Harlan: In the Shadow of The Jew Suss

Alongside Leni Riefenstahl, Veit Harlan wasarguably the most prominent filmmaker ofthe Third Reich, assigned by the governmentand artistically supervised by propagandaminister Joseph Goebbels. His film, JUD SÜSS- a notoriously anti-Semitic drama about astereotypically cunning Jewish banker - was ahuge commercial success in Nazi Germany andthe occupied countries. Despite his obvious bias,Harlan was acquitted in two post-war trials andwent on making films until his death in 1964.

In Felix Moeller's powerful documentary,focus shifts from Harlan's own life onto that ofhis descendants. "We have already dug deep intoour history as a nation, but still haven't doneenough when it comes to our family stories,"claims Moeller. Taking its starting point in anintimate family portrait, HARLAN ultimatelybecomes a striking metaphor for the Germanpeople's struggle with their national history.
REBECKA AHLBERG

Orig. title
Harlan: Im Schatten von Jud Süss: Cast
Stefan Drössler, Caspar Veit Harlan, Jan Harlan, Kristian Veit Harlan: Producer
Amelie Latscha: Script
Felix Moeller: Cinematography
Ludolph Weyer: Music
Marco Hertenstein: Spoken language
German, French, Italian: Subtitle
English