Os Carrascos Também Morrem

One suspects this film registered better with viewers in 1943 than it does today. Despite being suggested by the actual assassination of Reichs Protector of Bohemia and Moravia Reinhard Heydrich, better known to the Czechs as "The Hangman" because of his excessive brutality in dealing with residents of the conquered regions, it is almost total fiction. Even so it is not bad as a rather involved drama and was very likely good anti-nazi propaganda.

Perhaps it is well to start with what actually did happen to Heydrich on May 29, 1942. Two young Czechs, Jan Kubis and Josef Ganchik, parachuted in from an RAF plane and managed to ambush "the Hangman" riding in his open Mercedes. Armed with both machine pistols and a bomb, the apparently did little harm by shooting, but did explode the bomb under the car. Heydrich's spleen was penetrated by bomb fragments and debris causing death several days later, possibly more by infection than anything else. The two Czechs evaded capture briefly, but witnesses under torture revealed their hiding place in a church and the SS killed them. In a massive retaliation, Hitler picked the village of Lidice, more or less at random, from among places known to harbor anti-German sentiment, and ordered its total annihilation. The people of Lidice had nothing whatever to do with the assassination, of course.

In HANGMEN ALSO DIE we have the story of a lone assassin, using an English made pistol, whose getaway taxi was forced to move by German soldiers, causing him to take refuge during the curfew at the home of a Czech professor. The professor's daughter, Mascha, had impulsively directed the German pursuit away from him. The German police suspect the girl, but release her in the hope she will lead them to the wanted man. They also round up many Czechs, including the girl's father, and begin shooting them as hostages. The girl at first intends to give information, hoping to save her father, but in the end is persuaded otherwise by the Czech resistance. A plan is concocted to bamboozle the SS and save the assassin and the girl, but what it is you will have to see for yourself. Be assured it is incredible.

As you see, this story has little to do with the historic assassination and its aftermath, beyond illustrating the SS brutality, but it does make a mildly entertaining wartime adventure with good propaganda value, largely because of the rather low key, intensely personal nature of the plot elements. Some of the characters are very real and believable, e.g. the Gestapo Inspector Gruber, the girl Mascha, and her father, all ably portrayed by Alexander Granach, Anna Lee, and Walter Brennan respectively. On the other hand, some characters are more like cardboard cut-outs and get wooden performances to suit. Brian Donlevy as Dr.Svoboda, the assassin, fits this category alas, as do a number of others. What realism there is seems likely to have been the contribution of Bertolt Brecht rather than John Wexley, who got the credit for the screenplay. One likes to think that Fritz Lang did the best he could with a mixed bag of acting talent, but this can hardly be said to be his best effort.

Just why Hollywood producers seem to prefer fiction to the facts when dealing with historical material is a major mystery to me. In 1943 the general facts of the assassination were known, if not all the details, and could have made just as dramatic a story as this fictional one. It is worth a watch, though, especially if you like Anna Lee.

Hangmen Also Die! (1943)

The best part of this movie is knowing it was made right in the middle of the war, not in some recreation of the events. It's a little hyperbolic, for sure, but really well acted (both the Nazis and the Czechs), and it ends up being a battle of wits and tricks between the two sides.

Fritz Lang was a refuge from Nazi Europe and made this in Hollywood, with an expected sensibility for the cruelties and barbarism of the occupying nasties. And they probably were this nasty--worse, in truth, though less comically so, as the movie sometimes pushes it a bit. Still, really enjoyable, in all. Yet, somehow, it was long. The twists from one scene to another started to sound familiar, and the tension was sustained rather than invigorated, if that makes any sense.

Brian Donlevy is the leading good guy here, and he's always a little less than compelling, though he is not in most of the scenes so I suppose that's fine. The double-crosser was played by Gene Lockhart, whose presence grows as the movie gets on, and by the end he's really pretty amazing (far beyond the caricature of, say, the judge he played in "Miracle on 34th Street"). Walter Brennan makes an appearance, recognizable mostly by his voice. Two of the Nazi higher-ups were terrific, both the Pilsner guzzling brute and the slightly comical but scary gestapo head.

