O Capanga de Hitler

An interesting movie that does not do much to inspire the viewer through its portrayal of the Czech resistance, though they face a grim ending, but definitely catches the interest in the portrayal of Nazi brutality through the part played by John Carradine as Reich Protector Heydrich, who routinely had people shot in order to maintain a level of fear and control. The characterizations of the townspeople are too quaint for this subject, but they (the townspeople) do catch on as Carradine's brutality increases, with the most memorable scene being when he and his men take over a philosophy class, in a scene that manages to get fairly intense. If it were just up to Alan Curtis to carry the film as Karel Vavra, the film would fall into a dark pit of boredom, since within any resistance movement there is always collaborators within families that need to be killed. Those characters are all left out, and so the drama quotient is not very intense. Nonetheless, Carradine's Heydrich is definitely worth watching.

This film is starts with a deceptive title. Reinhart Heydrich was many things, but mad as in clinically insane was not one of them. In fact among his peers he was known as the man with an 'iron heart'. Cold blooded efficiency in some of the nastiest butchery ever seen on this planet was his stock in trade.

And John Carradine played him that way. In many ways Heydrich was the archetype Aryan superman that Hitler lauded, but this guy scared Hitler and all the other top Nazis.

MGM made this film and even though it is a quickie B picture hurriedly put together to take advantage of current events of the war, Hitler's Madman has that tiffany type gloss that MGM product was noted for.

As was reported and at the time not reported fully, how could it have been since we had little access to the news from the Nazi point of view. But word got out about the bloody reprisals made against the Czech people whom Heydrich was governing even from behind the lines. Lidice was razed to the ground as it was the location of the assassination. If anything we could only guess how bad it was.

There are three other interesting portrayals to note. First is Howard Freeman as Heydrich's superior, Heinrich Himmler. William Shirer said that he looked about as frightening as a schoolmaster and that's how Freeman does him as well. His scene with the dying Heydrich is classic as he tells Heydrich he's going out a hero for the Fatherland and Heydrich just doesn't want to go.

Then there's Edgar Kennedy whom I never knew doing anything else but being the slow burn comedian. He plays a cynical hermit who shunned Czech society, but has no use for the Nazis either. But being and choosing to live alone makes him better able to adapt.

My favorite however was Ludwig Stossel who plays the German mayor of Lidice who is a proud Nazi, but who also hears about the loss of his two sons in Russia. Still when Heydrich is attacked, he's arrested for not doing enough to keep the people down and appreciative of their new masters. All of Stossel's protests about what a good party man he is and how loyal to the Fuehrer he is, avail him naught.

One big star is in this, but Ava Gardner is an extra somewhere in the crowd of Lidice citizens. I couldn't spot her, but you might have better luck.

Despite the deceptive title Hitler's Madman does hold up well for today's audiences. A film about Heydrich's whole career would be a fascinating one for today's audience.

Let's not kid ourselves, "Hitler's Madman" is not only no masterpiece but pretty terrible in places yet director Douglas Sirk's movie about the assassination of Heydrich, made almost as the events themselves were unfolding, has great moments. There are scenes here as good as any in war movies, just as there are B-Movie moments as bad as any in B-Movies. Certainly the events portrayed are harrowing enough for this to feel like the ultimate feel-bad movie; perhaps what is most astonishing is that it was made at all while the war was still going on.

It's let down, (badly), by some awful acting but redeemed by Sirk's brilliant handling of individual scenes and by a terrific performance from John Carradine as Heydrich, (his death scene is Oscar-worthy). It may not stick very closely to the events but it's still preferable to the more recent movie dealing with the same subject.

Back in the 1930s and 40s, several very small film production companies were known collectively as the 'Poverty Row studios'. This is because they made films with the tiniest of budgets and these outfits generally didn't even own studios but rented space on major studios' lots....filming after hours when the staff of the more prestigious studios were finished for the day. Among these tiny outfits was PRC--maker of some of the cheapest and worst films. of the day. However, something strange happened with its film "Hitler's Madman"....apparently it wasn't a bad film after all In fact, it got attention from the largest and most prestigious studio, MGM, and MGM bought the film and released it as one of their own!

The story is broadly based on the assassination of the Nazi governor of Czechoslovakia, Reinhardt Heydrich. Heydrich was among the most evil of all the Nazis, having come up with the plan known as 'The Final Solution', i.e., the extermination of all the Jews. And, because he was such an important figure to the Nazi regime that the people of Ledice, Czechoslovakia were liquidated in retaliation for this killing.

So is this film any good and does it hold up well today? Surprisingly, yes...it is very well made and effective...and still packs a powerful punch. Part of it is that although the film lacks stars (not unusual for a PRC film), it has some excellent and familiar character actors. Additionally, although the film plays a bit fast and loose with the facts, it actually sticks closer than you'd expect and the way the Nazis were portrayed was rather realistic...as most low-budget war films of the era tended to make the Nazis either stupid or ridiculously evil (more like Snidely Whiplash than a Nazi). Overall, I was impressed by this one....much of it because I just cannot believe PRC would be able to make a quality picture!

From his relatively safe base in England, Czech soldier Alan Curtis (as Karel Vavra) parachutes into his former hometown of Lidice, now controlled by bloodthirsty German Nazis. The village is a resource-rich riverside farming community, now helping to fatten Hitler's madmen. Hiding out and encouraging residents to support British allies through sabotage, Mr. Curtis reacquaints himself with glamorous schoolteacher Patricia Morison (as Jarmilla Hanka). While on his mission to bolster local resistance, Curtis is unable to resist Ms. Morrison's movie-star beauty. Their greatest obstacle is John Carradine (as Reinhardt Heydrich), an especially nasty Nazi called "The Hangman" and "The Protector" (of Hitler's Third Reich)...

This was director Douglas Sirk's first American film, after arriving from Hitler's Germany. He makes a great first impression on US shores and had, no doubt, some personal observations about Adolf Hitler and his fascist regime. The brutality is addressed more vividly in modern movies. Older films had to tone down the violence or omit it altogether in favor of gun-ho propaganda. Sirk manages to covey the horror without gore and tells the story exceptionally well...

"Hitler's Madman" is bogged down by the ill-placed Hollywood-style romance played by co-leads Curtis and Morrison. They are out of place, here, but the film's supporting roles are marvelous. The "Madman" in the title refers to Mr. Carradine. There are a couple others who would have made "Hitler's Madmen" a more appropriate heading. Carradine has several great scenes. So does gluttonous Ludwig Stossel (as Herman Bauer), the mayor inserted by the Nazis. And, while only seen briefly, Sirk has portly Howard Freeman (as Heinrich Himmler) primping memorably in a mirror while planning a slaughter...

From the obvious twists in Edgar Kennedy's showy alcohol-drenched hermit (Nepomuk) to the subtle revenge enacted by mournful German mayor's wife Johanna Hofer (as Magda), there are engaging characterizations. Yet, the story belongs to the "organizers and intellectuals" targeted by Hitler, and represented by veteran actor Ralph Morgan (as Jan Hanka). The father of leading lady Morrison, Mr. Morgan initially doesn't want to support the resistance because he believes his entire village could be destroyed. His character's journey is the one to follow and Morgan's "Jan Hanka" walks away with the film.

******** Hitler's Madman (6/10/1943) Douglas Sirk ~ Alan Curtis, Patricia Morison, Ralph Morgan, John Carradine