Figure 1.-- Here we have a suitablt snarling NAZI. The scene shows Beda standing with his family in the doorway of their home after the Gestapo officers have barged in to it. Beda wears short pants suit and knee socks. He still wears the same ribbon bow tie and collared shirt.

Here's an important film, historically--Fritz Lang's only venture into Hollywood--a story based on a famous story by Bertold Brecht treating in a fictional way the assassination of the Nazi ruler of Bohemia/Moravia (Czechoslovakia), Reinhard Heydrich, who on May 27, 1942, was shot by resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation of that country. Fritz Lang, of course, was a very famous German film director--the director of "M", a film that I've already reviewed for HBC. Many film historians regard this film, "Hangmen Also Die" (1943) starring Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan, and Gene Lockart, as an early example of film noir--partly because of the black and white medium and also because of dark subject matter combined with dark cinematography.

Filmology

Here's an important film, historically--Fritz Lang's only venture into Hollywood--a story based on a famous story by Bertold Brecht treating in a fictional way the assassination of the NAZI Reichsprotector of Bohemia/Moravia (Czechoslovakia). Fritz Lang, of course, was a very famous German film director--the director of "M", a film already reviewed by HBC. Many film historians regard this film, "Hangmen Also Die" (1943) as an early example of film noir--partly because of the black and white medium and also because of dark subject matter combined with dark cinematography.

Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Heydrich on May 27, 1942, was shot by Czech resistance fighters parachuted into Czechoslovakia by the British during the NAZI occupation of that country. The Czech Government in exile wanted to show that the Czechs were not colaborating with the NAZIs. Heydrich was appointed Reichsprotector by Hitler after receiving reports that the former Reichsprotector was being too gentle with the Czechs. Heydrich was perhaps the most evil of the top NAZIs. He is the mastermind behind the Holocaust. Heydrich was of course pictured as a very evil person in the film. As it was made during the War, it may be seen as a propaganda film. The strange thing is that as evil as he is depicted, the film only did not even begin to depict the full extent of his villany.

Cast

The film starred several Hollywood staples. The adult actors were Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan, and Gene Lockart. Professor Novotny's young son, 11-year-old Beda, has an important role in the film. He is ably played by Billy Roy. Billy was not a major child start, but he appeared in numerous Hollywood films including "Pride of the Yankees" (starring Gary Cooper) and Billy Wilder's film, "The Major and the Minor." The role in "Hangmen Also Die" was one of his most important. Billy Roy died recently--on 2 September 2003--at the age of 75.

Figure 2.-- Here Beda is outside an apartment in Prague where his future brother-in-law has been tied up by one of the Gestapo thugs. Beda is about to break into the apartment, using his ingenuity with false keys, to release the prisoner. He is wearing the outfit in which he walks to school--a long single breasted outer jacket and black peaked cap. He wears the short trousers and knee socks underneath.

Plot

The plot concerns a fictionalized account of Heydrich's assassination--of the hated "Hangman" of the title (Heydrich) whose title was Reichsprotector and who was responsible for the savage slaughter of many Czechoslovakians. The story follows the assassin (a physician called Dr. Franticek Svoboda, played by Brian Donlevy) as he evades the widening dragnet of the Nazi occupation and is protected by his fellow Czechs even to the point of self-sacrifice. Hostages are taken and periodically executed by the NAZIs in reprisal for the murder of Heydrich and also as a means of exerting pressure on the Czech resistance movement to expose the killer of Heydrich. A plan finally evolves to frame a traitorous Czech quizling (a rich brewer played by Gene Lockhart) and have him accused falsely of Heydrich's assassination so that some of the hostages and the actual assassin, Dr. Svoboda, can escape death. Featured prominently in the story is the family of a Czech history professor (Stepan Novotny, played by Walter Brennan), his wife, and two children, a girl and a boy, who shelter Dr. Svoboda in their home, thus, of course, risking their own lives. Eventually, the professor is arrested as a hostage and supposedly executed as a way of pressuring the professor's daughter into exposing Svoboda to the Gestapo. Professor Novotny's young son, 11-year-old Beda, plays a major role in the story played by Billy Roy. We see Beda in the typical schoolboy dress of a Czech lad, wearing short pants, dark knee socks, a sweater, and, sometimes, a stringlike or ribbon bow tie with his white collared shirt. We also see him in outdoor clothing, consisting of a long jacket and peaked cap--the clothes he wears as he walks to school. The costuming seems to be fairly accurate historically, since most European boys up to at least 14 wore short pants in 1942, the year in which the action is set. The boy's necktie is the only feature of Beda's dress that looks a bit suspicious to me, but perhaps this detail, too, is reasonably accurate.

Costuming

We see Beda in one shot with his older sister and her fiance as he is studying for an exam at school. Notice the short pants, the knee-length black socks, the cardigan sweater, and the white shirt with ribbon bow tie. I can't say I have ever seen the ribbon tie before being worn by Czech boys, but our Czech archive is very limited. Actually Czech styles were very similar to German styles as far as we can tell. It was probably added by the costume director to give Beda wht he thought was a European look. The scene here shows Beda standing with his family in the doorway of their home after the Gestapo officers have barged in to it (figure 1). Here Beda wears the same short pants and knee socks, but he has now put on a suit jacket (apparently matching the short trousers). He still wears the same ribbon bow tie and collared shirt. Another shot shows Beda outside an apartment in Prague where his future brother-in-law has been tied up by one of the Gestapo thugs (figure 2). Beda is about to break into the apartment, using his ingenuity with false keys, to release the prisoner. He is wearing the outfit in which he walks to school--a long single breasted outer jacket and black peaked cap. He wears the short trousers and knee socks underneath.

Created: 1:59 PM 1/8/2006
Last updated: 1:59 PM 1/8/2006