Commando à Prague

None of the English language films dealing with the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, referred to affectionately by Hitler as 'the man with the iron heart', is wholly satisfactory and it comes as no surprise that the most effective version is Czechoslovakian.

Its director Jiri Sequens has been much disparaged because of his links to Moscow but this is generally regarded as his finest film. He believed that for dramatic purposes one cannot improve on History itself and has made this in the manner of a skilled documentarist rather than imposing his own style. Its sense of 'being there' is heightened by the stark black and white cinematography of Rudolf Milic and the fact that the protagonists are played by actors pretty well unknown in the West adds further to its authenticity. It is the chilling portrayal of Heydrich by an East German radio actor named Siegfried Loyda that lingers longest.

Sequens' knack for action sequences is evident in the Nazi attack on the Cathedral which takes up the last twenty minutes and which is brilliantly handled.

The power of this film lies in its simplicity and not for nothing was it admired by a certain Robert Bresson.

The ultimate accolade came from the most bizarre and unexpected source. Heydrich's widow attended the premiere and said "Yes, it was just like that."

I readily admit my ignorance about Czech cinema in general, and Director Jiri Sequens in particular, just as I readily concede that ATENTAT (ASSASSINATION) is a gripping factual film, well helmed and shot in B&W, with quality acting across the board.

Interestingly, it uses various languages, allowing the viewer to get an idea of the revulsion that Heydrich attracted even among German Army personnel with all his executions in the various countries where he was posted; the training of Czechoslovakian parachutists in England to orders barked in proper cockney, prior to being flown to Prague to carry out their missions, including Heydrich's assassination; and, of course, Czech.

Thankfully, the copy that I watched on Youtube carries readable subtitles, even if parts of the dialogue seem to go sans translation. At any rate, you do get the gist, and the action moves along briskly, with all participants aware that they might not return alive from their assignment.

You also get a matter of fact insight into the cold decision by the Germans to eliminate an entire Czech village as reprisal, and the gruesome finale as the Czech specialists pay a painful price.

The questions burning in my mind at the end were: did icing Heydrich really require the loss of so many Czech soldiers and civilians? Was Heydrich really that important and did his removal significantly change things in favor of the Allies?

There can be many answers to that, including the fact that it emboldened Czech resistance. What remains is a heroic feat and a film well worth watching that does its utmost to stay faithful to history and to provide a multifaceted overview of those events. 8/10.