"Jud Süß: The History of the Most Notorious Nazi Film 1938-2016" - History Society Guest Speaker Event

Add to Calendar

Outlook Google

Professor Bill Niven will present a lecture on Nazi Germany's most infamous film in "Jud Süß: The History of the Most Notorious Nazi Film 1938-2016", analysing one of the most shocking propaganda films in history.

Tickets:

History Society members - £2.00

Non-member students - £3.00

Public - £5.00

Concessions (College students & over 65s) - £3.00

Arrive from 6:45 PM. The talk will start at 7:15 PM. Please show your ticket on arrival. Public and concessions pay on the door.

Talk description:

"The anti-Semitic Nazi film Jud Süß (in English, Jew Süß) developed in the aftermath of Reich Pogrom Night in 1938, reached German cinemas in late 1940 and proved an important propaganda tool during the Holocaust. After the war, its director, Veit Harlan, was put on trial for crimes against humanity, but acquitted. Although banned, copies of the film circulated illegally in the 1950s and were offered to Arab countries, leading to a series of legal cases in West Germany which dragged on into the 1960s, accompanied by bizarre car chases, banking scandals, and the intervention of the West German political authorities. Only in the last 20 years has Germany begun to really confront the toxic effect and legacy of Jud Süß, yet in a manner that – in contrast to Germany’s response to other aspects of the Nazi past – remains partial, evasive and unconvincing. This talk examines the long history of Jud Süß: the making of the film, and reactions to it since 1940, tell us much about Germany, past and present."