Power

Veidt plays a Jew in 18th-century Wurtemburg who, through cunning and ruthlessness, works himself out of the ghetto to a position of some authority and power. His tactics include yielding his sweetheart to an evil duke to be seduced. This also comes back to haunt him, however, as the father of the girl manages to get his revenge on Veidt. When it is discovered that Veidt is really not a Jew, he refuses to believe it, remaining faithful to his religion even as he is brought to be hanged. Production fails to give the atmosphere of the time it is depicting, with the direction hazily dealing with important aspects from the Feuchtwanger novel (titled Power in the...