Jew Süss

Produced by Terra Film at the behest of Joseph Goebbels, this costume melodrama was wildly successful in its day. A conniving, ambitious Jewish businessman, Süß Oppenheimer, snares a post as treasurer to the Duke of Wurttemburg by showering the corrupt duke with treasure and promises of even greater riches. Swayed by his silver-tongued treasurer, the Duke all but scuttles the constitution and alienates the assembly by lifting the local ban on Jews in Stuttgart. As Oppenheimer's schemes grow more elaborate and his actions more brazen, the dukedom nearly erupts into civil war.