Hangmen Also Die! (1943)
During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, surgeon Dr. Franticek Svoboda, a Czech patriot, assassinates the brutal "Hangman of Europe", Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich, and is wounded in the process. In his attempt to escape, he is helped by history professor Stephen Novotny and his daughter Mascha.
- Fritz Lang
- Walter Mayo
- Fred Pressburger
- Bertolt Brecht
- Bertolt Brecht
- Fritz Lang
- Fritz Lang
- John Wexley
Rating: 6.9/10 by 121 users
Alternative Title:
Henker sterben auch - DE
Myöskin pyövelit kuolevat - FI
Pyövelitkin kuolevat - FI
Kai oi dimioi pethainoun - GR
Never Surrender - US
No Surrender - US
Trust the People - US
Les bourreaux meurent aussi - FR
Voor Beulen Geen Genade - NL
Los verdugos también mueren - ES
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Deutsch
Runtime: 02 hour 14 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: assassination, nazi, hostage, resistance, world war ii, surgeon, czechoslovakia, prague, czech republic, gestapo, double cross, nazi occupation, assassination of reinhard heydrich (1942), lidice massacre
Fritz Lang has assembled a really solid cast for this depiction of the Nazi terror inflicted on the Czech people after they decided to rid themselves of their German overlord Reinhard Heydrich. That historical event happens pretty early on, allowing us to focus on just how brutal the regime was, and on just how courageous those left were by continuing to oppose their oppressors despite some fairly arbitrary methods of retribution. The assassin must find shelter, evade detection and learn whom to trust as he watches those around him suffer - regardless of any guilt. Probably my favourite performance comes via the collaborating "Czaka" (Gene Lockhart) who plays the local beer magnate-cum-stooge really quite well. Walter Brennan is likewise effective as the elderly historian professor "Novotny" as is Alexander Granach as the Gestapo man charged with finding the original culprit. It is a little heavy on the dialogue side at times, but the director takes his time to imbue a real sense of the horror faced by the population as lawful lawlessness gradually robbed them of even the most basic of civil liberties, and the darkly lit photography is particularly evocative too. It's been retold once or twice, but to nowhere near the same standard and though largely a work of fiction, is still potent stuff.
