Though almost forgotten today, Veit Harlan was one of Nazi Germany’s most notorious
filmmakers. Millions all across occupied Europe saw his films, the most perfidious of which was the treacherous anti-Semitic propaganda film Jew Süss (Jud Süss)—required viewing for all SS members. As Joseph Goebbels’ top director he was an unrepentant and blindly obsessive craftsman, and was also the only artist from the Nazi era to be charged with war crimes. With never-before-seen archival footage, unearthed film excerpts, rare home movies and new interviews, (including Christine Kubrick, wife of legendary director Stanley Kubrick) this powerful documentary is indeed a searing portrait of the controversial filmmaker and an eye-opening examination of World War II film history. But it also shows how Veit Harlan’s family—especially the youngest generation—struggles even today
with the dark myth of his artistic immorality. It’s the story of a German family from the Third Reich to the present, one that is marked by reckoning, denial and liberation.