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Jew Süss

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5.0/10 • 6

1934-10-131h 45m

DramaHistoryRomance

A historical satire critical of the rising tide of Anti-Semitism in Germany. Based on the novel by Lionel Feuchtwanger, Jew Süss is the story of life in the 18th century Jewish ghetto of Württemberg. Süss (Veidt) works himself out of the ghetto and into a position of power with the help of an evil Duke.

Directors
Lothar Mendes

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Conrad Veidt

    Conrad Veidt

    Josef 'Jew Süss' Oppenheimer

  2. Benita Hume

    Benita Hume

    Marie Auguste

  3. Frank Vosper

    Frank Vosper

    Duke Karl Alexander

  4. Cedric Hardwicke

    Cedric Hardwicke

    Rabbi Gabriel

  5. Gerald du Maurier

    Gerald du Maurier

    Weissensee

  6. Paul Graetz

    Paul Graetz

    Landauer

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jun 13, 2022

7/10

Conrad Veldt is at the top of his game in this adaptation of Feuchtwanger's eponymous play published in the middle of WWI. Oddly enough, he didn't much care for it and it's exposure was short lived until picked up by Lothar Mendez almost twenty years later as a vehicle for this most enigmatic of actors. The story is simple enough. Veidt is a clever, ambitious man - not just for himself, but for his Jewish community in the feudal German duchy of Würtemburg. His task is made slightly easier by the fact that the hereditary dukes were little better than in-bred dolts, and soon he has the pretty nasty, womanising, "Karl Alexander" (Frank Vosper) in the palm of his hand. Except, that after a while even he realises that this odious individual is meritorious of little better than loathing. There's a degree of hypocrisy from "Sùss" - he is a lover, he loves the trappings of wealth and luxury, he thrives in the rarefied world of the aristocracy; yet he still wants to improve the lot for his frequently dispossessed and persecuted people and his characterisation is mesmerising. It has a intimacy to it - both to those on screen with whom he is always tactile, but with us too as his performance reminds us that this is essentially a star of silent films who can uses his eyes and gesture every bit as effectively as he can his voice. Whilst historically distanced from the National Socialism that was to come, it does draw parallels between a distant, self-centred style of government that the writer wanted none of. We are helped by some interesting characterisations, no-one is quite whom they seem (or think) - and the production is adequate. Give it a go.

Media

  • Jew Süss poster
  • Jew Süss poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
based on novel or bookantisemitism