Research Catalog
Jud Süss (Jew Süss)
- Title
- Jud Süss (Jew Süss) [videorecording] / Terra.
- Publication
- Chicago : International Historic Films, 1940.
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1 Item
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Offsite to submit a request in person. | Moving image | By appointment only | VTH 2260 | Offsite |
Details
- Additional Authors
- Harlan, Veit.
- Description
- 1 videocassette (90 min.) : sd., b&w.; 1/2 in.
- Summary
- Jud Süss was one of four virulently anti-Semitic films (along with Robert und Bertram, Die Rothschilds, and Der Ewige Jude) which were produced to facilitate the Nazi's Final Solution. It was loosely adapted from Lion Feuchtwanger's 1925 novel (later banned by the Nazis) which was first filmed in England in 1932 by the Jewish director Lothar Mendes and which offered a sympathetic portrayal of the protagonist Joseph Süss-Oppenheimer. Luidwig Metzger's 1940 screenplay, futher revised by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, re-interpreted the main character in purely villainous terms to serve as a Nazi justification for the extermination of the Jews and was, in fact, shown to "aryan" audiences in areas where Jewish deportations were being carried out. The plot was purportedly based on historical events which occurred in 18th-century Germany. Süss-Oppenheimer journeys from Frankfurt to the Duchy of Württemberg where he ingratiates himself with its profligate Duke, Karl Alexander. The Duke confides his financial difficulties to Süss who agrees to supply the needed revenue in exchange for the right to collect tolls and taxes in the Duchy. Aided by his secretary Levi, the all-powerful Süss abducts and rapes Dorothea, the beautiful daughter of Councillor Sturm while her fiancé Faber, leader of a popular revolt, is tortured in a dungeon. Dorothea manages to escape and drown herself. Süss is apprehended by the enraged citizenry, tried and condemned to death. As the Jews are forced to evacuate the city, a passerby warns: "May the citizens of other states never forget this lesson." The notoriety of the film derives in part from its "success." Lavishly produced and critically well-received, it was one of the box-office "hits" of the war years. After the war, however, director Veit Harlan was tried on three separate occasions for crimes against humanity for his involvement with the film. He and the film's major players were blacklisted. Ferdinand Marian who played the title role committed suicide in 1950.
- Alternative Title
- Jew Süss.
- Subjects
- Genre/Form
- Feature films.
- Note
- In German with English subtitles.
- Based on the novel by Lion Feuchtwanger.
- Credits (note)
- Director, Veit Harlan; screenplay, Ludwig Metzger, Eberhard Wolfgang Möller, Veit Harlan; photography, Bruno Mondi; music, Wolfgang Zeller.
- Performer (note)
- Ferdinand Marian, Werner Krauss, Heinrich George, Kristina Söderbaum.
- Title
- Jud Süss (Jew Süss) [videorecording] / Terra.
- Imprint
- Chicago : International Historic Films, 1940.
- Credits
- Director, Veit Harlan; screenplay, Ludwig Metzger, Eberhard Wolfgang Möller, Veit Harlan; photography, Bruno Mondi; music, Wolfgang Zeller.
- Cast
- Ferdinand Marian, Werner Krauss, Heinrich George, Kristina Söderbaum.
- Connect to:
- Added Author
- Harlan, Veit.
- Added Title
- Jew Süss.
- Branch Call Number
- VTH 2260 J