Movies Banned in Germany

[claws]

A Better Tomorrow - yes, it's violent, but it's just Chow Yun Fat shooting everyone.

It was banned for excessive depiction of violence. It was banned again in 2023 by the Federal Department for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Media. Reason:

"did not find any reviews on the internet that gave the film any art value or even a higher art value"

Death Race 2 - straight to video schlock.
The Midnight Meat Train - lots of CGI and practical blood effects, but no way near as yucky as the Saw or Hostel movies.

banned because "content was classified as harmful to minors."

Rambo - yes, violent, but am I jaded?

I just read Rambo was taken off the list of banned movies this month 10/02/23. I did not know this.

[Archivist]

A Better Tomorrow - yes, it's violent, but it's just Chow Yun Fat shooting everyone.

It was banned for excessive depiction of violence. It was banned again in 2023 by the Federal Department for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Media. Reason:

"did not find any reviews on the internet that gave the film any art value or even a higher art value"

That's laughable. We know better.

[claws]

Yeah, the German movie censor board moves in mysterious ways. As for Rambo not being banned anymore:

After 15 years an application (by the movie's German distributor) was made requesting to remove Rambo from the index - with success.

It is unclear why the censor board had a change of heart.

[M.10rda]

To be almost fair to the German censors, that ballbat beating that Chow suffers near the end of ABT is unbelievably brutal. Surely no one not named Chow Yun Fatt would've survived it!

[FatFreddysCat]

Seems kind of odd that the country that gave us Nekromantik and Violent Sh** has a problem with some of the movies on that list!

I've seen fifteen of the movies listed, by the way.

[claws]

Seems kind of odd that the country that gave us Nekromantik and Violent Sh** has a problem with some of the movies on that list!

Nekromantik was never in danger of being banned in Germany, because it has "art value" and isn't focused on showing murder and manslaughter. There's dark humor, and it artfully illustrates the act of love with a dead person. And its obscure status. That's some of the statement the movie censor board gave when they suggested an "18" rating.

Sick and art is in the eye of the beholder I guess.

[claws]

Eli Roth's Thanksgiving played theaters in Germany with an "18" rating. However, the German movie rating board refuses to give Thanksgiving a rating for its physical media release. Distributor Sony is appealing, and the release has been postponed until further notice.

[M.10rda]

Interesting... I found it to be extremely tame by Roth's standards... unclear what would u[set the censors.

[claws]

Movies have to be rated twice in Germany. Once when it's playing theaters, and a second time for home video release.

Since it's almost impossible for minors to see "18" rated movies at the theater because of ushers and I.D. check, the German rating board has no problem with violent movies playing theaters.

There is no guarantee that minors won't watch violent movies at home. "Thanksgiving" is a rare case where the rating board gave their ok for theaters, but find the violence to be harmful to minors for home video release.

[ER]

Three, I think.

Except in wartime and to protect children and probably animals, I don't get censorship when free expression potentially bring so much to life. Some things SHOULD be offensive, and that's the point of them, and we should protect ourselves if we choose not to be exposed to them, not have a government make that choice for us.

[ER]

Movies have to be rated twice in Germany. Once when it's playing theaters, and a second time for home video release.

Since it's almost impossible for minors to see "18" rated movies at the theater because of ushers and I.D. check, the German rating board has no problem with violent movies playing theaters.

There is no guarantee that minors won't watch violent movies at home. "Thanksgiving" is a rare case where the rating board gave their ok for theaters, but find the violence to be harmful to minors for home video release.

Yeah, my friend and I got chucked out of trying to see Pulp Fiction when we were underage,  .

[Trevor]

Strange, none of those were banned here AFAIK 🤔

[claws]

Halloween II (1981) is not banned in Germany anymore. After it was taken off the index list, it was submitted again to the movie rating board, and they gave the movie a new "16" rating - not harmful to minors anymore.

Sony were able to convince the rating board to give "Thanksgiving" an "18" rating. Eli Roth's slasher is now set to be released to physical media in Germany in April.

[claws]

After 25 years, the made in New Zealand film The Ugly (1997) was released from (Banned) Jail



Next step would be an appointment with the movie rating board for a possible re-rating, if any company wants to release it to home video.

[Trevor]

After 25 years, the made in New Zealand film The Ugly (1997) was released from (Banned) Jail



Next step would be an appointment with the movie rating board for a possible re-rating, if any company wants to release it to home video.

After the apartheid censor board thankfully shut down in 1994, all the films banned by it from 1933 - 1993 were declared unbanned and most were made available.