Jud Süß (Veit Harlan – 1940)
Masterpiece of the antisemitic imagination, Jud Süß, directed by Veit Harlan, was ordered by the Reich minister of propaganda in 1939. It deals with the rise and fall of Joseph Süss Oppenheimer, a Jewish merchant born in Heidelberg in 1692, who became minister of finance to Charles-Alexander, duke of Württemberg (1684-1737), was arrested on March 19, 1737, tried, and sentenced to death in February 1738. In the film, Süss, played by Ferdinand Marian (1902-1946), is portrayed as a manipulative and immoral figure, provoking hostility amongst the population through his decisions and his conduct, which also depict him as a rapist. This deeply biased account distorts historical reality.
In fact, the version of this story by Veit Harlan, under the control of Joseph Goebbels, changed key points of the story. The victim of the initial story was Süss Oppenheimer while in the film of Veit Harlan, he personified the evil. With Süss being the symbol of evil, this film is entirely participated in the antisemitic propaganda of the nazi regime.
This full-length film attracted more than twenty million audience in Germany. In France, the film was also a huge success. After the war, Veit Harlen escaped conviction, whilst the film itself was regarded as criminal work.
Photo 17 : Deutsches Historiches Museum – Movie poster of Jud Süss (Veit Harlan, 1940)
Photo 18 : Bundesarchiv (Bild 183-J00572 – photo Schwahn Ernst) – March 4, 1942 – premiere of the film Der große König in Berlin. Veit Harlan (director ; on the left) talked to Otto Gebühr (actor; on the right).
Photo 19 : DR – Joseph Süss Oppenheimer (played by Ferdinand Marian, on the right) and his secretary Levy (played by Werner Krauss, on the left), character of the film Jud Süss.
Photo 20 : DR – Joseph Süss Oppenheimer (played by Ferdinand Marian, on the right) and Dorothee Sturm (played by Kristina Söderbaum, on the left), characters of the film Jud Süss.