Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Süss

Veit Harlan may have been the “notorious Nazi filmmaker” described on the DVD cover, but his name has little resonance outside of Germany. Harlan was a mainstream director of polished melodramas starring his third wife, Kristina Soderbaum, when he received orders from Joseph Goebbels to direct Soderbaum and other top German stars in 1940's Jud Süss (aka The Eternal Jew), an anti-Semitic historical pageant that helped fuel the hatred leading to the Holocaust (other Nazi-approved features followed). While stigma clung to Harlan after the war, he continued to make films and was acquitted in two war-crimes trials. More than defining German cinema or Third Reich history, writer-director Felix Moeller's documentary looks at the scars left on Harlan's children and grandchildren, many of whom work in media and performing arts (several are interviewed here). Filmmaker/novelist/Nazi hunter son Thomas has built a career on excoriating his father, while actress-daughters changed their names, married Jews out of guilt, and—in one case—committed suicide. Harlan, who appears in private home movies and working on sets, said he only cared about moviemaking, but as an artist oblivious to the consequences of his choices outside of the viewfinder or editing room, he has left a terrible legacy. DVD extras include an interview with German filmmaker Alexander Kluge, and a Q&A with journalist Jessica Jacoby (one of Harlan's granddaughters). Although somewhat uneven, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)