This film was meant as a condemnation of Adenauer's Germany and its vicious attack on homosexuals following WW2. Veit Harlan's film was cut to shreds and no version of it which is available can be trusted. It is still on the Banned list of films in the UK and nobody has submitted it again for certification. What is left of the film is still very well worth seeing. That the son is ' cured ' is a very debatable issue but what is not debatable are the cruel facts in Germany's LGBT history that punishment for homosexuals was in law up until 1994. It is a fact which is still a stain on supposedly Post-Nazi history. One small fact is that I received a shocking letter from a survivor of those times. He said that two men entering a room together were arrested. I believe him. Watch what is left of the film and realise that Fascism was still alive and well, and who gives a damn for Paula Wessely and her great actress reputation. It was a crime then to make any positive statements, and the film that is available shows a few if you watch carefully. It is not a cinematic masterpiece but is still relevant today as persecutions continue in many countries including Capital Punishment and with the rise of the extreme Right in Europe Germany itself could still learn from it.
Review of Bewildered Youth
