Hangmen Also Die!

Hangmen Also Die (1943)

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HANGMEN ALSO DIE

Reviewed by Heather Picker

Directed by Fritz Lang. Screenplay by Bertolt Brecht and Fritz Lang. Starring Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan, Anna Lee and Dennis O'Keefe. 1943, 134 min., Not Rated.

Fritz Lang's Hangmen Also Die is an underrated film noir (fictionalized) telling of the 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski), a Nazi hangman. The killing is the work of members of the Czech resistance movement; Dr. Franticek Svoboda (Brian Donlevy) shoots Heydrich and Nasha Novotny (Anna Lee), a young woman who was out buying vegetables for her family's dinner, sees him. Novotny and her family become Gestapo targets as their inspectors zero in on Svoboda.

What ensues is an expansion of the Czech underground movement as they swiftly move from one dangerous situation to the next to redirect the increasing suspicions of the Nazi's to Emil Czaka (Gene Lockhart), a Czech traitor. After placing aside her fearful reluctance, Nasha becomes embroiled in the frame-up. Her father, Stephan, a professor (played by Walter Brennan) is arrested and the rest of the Novotny family and some of their acquaintances are detained by the Gestapo for intense questioning.

Particularly effective are the scenes of detainment and questioning; the use of lighting creates a depressingly bleak look that perfectly matches the grim story and settings. Lang, who co-scripted with Bertolt Brecht, builds increasing tension that, as the ending of the film nears and the trap for Emil is set, becomes genuinely gripping in spite of some questionable performances. Donlevy is never as expressive as he should be and Dennis O'Keefe stands around doing nothing as Nasha's boyfriend, Jan, but Lee and Brennan are good, Lockhart is appropriately slimy as Czaka, and Alexander Granach equally intimidating as Gestapo Inspector Alois Gruber. Keep an eye on the "The End" message after the denouement. Terrific cinematography by James Wong Howe, 1944 Oscar nominations for Hanns Eisler's score and Jack Whitney's sound recording.

DVD Details: A sparsely featured release by Kino, the Hangmen Also Die DVD sports only chapter selections. The transfer, digitally remastered from a 35mm print (newly struck from the original, slightly damaged nitrate negative), has deep blacks but poor contrast. The image quality also suffers from bad shadow detail, an important element in a film that’s action sequences take place in the dark. The mono soundtrack is adequate; there is occasional static and parts of the score are strained, but the dialogue is clear. The DVD is disappointing due to the $29.95 price and lack of supplementary materials, but probably looks as good as it ever will. Recommended to Lang fans.

Availability: Hangmen Also Die is available on video and DVD as an individual title and as part of a Kino film noir boxset.

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