Film Review Office - Weimar Years

Weimar Years

From 1920 to 1924, the supervisory headquarters was chaired by Dr. Carl Bulcke; in 1924 he was replaced by Ernst Seeger (who later served as Minister of Film in the Propagandaministerium under Joseph Goebbels). Each office had a chair appointed by the Minister of the Interior. That chair chose a panel out of leading figures from film, literature, the arts, education, and social welfare.

The Film Review Office reviewed films along with their titles and advertising material. This included films which were released before the Cinema Act was passed if they were re-released in theaters. Foreign films due for release in Germany also needed to be submitted to the Film Review Office. Review was mandatory; refusal to submit a film carried a monetary fine. The process, however, was not public: reviews were held privately and results were returned directly to the film firms.

Censorship by the Film Review Office served as a security consideration. The only grounds on which a film could be censored were in perceived cases of danger to the interests of the state or in threats to public order and security. Films determined unobjectionable were then submitted to the Parliament (German: Reichsrat) for review of artistic aspects by the Central Institute for Education and Instruction.