Line #5 Film/JewSuss1934

Context Film / JewSuss1934

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1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jewsss_4.jpg]]
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3	''Jew Süss'' (US title ''Power – Jew Süss'') is a 1934 British historical and romantic drama film directed by Lothar Mendes and based on Lion Feuchtwanger's eponymous 1925 novel. It stars Creator/ConradVeidt, Benita Hume, Frank Vosper, Creator/CedricHardwicke, Gerald du Maurier and Pamela Mason.
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5	In the 18th century, after working his way out of the Jewish ghetto of Württemberg, Josef Süss Oppenheimer sacrifices all to gain political power out of personal ambition and to improve the condition of his people, who are subjected to intolerance.
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7	Should '''NOT''' be confused with the [[Film/JewSuss1940 1940 German film of the same name]]. Both are based on the same novel, but the key difference is that the 1940 film is antisemitic propaganda, [[SpiritualAntithesis whereas]] the 1934 film actually ''condemns'' antisemitism.
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9	!!''Jew Süss'' provides examples of:
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11	* CostumePorn: ''Jew Süss'' was one of the most expensively costumed movies ever made in Great Britain at the time.
12	* GreedyJew: Subverted. People in the kingdom of Württemberg are quick to invoke this trope against Süss out of the need of a [[TheScapegoat scapegoat]] as their economic situation gets more and more dire, but the portrayal of Süss as a tragic figure and moreover the portrayals of Jewish people are sympathetic. Süss seeks power to improve the condition of his people and the gentile nobles are portrayed as the actual villains.
13	* MarkOfShame: Rabbi Gabriel (Creator/CedricHardwicke) had to sew a symbol (historically yellow, the film is in black and white) on his clothes to mark him as Jewish.
14	* PeriodPiece: The film is set in the 18th century and boasts costumes and settings accordingly.
15	* TruerToTheText: The novel's writer, Lion Feuchtwanger (who was Jewish himself), intended his portrayal of Süss as a study of the tragedy caused by the human weaknesses of {{greed}}, {{pride}} and {{ambition\|is evil}}, and the film sticks to this. The 1940 German film [[AdaptationDeviation turned it into a purely antisemitic slur]] meanwhile.

Context Film / JewSuss1934