Video Collection

Jud Suss

Categories:

Germany and the Holocaust Nazism, Nazi Germany, and Fascism Racism, Antisemitism, and Prejudice

Jud Süß (Jew Süss) is a 1940 film produced by Terra Filmkunst on behalf of the Nazi regime and conceived as an antisemitic propaganda film. The screenplay was written by Veit Harlan, Wolfgang Eberhard Möller and Ludwig Metzger, and it is partially based on the 1925 historical novel Jud Süß by Lion Feuchtwanger as well as the 1827 novella by Wilhelm Hauff. Neither the film, nor the novel nor the novella correspond to the historic sources regarding Joseph Süß Oppenheimer as still accessible at the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg. The movie was directed by Veit Harlan. The movie played on basic Nazi stereotypes of Jews having hooked noses and being materialistic, immoral, cunning, untrustworthy and physically unattractive. With the exception of Marian-who shaved off his beard, cut his hair and wore "Christian" attire for most of the story-the actors playing male Jewish characters were made up to look unappealing and alien (non-German) to German audiences. The best example of this is Marian's co-star Werner Krauss who played the two other major Jewish characters, Rabbi Loew and his secretary Levy. There was also a scene that purported to show Jewish religious services. Jewish extras were "recruited" (coerced into performing) in Prague (the capital of the German occupied Bohemia-Moravia) and the scenes showing the entry of the Jews into Württemberg and worshipping in a synagogue were filmed there. VHS. For Cohen Center use only. This video does not circulate.

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