Jud Süß (1940)

Infamous anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda historical drama about Duke Karl Alexander of Württemberg and his treasurer Süß Oppenheimer.

Director:

Veit Harlan

Writers:

Veit Harlan (screenplay), Wolfgang Eberhard Möller (screenplay)

Stars:

Ferdinand Marian, Kristina Söderbaum, Heinrich George

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ferdinand Marian	...	Joseph Süß Oppenheimer
Kristina Söderbaum	...	Dorothea Sturm / Faber
Heinrich George	...	Karl Alexander, Herzog von Württemberg
Werner Krauss	...	Rabbi Loew / Levy - Oppenheimers Sekretär / Schächter Isaak / seniler Alte (as Werner Krauß)
Eugen Klöpfer	...	Landschaftskonsulent Sturm
Albert Florath	...	Obrist Röder
Malte Jaeger	...	Aktuarius Faber
Theodor Loos	...	Franz Joseph Freiherr von Remchingen
Hilde von Stolz	...	Herzogin von Württemberg
Else Elster	...	Luziana
Walter Werner	...	Herr Fiebelkorn
Jakob Tiedtke	...	Konsistorialrat
Otto F. Henning	...	Vorsitzender des Gerichts (as Otto Henning)
Emil Heß	...	Schmied Hans Bogner
Charlotte Schultz	...	Frau Fiebelkorn

Storyline

In this notorious Nazi propaganda historical costume melodrama, a conniving, ambitious Jewish businessman, Süß Oppenheimer, snares a post as treasurer to the Duke of Wurttemburg by showering the corrupt duke with treasure and promises of even greater riches. As the Jew's schemes grow more elaborate and his actions more brazen, the dukedom nearly erupts into civil war. Persuaded by the Jew, the Duke all but scuttles the constitution and alienates the assembly by lifting the local ban on Jews in Stuttgart. In a final outrage, the Jew rapes a wholesome German girl and tortures her father and fiancée. When the Duke succumbs to a sudden heart attack, the assembly of Elders try the Jew and sentence him to death for having "carnal knowledge of a Christian woman".

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Plot Keywords:

nazi propaganda | propaganda | anti semitism | jew | wealthy man | 

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Taglines:

Joseph Goebbels' malevolent masterpiece.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

1941 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Jew Süss

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Terra-Filmkunst

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Veit Harlan's anti-Semitic curtain-raiser for the Final Solution is still (2008) banned on the free market in Germany, but may be shown for educational purposes.

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Goofs

In real life the conflict between Karl Alexander von Württemberg and the territorial estates were performed without any interferes from Oppenheimer, unlike in the movie where he was actually opening this conflict himself.

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Quotes

Joseph Süß Oppenheimer: I thought Württemberg was rich?

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Connections

Featured in Nazi Titanic (2012)

User Reviews

Halloween flick

This baroque melodrama is the perfect Halloween flick. To watch Jud Suss is to enter an alternative universe in which Hitler had invaded Russia 6 weeks earlier, won the war, and we were all watching a different type of movie. The level of political incorrectness is horrifying. The film was the top grossing film in Germany in 1940 during a period when Germany actually had a popular film industry. It is one of about 30 films (Vorbehaltsfilme) you could be arrested in Germany for possessing. (So far it has not shown up on popular film file sharing networks). Academics may view these Vorbehaltsfilmes in private viewing sessions and film festivals. Others are subjected to home invasions by the police. The final word regarding the film would have to be the chapter Eric Rentschler devotes to it in his masterpiece, The Ministry of Illusion. There is no official list of proscribed titles (Vorbehaltsfilme)because as Rentschler puts it, "Such a list would only demonstrate that the German government considers the populace of its democracy in crucial ways politically immature" (p. 221)Many of the movies Rentschler devotes chapters to are hard to find.