The Sinister Legacy of "Jud Süß": A Propaganda Masterpiece from the Past that Continues to Influence
"Eighty-five years ago, a movie deemed the world's most malevolent hit the screens"
Hailing from mid-March to June 1940, the director Veit Harlan portrayed his most villainous masterpiece - "Jud Süß". This propaganda gem, underlined by the watchful eye of Joseph Goebbels, twists the story of a famous novel by Lion Feuchtwanger to inflame German sentiment against the Jews. The malevolence of this work continues to echo in the modern world.
In "Jud Süß - Film ohne Gewissen", Tobias Moretti, in the role of the pressured actor Ferdinand Marian, asks his wife, Martina Gedeck, about the script. "It's not bad, but terrible," she replies, echoing the sentiments of filmgoers after 85 years.
Financed and closely supervised by Propaganda Minister Goebbels, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 1940. It appeared in Berlin on September 24, at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo, gathering over 20 million cinema visitors. Even after World War II, the film found a merciless audience.
A Warped Biography Allegory
The film presents a skewed interpretation of the life of banker Joseph Ben Issachar Süßkind Oppenheimer, whom culturally we know as Joseph Süß Oppenheimer. Executed in Stuttgart in 1738, Harlan drew his film inspiration from the 1925 bestseller "Jud Süß" by Lion Feuchtwanger.
Following the war and the Holocaust, "Jud Süß" was initially restricted. For nearly six decades, it represented one of the so-called reserved films in the collection of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. Screenings must be accompanied by an introductory lecture and post-film discussion, per the Murnau-Stiftung's guidelines.
Unexpected Resonance in the Occupied Territories
Even in occupied territories, the film was frequently shown when the expulsion of Jews seemed imminent. SS thugs were compelled to watch the Nazi propaganda film to spur them on to commit atrocities without hesitation.
Distorting Facts for Entertainment’s Sake
Harlan's film, while purporting to be based on historical facts, buries the truth beneath a veneer of entertainment. It presents stereotypes such as Jewish greed, cunning, cowardice, lewdness, and even world conspiracy through the stand-in of the villain Süß Oppenheimer.
In the 1940 production, the Frankfurt money and jewelry dealer Oppenheimer (Ferdinand Marian) is called upon by the Duke of Württemberg to help finance his lavish lifestyle. Dishonorable and ambitious, Marian portrays the Jew Süß as unpopular among the estates.
Leveraging his power, Marian advocates for lifting the Jewish ban in Stuttgart and invites numerous Jews to the city. Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were even compelled to work as extras in the Nazi film industry during the film's production.
The virtuous antithesis to Oppenheimer is provided by upright citizens, headed by State Councilor Sturm (Eugen Klöpfer), whose daughter Dorothea (Kristina Söderbaum) and her fiancé Faber (Malte Jaeger) become entangled in Oppenheimer's sordid machinations. Oppenheimer becomes fixated on making Dorothea his wife, but when she spurns him, he has Faber tortured and rapes her, leading to her suicide.
Oppenheimer convinces the Duke to suppress any budding unrest among the population. The Duke dies of a stroke, and Oppenheimer is arrested and sentenced to death. Desperate for life, he humbly begs for his life and is ultimately hanged. The final words spoken in the film are: "May our descendants uphold this law, to spare them much suffering in their property, life, and the blood of their children and children's children."
A Chilling Legacy of Anti-Semitism
While "Jud Süß" has gone practically untouched for over eight decades, it remains far from obsolete. Anti-Semitism continues to linger on the far-right political spectrum and in left-leaning post-colonial circles. The problem is complex and pervasive, according to historian Bill Niven. He proposes that the film be made more accessible, allowing for a scientifically prepared viewing experience - either through DVD or streaming services. Otherwise, he argues, right-wing extremists may argue that the film's censorship implies its truth, despite its obvious distortion of history.
The Commission, in light of the past influence of the film "Jud Süß," has been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, as Martina Gedeck pitifully expresses her criticism about the script of the 1940 film, 85 years later.
In the 1925 novel "Jud Süß" by Lion Feuchtwanger, the inspiration for Veit Harlan's film, the life of Joseph Süß Oppenheimer is presented in a distorted manner, much like the role of the Frankfurt money and jewelry dealer Oppenheimer (Ferdinand Marian) in Harlan's production, who was portrayed as alluring the Duke of Württemberg with his greed and cunning.
Even in the modern world, the themes of Jewish stereotypes and anti-Semitism perpetuated by the film continue to resonate, echoing the complex and pervasive problem found in far-right political circles and left-leaning post-colonial circles, according to historian Bill Niven.
