Catalogue of Forbidden German Feature and Short Film Productions

Compiled as a tool for re-educating the population of the three western zones of Occupation, this catalog lists 395 features, feature-length documentaries, and short films that were forbidden for public exhibition. The Zonal Film Archives originally held some 3200 feature titles and 2500 short titles. After viewing, those found to be harmless were returned to their owners, leaving the forbidden films documented in this catalog.

Each film entry gives credits (year, production, director, cast) together with an evaluation of the content. The films are listed in two sections: first, feature/feature-length documentaries and, second, shorts. They are further subdivided according to character and purpose (anti-American propaganda, or Nazi architectural propaganda, for example). There is a complete index of film titles and a list of all films produced in Germany between 1933 and 1945 by the Propaganda Ministry. An extensive introduction by noted historian K. R. M. Short places the work and a selection of related documents in full historical perspective. This catalog is a pivotal document for understanding the policies used to reconstruct and re-educate Germany between 1945 and 1951. As such it is invaluable to historians of Nazi and post-war Germany.

JOHN F. KELSON served as Director of Censorship and Research when he was responsible for the viewing, description, and assessment of all films included in the Catalogue. He later served as Director of British the British Zoanal Film Library and as an official of the Central Office of Information in London.

K.R.M. SHORT is Professor of Communication, Adjunct Professor of History, and formerly Director of the School of Communication at the University of Houston.