German filmmaker Wim Wenders has decided to retract his 1975 movie “The Wrong Move” because of a nude scene featuring Nastassja Kinski, who was 13 years old at the time. Kinski, now 65, has requested Wenders to reedit the film.
Last month, Kinski expressed her concerns to the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, stating, “That was my first film, he was my first director and he didn’t protect me.” This prompted Wenders to issue a public apology to Kinski.
I recognize that Nastassja Kinski should have been better protected back then,Wenders said,For that, I apologize to you, Nastassja, unreservedly, no ifs and buts.
“The Wrong Move,” which marked Kinski’s debut, featured her as a mute teen acrobat alongside Rüdiger Vogler, who plays an aspiring writer. The controversial scene involves Kinski appearing topless. Wenders has withdrawn the film from current distribution, including streaming services and television. His nonprofit, Wim Wenders Foundation, owns the film.
The film will remain unavailable until a mutually satisfactory solution is found, involving discussions with Kinski, the German Film Academy, and other film entities. Wenders emphasized the importance of addressing controversial film works from the past, stating his intention to foster a dialogue in the industry.
During the German Film Awards, Wenders highlighted the implications of retroactively editing films, pointing out that it could set a precedent affecting other filmmakers. Despite collaborating with Wenders on “Paris, Texas” in 1984, Kinski has consistently expressed regret over her early experiences in the film industry. She appeared nude in other films at ages 14 and 17, including “To the Devil a Daughter” and “Stay As You Are.”
In a 1997 interview with W Magazine, Kinski voiced her struggles with accepting roles that required nudity, stating, 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,
she shared, And inside it was just tearing me apart.