Hangmen Also Die! (1943)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Bertolt Brecht (adaptation) (original story) and
Fritz Lang (adaptation) (original story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 April 1943 (USA)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

The shot heard 'round the world!

Plot:

On May 27, 1942 the Nazi Reichsprotector of Bohemia/Moravia, the "Hangman" Reinhard Heydrich, died from...

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Assassination | Resistance | Traitor | Hostage

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Hans Heinrich von Twardowski	...	Reinhard Heydrich
Brian Donlevy	...	Dr. Franticek Svoboda / Karel Vanek
Walter Brennan	...	Prof. Stephen Novotny
Anna Lee	...	Nasha Novotny
Nana Bryant	...	Mrs. Hellie Novotny
William Roy	...	Boda Novotny (as Billy Roy)
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ludmilla Novotny
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Jan Horak (Nasha's fiancé)
Gene Lockhart	...	Emil Czaka (brewer)
Tonio Selwart	...	Chief of Gestapo Kurt Haas
Alexander Granach	...	Gestapo Insp. Alois Gruber
Reinhold Schünzel	...	Gestapo Insp. Ritter
Ludwig Donath	...	Schirmer
Arno Frey	...	Camp lieutenant Itnut
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Georgia Dvorak (grocer)
Jonathan Hale	...	Dedic
Byron Foulger	...	Bartos
Edmund MacDonald	...	Dr. Pillar
Lionel Stander	...	Banya (taxi driver)
Lester Sharpe	...	Rudy (waiter)
Arthur Loft	...	Gen. Votruba (hostage)
George Irving	...	Neeval (hostage)
James Bush	...	Pescacek (hostage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Abbott	...	Hostage (scenes deleted)
Louis V. Arco	...	Nazi Official
Frederic Brunn	...	SS Officer
Fred Essler	...	Dr. Kesselbach
John Piffle	...	Industrialist
Albin Robeling	...	Clerk
Walter Thiele	...	Police Official
Louis Adlon	...	Adjutant (uncredited)
Erville Alderson	...	Liberal official (uncredited)
Richard Alexander	...	Slugger in theater (uncredited)
Jack Alfred	...	Busboy (uncredited)
Florence Auer	...	Czech patriot (uncredited)
Hank Bell	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Kylar (clerk, hostage) (uncredited)
Edna Bennett	...	Pregnant woman (uncredited)
Margaret Bert	...	Market woman (uncredited)
Lane Bradford	...	Gestapo officer (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Richard Clarke	...	Priest (uncredited)
Steve Clemente	...	Knife thrower (uncredited)
Chester Conklin	...	Cook (uncredited)
Edith Conrad	...	Woman in audience (uncredited)
William Costello	...	SS guard (uncredited)
Max Davidson	...	Bearded man (uncredited)
Bryn Davis	...	Girl (uncredited)
Earle S. Dewey	...	Wine waiter (uncredited)
James Dime	...	Gestapo detective (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Aldrich Krapke (patriot at meeting) (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Gretl Dupont	...	Angry woman (uncredited)
David Durand	...	Bicycle boy (uncredited)
Poldi Dur	...	Slugger's girlfriend in theater) (uncredited)
James Eagles	...	Svatak (uncredited)
Edward Earle	...	Professor (uncredited)
Fern Emmett	...	Peasant woman (uncredited)
Virginia Farmer	...	Mrs. Nimitz (landlady) (uncredited)
William Farnum	...	Viktorin (patriot) (uncredited)
Betty Farrington	...	Heavy-set woman (uncredited)
Dwight Frye	...	Hostage (uncredited)
Hans Fuerberg	...	Personal adjutant (uncredited)
Jack George	...	Polcar (uncredited)
Inna Gest	...	Hat check girl (uncredited)
George Guhl	...	Workman (uncredited)
William Haade	...	Mildrad (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Extra at briefing (uncredited)
Bud Jamison	...	Fat man (uncredited)
Eddie Kane	...	Novak (head waiter at The Golden Quail) (uncredited)
Victor Kendall	...	SS leader (uncredited)
Manart Kippen	...	Dovolga (uncredited)
Fred Kohler Jr.	...	Czech patriot (uncredited)
Kurt Kreuger	...	Gestapo officer (uncredited)
Hope Landin	...	Czech patriot (uncredited)
Rita La Roy	...	Girl (uncredited)
Rolf Lindau	...	De Lauge (uncredited)
Emmett Lynn	...	Gerta (hostage) (uncredited)
Robert Malcolm	...	Czech patriot (uncredited)
Claire McDowell	...	Counterwoman (uncredited)
Paul McVey	...	Jan Pestuca (newspaper editor) (uncredited)
John Meredith	...	Czech man (uncredited)
Philip Merivale	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Louis Merrill	...	Industrialist (uncredited)
Peter Michael	...	SS Captain (uncredited)
Charles Middleton	...	Patriot at meeting with Svoboda (uncredited)
Edwin Mills	...	Eduard (uncredited)
Harold Minjir	...	Butler (uncredited)
Frances Morris	...	Dr. Svoboda's nurse (uncredited)
George N. Neise	...	Mueller (uncredited)
Carl Neubert	...	Economist (uncredited)
Kurt Neumann	...	SS Man (uncredited)
Manuel París	...	Townsman on Street (uncredited)
Russ Powell	...	Tobacconist (uncredited)
Lucien Prival	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Frank Reicher	...	Interpreter (uncredited)
Otto Reichow	...	Gestapo agent Schultz (uncredited)
Ernest Roberts	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore	...	Patriot at meeting (uncredited)
Hans Schumm	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Janet Shaw	...	Katerina Honiga (patriotic factory secretary) (uncredited)
George Sherwood	...	SS Lieutenant (uncredited)
Pietro Sosso	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson	...	Nazi Guard in Visitors Pen (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale	...	Cigarette smoker (uncredited)
Henry Sylvester	...	Tall Czech (uncredited)
Forrest Taylor	...	Pipe smoker (uncredited)
Sigfrid Tor	...	Gescky (uncredited)
Fred Trowbridge	...	Man in audience (uncredited)
Lisl Valetti	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt	...	Officer (uncredited)
Lucio Villegas	...	Townsman at Briefing (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Hostage wearing glasses (uncredited)
Hans von Morhart	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Sam Waagenaar	...	SS man (uncredited)
Eddy Waller	...	Hansom cab driver (uncredited)
Fay Wall	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Crane Whitley	...	SS headquarters man (uncredited)
Guy Wilkerson	...	Santrock (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Ugly German bodyguard (uncredited)

