The Oppenheim Family

The Oppenheim Family (Russian: Семья Оппенгейм, romanized: Semja Oppengejm) is a 1938 (released in May 1939 in the USA) Soviet drama film, directed by Grigori Roshal.

Vogelzang humiliates Berthold Oppenheim (Vladimir Balashov), a Jewish student, during their first class and challenges him to present a report on Arminius the Germanic after dismissing his original topic, "Humanism and the 20th Century."

Meanwhile, Berthold’s father, Martin Oppenheim (Iosif Tolchanov), refuses to merge his successful furniture business with a rival’s, dismissing concerns about the growing antisemitism.

Later, Berthold visits the Arminius monument to understand the historical figure, and on the way home, he helps save Weller (Nikolai Bogolyubov), a man being pursued by Nazi stormtroopers.

When it is time for Berthold’s presentation, he critiques Arminius as a symbol of barbarism and argues that German culture is represented by figures like Heine, Goethe, and Beethoven.

The Oppenheim Family