muentzer (Thomas Müntzer) Banned in western Germany because of "anticonstitutional" content.[41]
1957–1959 Paths of Glory Banned to avoid straining relations with France.[42][better source needed]
1958 And Quiet Flows the Don Banned in western Germany because of "anticonstitutional" content.[41] Part 1 was released in western Germany in 1959, Parts 2 and 3 were first broadcast in western German television in 1968.
1960–1965 Higher Principle Banned in western Germany until 1965 because of "anti-German" content.[43]
1985–2011 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) The film was not shown in German cinemas before 1978 and even then only in an edited version. The release on VHS was confiscated by a German court in 1985 for violating German Criminal Code Section 131 (depictions of violence). The confiscation means that even selling to adults is punishable. The confiscation was lifted by the Frankfurt district court in 2011.[44]
since 1999 Braindead The film was shown in German cinemas in an edited version. The uncut release was confiscated in 1999 for violating German Criminal Code Section 131 (depictions of violence).[45] A heavily censored version is available in which around 12 minutes are missing.[46]
2012–2013 Saw 3D The film was shown in German cinemas in the uncut version. The uncut DVD release was confiscated in 2012 by the district court of Berlin Tiergarten for violating German Criminal Code Section 131 (depictions of violence).[47] A censored version with a "Keine Jugendfreigabe"-rating (No youth admitted) is available with around one minute missing.[48] The confiscation was lifted in 2013, but the uncut version remains on the list of media harmful to minors and may only be offered to adults.[49]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Glbtq : Arts : European Film". Glbtq.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  2. ^ "Edition Filmmuseum Shop - Anders als die Andern Edition Filmmuseum 04". Edition-filmmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  3. ^ Karl F. Cohen (2013-10-18). Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America. McFarland. p. 29. ISBN 9781476607252. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  4. ^ Bulik, Mark (September 26, 2014). "1930: Mickey Mouse, Censored". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  5. ^ Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum. "LeMO Jahreschronik - 1931". Dhm.de. Archived from the original on 2014-07-11. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  6. ^ "Film information, including German censorship history". 2001-07-18. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  7. ^ "All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Articles - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  8. ^ "Im Westen nichts Neues - Verfilmung". Remarque.uni-osnabrueck.de. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Reimer, R.C.; Reimer, C.J. (2010). The A to Z of German Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 206. ISBN 9780810876118. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  10. ^ "Duck Soup (1933) - Articles". TCM.com. 1933-11-17. Archived from the original on 2016-01-03. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  11. ^ "Le Cuirassée Potemkine" (PDF). La Médiatheque. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  12. ^ "Panzerkreuzer Potemkin". Difarchiv.deutsches-filminstitut.de. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  13. ^ a b Deborah Holmes; Lisa Silverman (2009). Interwar Vienna: Culture Between Tradition and Modernity. Camden House. p. 45. ISBN 9781571134202. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  14. ^ Esther Leslie (2004). Hollywood Flatlands: Animation, Critical Theory and the Avant-garde. Verso. pp. 114–. ISBN 978-1-84467-504-3. Archived from the original on 2024-05-04. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  15. ^ Thomas Patrick Doherty (2013-08-20). Hollywood and Hitler, 1933–1939. Columbia University Press. p. 178. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  16. ^ "Irish Film Institute -M". Ifi.ie. 2014-06-20. Archived from the original on 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  17. ^ Beaney, Harriet. "Controversial Cinema: Top 10 Banned Films". Berlin Film Journal. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  18. ^ Dixon, Wheeler Winston; Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey (March 2008). A Short History of Film. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813544755.