Directed by
Fritz Lang

Writing credits
Bertolt Brecht		(adaptation) (original story) (as Bert Brecht) and
Fritz Lang		(adaptation) (original story)
John Wexley		(screenplay)

Produced by
Theo. W. Baumfeld	....	assistant producer (as T.W. Baumfeld)
Fritz Lang	....	producer
Arnold Pressburger	....	producer

Original Music by
Hanns Eisler

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe

Film Editing by
Gene Fowler Jr.

Art Direction by
William S. Darling

Makeup Department
Robert Stephanoff	....	makeup artist (as Blagoe Stephanoff)

Production Management
Carley Harriman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Walter Mayo	....	assistant director
Fred Pressburger	....	assistant director

Art Department
Julia Heron	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Fred Lau	....	sound
Jack Whitney	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Scott	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eleanor Behm	....	dresses: Miss Lee

Music Department
Sam Coslow	....	lyrics
Artur Guttmann	....	conductor
Artur Guttmann	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Max Pretzfelder	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Arnold Pressburger Films (as Arnold Productions Inc.)

Distributors

• United Artists (1943) (USA) (theatrical)
• Favorite Films (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Les Films Roger Richebé (France) (theatrical)
• DVDY Films (France) (DVD)
• Kino Video (video)
• Spiegel Media GmbH
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2006) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Hangmen Also Die! (UK)
Lest We Forget
Never Surrender (USA) (working title)
No Surrender (USA) (working title)
Trust the People (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:134 min (Turner library print) | France:117 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved | Spain:13 | Sweden:15

Company:

Arnold Pressburger Films

Trivia:

Originally, Bertolt Brecht was denied story credit by the Screen Writer's Guild, even though he worked closely with writer John Wexley on the project.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The character of Reinhard Heydrich wears the collar tabs of an SS-Gruppenfuehrer (group leader, roughly lieutenant general), three oak leaves. As Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia his rank was higher, SS-Obergruppenfuehrer (higher group leader, roughly full general). The proper insignia for this rank in 1942 was three oak leaves with a single pip underneath.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le mépris (1963)

Soundtrack:

Vltava

Top notch WWII drama

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.