Wim Wenders Withdraws 1975 Film Over Controversial Scene

German filmmaker Wim Wenders announced he is withdrawing his 1975 movie “The Wrong Move” due to a controversial nude scene featuring then-13-year-old Nastassja Kinski. Kinski, now 65, previously expressed her wish for Wenders to reedit the film.

In a statement, Wenders, known for films such as “Paris, Texas” and “Wings of Desire,” apologized to Kinski. “I recognize that Nastassja Kinski should have been better protected back then,” he stated. “For that, I apologize to you, Nastassja, unreservedly.”

“The Wrong Move,” which marked Kinski’s acting debut, features Rüdiger Vogler as a writer traversing Germany. Kinski plays an apparently mute acrobat and appears topless in a scene.

Wenders’ nonprofit, the Wim Wenders Foundation, owns the film and has removed it from all distribution, including streaming and television. The film will remain unavailable until a solution is agreed upon. Wenders plans to engage in dialogue with Kinski, the German Film Academy, and other film groups to discuss the matter.

“It is necessary for our society to find appropriate ways of dealing with controversial film works from the 20th century,” Wenders stated.

Representatives for Kinski did not comment immediately on the situation.

During the German Film Awards, Wenders highlighted his concerns about the impact of retroactively editing past films. Kinski, who later co-starred in Wenders’ 1984 film “Paris, Texas,” has long expressed her discomfort with her early experiences in the film industry. She has mentioned feeling vulnerable and lacking protection during her teenage years. In her earlier films “To the Devil a Daughter” and “Stay As You Are,” Kinski also appeared nude.

Reflecting on her past, Kinski stated in a 1997 interview, “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.”