Comments: VVG 127

Summary: Long recognized as history's most incendiary film, Jud Süss was the cultural centerpiece in Joseph Goebbels campaign against the Jews. Released in 1940, it was a box office sensation across Germany and Europe; alongside the movie's theatrical distribution, it became a staple of Nazi propaganda evenings organized by the Hitler Youth, SS and others. At once a rousing melodrama and murderous antisemitic incitement, the movie draws loosely from historical events from the early eighteenth century, when Jud Süss Oppenheimer, financial advisor to the Duke of Württemberg, was subjected to a sensational trial and gruesome execution. The film depicts Süss as a figure of cynical cunning and malign will, a sexual predator sowing corruption everywhere; his promotion of Jewish emancipation brings Christian Württemberg to the brink of moral and social ruination. That these qualities are conveyed through Ferdinand Marian's stunningly charismatic performance as Süss suggests something of the film's disturbing power even as it acknowledges Jewish misery, Jud Süss argues for still more lethal, pitiless solutions to the Jewish question. A key historical document of the twentieth century, Jud Süss remains a deeply unsettling cinematic experience. Directed by Veit Harlan; music by Wolfgang Zeller; featuring Ferdinand Marian, Werner Krauss, Heinrich George, and Kristina Söderbaum. Germany, 1940, B&W, 95 minutes, German dialogue, Switchable English, French & Italian subtitles. SPECIAL DVD FEATURES Historical Slide Show: The Life & Trials of Joseph Süss Oppenheimer by John Abbott Video Commentary by Harvard's Eric Rentschler Illustrated 22 page Essay Booklet by Louisiana State University's David Culbert** Original Promotional Materials and Posters Slide Show Interactive Scene Selection Switchable English, French & Italian Subtitles Digitally Restored from Original 35mm Film Elements using state of the art daVinci RevivalTM Technology by I-Cubed Chicago **Jud Suess (Jew Suess, Germany, 1940) is the most successful anti-Semitic feature film ever made, a product of opportunism, brilliant acting, and the hateful agenda of Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propaganda minister. It remains notorious to this day. Softbound, 22 pages, 29 B&W and Color Photos, 4 1/2 x 7 inches size. Booklet included with this DVD.