Wim Wenders withdraws 1975 film over nude scene with 13-year-old Nastassja Kinski, apologises unreservedly
German director Wim Wenders has pulled his 1975 film 'The Wrong Move' from all distribution after years of pressure from actress Nastassja Kinski, who appeared topless in a scene at age 13.
Wim Wenders announced on Wednesday that his foundation is withdrawing 'The Wrong Move' ('Falsche Bewegung') from circulation, responding to a long-running dispute with actress Nastassja Kinski over a nude scene filmed when she was 13. The Wim Wenders Foundation, which owns the rights, instructed streaming partners, television broadcasters and distribution partners to cease public access to the film.
The scene and Kinski's objections
In the brief sequence, Kinski's character, a mute teenage acrobat, lies on a bed wearing only underwear. Her co-star Rüdiger Vogler, then in his thirties, enters the room, strips to his underwear, lies on top of her, slaps her and then caresses her face. Kinski has been trying for years to get Wenders to edit the film.
Although I didn't know much at the age of 13, I could already tell that it wasn't right.
In a recent interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, she said: "That was my first film, he was my first director and he didn't protect me." Kinski's lawyer, Christian Schertz, had described Wenders' earlier remarks as an attempt to evade individual responsibility and said the director had refused for years to speak with the actress about the scene, raising the possibility of legal action before Wednesday's statement.
Wenders' apology and withdrawal
Wenders issued an unreserved public apology. "As the only person responsible at the time for 'Wrong Move' who is still here, I recognize that Nastassja Kinski should have been better protected back then," he said. "For that, I apologize to you, Nastassja, unreservedly, no ifs and buts."
The film will remain unavailable until a mutually agreed solution is found. Wenders said he will seek "a broad dialogue" involving Kinski, the German Film Academy and other film groups. "It is necessary for our society to find appropriate ways of dealing with controversial film works from the 20th Century and to face new learning processes and inclusive perspectives regarding cinema," he stated.
The editing dilemma
At the German Film Awards on 29 May, where he received a lifetime achievement honour, Wenders addressed the quandary. He expressed hesitation about retroactively editing the film, warning that altering finished works could set difficult precedents for archives, restorations and cultural history.
I can't blame the 29-year-old young man I was then, 50 years ago, who made a film of his time; wanting, in a way, to capture the zeitgeist.
He cited Steven Spielberg's regret over digitally replacing guns with walkie-talkies in 'E.T.' for its 20th anniversary reissue, a change Spielberg later reversed. Wenders called on the German Film Academy, particularly younger filmmakers, to debate the issue. A press spokesperson told DW the Academy had no official position yet.
Kinski's broader experience
'The Wrong Move' marked Kinski's film debut. She later co-starred in Wenders' Palme d'Or-winning 'Paris, Texas' (1984) and 'Faraway, So Close!' (1993). At ages 14 and 17, she also appeared nude in 'To the Devil a Daughter' and 'Stay As You Are.' In a 1997 interview with W Magazine, she reflected on being over-sexualised as an underage actor.
If I had had somebody to protect me or if I had felt more secure about myself, I would not have accepted certain things. Nudity things. And inside it was just tearing me apart.
On Instagram, responding to Wenders' foundation post, Kinski wrote: "Wim, after all these years, only now the public has commented in so many newspapers, like colleagues, and now because thousands, although I asked so long ago."