Lang is no fool, and he makes this movie not only a pleasure, but an important tool to remind viewers to be involved, to realize that you can fight oppression, even Nazi oppression, with enough wits and sacrifice.

This is loosely based on the true story of a member of the Czech underground assasinating the nazi regional governer, a ruthless fellow they call 'the Hangman'. The story revolves around the assasin and the family that unknowingly hid him from the gestapo. When questioned by the gestapo, the family says the guy was there to see their daughter, who happens to be engaged to another fine gentleman. So this little situation complicates the story, as the gestapo detective,a very ruthless chap, tries to catch them in the lie. From there the story moves along in chilling fashion when 400 townfolks are rounded up to be executed in groups of 10 each day until the assasin is turned in. This causes people to question their inner strength and makes them wonder if it is worth it to sacrifice themselves to keep him hidden. The story gets resolves in a very clever way which I will not reveal. The movie has that film noir/Hitchkockian feel to it with the protagonist being chased down and making clever escapes by the skin of his teeth. Although the movie drags a bit here and there, it ends up being a worthwhile suspenseful drama and also makes you think a bit about what would you do if you were put in that situation.

A propaganda film, produced during World War II, written and directed by two of the most famous anti-Nazi Germans, exiled to the United States at the time, Fritz Lang and Berthold Brecht.

The story evokes the anti-Nazi resistance of the occupied Czechoslovak people, protecting the assassin of Reinhard Heydrich, the former head of the SS, head of the Reich Security Main Office and deputy Reich Protector in Bohemia and Moravia, even under the threat of death of hundreds of hostages, chosen among the most important civilian, religious and military figures in Czechoslovakia.

If the assassination was real, the story told in the film is fiction. But an interesting and well-woven plot, whose main objectives were to raise morale and honor of those who resisted the Nazi occupation in several European countries.

In case you can't tell from the title, Hangmen Also Die! Is a very heavy film. It's one of those underground resistance movies made during the height of WWII, and it's incredibly powerful even now after we know we've won the war. There were many of this sub-genre made during the time period before an Allied victory was assumed, and they all captured a very scary feeling. Stick together, trust no one, and be prepared to give your life so your children won't have to live in a German-speaking world.

This movie takes place in Czechoslovakia, during the Nazi occupation with strict curfews and rules against congregation. However, there's a man out when he shouldn't be, running around where he shouldn't be. He kills a Nazi soldier, and just when he's about to be captured, a young woman who watched the incident does a small act of kindness. She lies to the pursuing guards and points them in the wrong direction, buying the man some time. Little does she know she's opened her entire family to scrutiny and changed everyone's lives forever.

Brian Donlevy is the man on the run, and Anna Lee is the woman who saves him. He believes he can trust her, so he seeks refuge for the night in her home as an alibi. Her father, Walter Brennan, and her mother Nana Bryant, are against the idea, knowing it will get them into trouble - but they're already in too deep to turn back. So, Brian stays the night and the family tries to come up with a plausible story that will keep everyone out of trouble. Sure enough, the Gestapo find out and question them, headed by the ruthless interrogator Alexander Granach.

Fritz Lang's fantastic direction keeps a fast pace that never lets you catch your breath. Everyone in the cast is uncharacteristically intense, giving some of their best performances - and I can't help but give credit to Lang as well. When the entire cast is at the top of their game, the director has usually given his all, too. Brian Donlevy is usually a villain, Walter Brennan is usually a crotchety hick, Gene Lockhart is usually genial, and Alexander Granach made very few talkies after his successful silent career. Partly because of these against-type performances, and partly because of the suspenseful script, the movie constantly surprises. This is not easy to watch, but it's worth it if you can.