  19. ^ "The Complete Fritz Lang - Harvard Film Archive". Hcl.harvard.edu. 2014-09-01. Archived from the original on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  20. ^ "Dick und Doof werden Papa". Difarchiv.deutsches-filminstitut.de. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  21. ^ "Modern Times (1936) - Articles". TCM.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  22. ^ Thomas Doherty (2013-04-02). Hollywood and Hitler, 1933–1939. Columbia University Press. p. 29. ISBN 9780231163927. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  23. ^ "Grand Illusion (1937) – Articles". TCM.com. 1999-12-03. Archived from the original on 2014-05-31. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  24. ^ Klaus Kreimeier (1999). The Ufa Story: A History of Germany's Greatest Film Company, 1918–1945. University of California Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-520-22069-0.
  25. ^ Reimer, Robert C. & Reimer, Carol J. The A to Z of German Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2010, page 168.
  26. ^ "Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939)". Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2018-06-30 – via www.imdb.com.
  27. ^ "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)". Archived from the original on 2017-05-06. Retrieved 2018-06-30 – via www.imdb.com.
  28. ^ "Beyond 'The Interview': A short list of films banned for political reasons". Los Angeles Times. 2014-12-23. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  29. ^ "Charlie Chaplin und der Führer: Heil Hynkel!". Spiegel Online (in German). 14 February 2002. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  30. ^ Trumpbour, J. (2007). Selling Hollywood to the World: US and European Struggles for Mastery of the Global Film Industry, 1920–1950. Cambridge University Press. p. 212. ISBN 9780521042666. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  31. ^ Klaus Kreimeier (1999). The Ufa Story: A History of Germany's Greatest Film Company, 1918-1945. University of California Press. p. 349. ISBN 978-0-520-22069-0.
  32. ^ a b Reimer, Robert C. & Reimer, Carol J. The A to Z of German Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2010, page 169.
  33. ^ "The Eternal Jew – a Blueprint for Genocide". Archived from the original on 2013-07-08.
  34. ^ American Jewish Committee (1951). Commentary. American Jewish Committee. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  35. ^ Hull, David Stewart (1973). Film in the Third Reich; art and propaganda in Nazi Germany. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780671214869. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
  36. ^ Magill, Frank Northen (1985). Magill's survey of cinema, foreign language films. Salem Press. ISBN 978-0-89356-247-2.
  37. ^ University of California, Berkeley (1960). Film quarterly. University of California Press. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
  38. ^ Winkler, Willi (18 September 2009). "Eine Kerze für Veit Harlan". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German).
  39. ^ Allan, Seán; Sandford, John (1999). DEFA: East German cinema, 1946–1992. Berghahn Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-57181-753-2. Retrieved 2011-04-06.
  40. ^ Bock, Hans-Michael; Bergfelder, Tim (30 December 2009). The concise Cinegraph: encyclopaedia of German cinema. Berghahn Books. p. 304. ISBN 978-1-57181-655-9. Retrieved 2011-04-06.
  41. ^ a b c d Andreas, Kötzing (18 December 2008). "Zensur von DEFA-Filmen in der Bundesrepublik | APuZ". bpb.de. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  42. ^ "Banned! Criterion's Forbidden Films". Criterion.com. 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-01-20. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  43. ^ "DAS HÖHERE PRINZIP". cinema.de. Archived from the original on 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  44. ^ Wurm, Gerald (Dec 1, 2011). "Blutgericht in Texas (1974) (Schnittberichte.com)". www.schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  45. ^ Wurm, Gerald (Sep 21, 2021). "Braindead (1992) (Schnittberichte.com)". www.schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  46. ^ Wurm, Gerald. "Braindead - Schnittbericht: FSK 16 (Schnittberichte.com)". www.schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  47. ^ Wurm, Gerald (Feb 28, 2012). "Saw 3D - Vollendung (2010) (Schnittberichte.com)". www.schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  48. ^ Wurm, Gerald. "Saw 3D - Vollendung - Schnittbericht: Keine Jugendfreigabe (Schnittberichte.com)". www.schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  49. ^ Wurm, Gerald (Jan 28, 2013). "Saw 7 - Beschlagnahme wurde aufgehoben (Schnittberichte.com)". www.schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_films_banned_in_Germany&oldid=1225401085"