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16.3.1925: Nudism in Film |
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It was the Communist doctor and playwright, Friedrich Wolf, who had the inspiration for the project.
“In 1920, I wanted to make an educational film for physical education classes in schools. I wrote an outline, in which I attempted to show the development of gymnastics from ancient physical culture to modern physiotherapy and sport,” Wolf said after the war.
A few years went by before the film was actually made. “Ways to Strength and Beauty” was one of the first full-length culture films and was an immediate box office hit. The film featured a mixture of gymnastics exercises, sport routines and the reenactment of historical Roman scenes. The premiere, on 16 March 1925, was celebrated by the public and the press alike.
“The cameraman made sure, through the positions, movement and lighting, that anything was avoided that could evoke a sensuous thrill. The higher visual perception of human nudity has triumphed over dark and sensuous desires”, the “Berliner Lokalanzeiger”, a local Berlin newspaper wrote at the time.
Nudity had never been seen on screen before.
“Viewers were shown a lot of naked flesh. Even if today’s Press claim otherwise and even though we know that the rather conservative gentlemen at the film board had other intentions. Their actual intentions are well documented – originally the film, which had an inhouse working title: the personal hygiene film. So they clearly intended to encourage Germans to pay attention to personal hygiene and physical training”, Michael Töteberg, a film expert from Potsdam says about the film’s success and the original intention of the makers of “Ways to Strength and Beauty”.
Even into the 1950s, as a result of the voluntary self-censorship of the film industry, the film was rarely shown. It took years before nudity on screen no longer caused offence.
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