Berlin, June 3 (dpa/GNA) – German director Wim Wenders, has apologized following controversy over a nude scene in his 1975 film “Wrong Move” that features a 13-year-old actress.
The film will be withdrawn “from all current forms of distribution and exhibition,” the Wim Wenders Foundation said in a statement released on Wednesday.
“Streaming services, television broadcasters and distribution partners, will be instructed to cease public access to the film.” “Wrong Move,” a modern adaption of a novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, contains a scene that shows then 13-year-old German actress Nastassja Kinski, with a bare upper body. Kinski, now 65, recently told Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung that she had tried for years to have the scene removed from the film.
“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,” Wenders was quoted as saying in the statement. “For that, I apologize to you, Nastassja, unreservedly, no ifs and buts.” “The many reactions, comments, and conversations of recent days have played a significant role in further sharpening my understanding of the events of that time,” Wenders added. “For that, I am grateful. Only an open and respectful exchange can lead us to reconsider positions and reassess responsibilities.”
The acclaimed 80-year-old director, whose films include “Paris, Texas,” “Wings of Desire,” and “Perfect Days,” used an acceptance speech at the German Film Awards to call for a broader discussion about how the film industry should handle controversial scenes in older works.
GNA