List of films banned in Germany

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

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because the cats in this Mickey Mouse cartoon wear helmets that resemble German pickelhaube.[3][4] Today the ban is no longer in effect.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)

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]
1936 One in a Million Briefly banned in Nazi Germany for featuring the Ritz Brothers, who were a Jewish American comedy trio. After its star, Sonja Henje, who had recently been among the champions of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, made a phone call to Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels on his private line, the film was edited to remove scenes that featured the trio.[23]
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".[24]
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.[25] 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.[26]
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.[27][unreliable source] It was not publicly screened in Germany until 11 March 1977.[28]
1939–1945 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Banned in Nazi Germany because it showed democracy working well.[29][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.[30][31] 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.[32]
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.[33][34]

Allied-occupied Germany (1945–1949)

After the end of the Second World War, the British and American Allies initially confiscated the entire film stock of the Third Reich. A total of 700 feature films and 2500 short films were confiscated and films that were classified as harmless were returned to their rightful owners.

There is no definitive list of all the films banned by the Allies, as lost films were found over time and films found to be unproblematic were released again.

In March 1951, the following 141 feature films were still considered problematic by the “Film Section Information Services Division Control Commission for Germany, (BE)”.[35]

1. National Socialist Propaganda
2. Nazi Party Propaganda
3. Nazi Youth Propaganda
4. Mass Political Propaganda
5. Historical, Militarist Propaganda
6. Historical, Political Propaganda
7. Historical Romance with Propaganda
8. Racial Propaganda
9. Anti-Semitic Propaganda
10. Austrian Anschluß Propaganda
11. Anti-British Propaganda
12. Anti-American Propaganda
13. Anti-Soviet Propaganda
14. Anti-Polish Propaganda
15. Anti-Czech Propaganda
16. Anti-Yugoslav Propaganda
17. Euthanasia Propaganda
18. Army Propaganda
  • Dreizehn Mann und eine Kanone (1938)
  • Der Etappenhase (1937)
  • Feldzug in Polen (1940)
  • Musketier Meier III (1938)
  • Soldaten - Kameraden (1936)
  • Spähtrupp Hallgarten (1941)
  • Stoßtrupp 1917 (1934)
19. Luftwaffe Propaganda
20. Naval Propaganda
21. Merchant Navy Propaganda
  • Fahrt ins Leben (1940)
22. Militarist Propaganda
23. Resistance Propaganda
24. Espionage and Sabotage Films
25. Background Propaganda
26. Spanish Propaganda
  • Raza (Blutzeuge) (1941)
  • Der Stern von Tetuan (1939)
27. Slovakian Propaganda
  • Unter dem Tatrakreuz (?)
28. Italian Film (Propaganda)
29. Japanese Films (Propaganda)
30. Veit Harlan films
31. Forbidden by Selbstkontrolle
32. Uncuttable films

East Germany (1949–1990)

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.[36] 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][37]
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.[9]

West Germany (1949–1990)

Germany (1990–present)

References

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