Hangmen Also Die!

”Hangmen Also Die!” (1943)

Hangmen Also Die! is a largely forgotten masterpiece directed by Fritz Lang (M, The Big Heat, Metropolis) and co-written with Bertolt Brecht, the great German writer’s only film screenplay. Starring Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan, Anna Lee, Gene Lockhart, and Alexander Granach, the film is a fictional account of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia and “Butcher of Prague,” and the German retaliation against the Czech people. Released during the war, the story suggests that the assassination was the work of the Czech Communist Party, when in fact and unknown at the time, the assassination was arranged by British and Czech secret services. The film’s heroic portrayal of Czech communists and Brecht’s own socialist sympathies, which landed him on Hollywood’s black-list, helped relegate this film to the dusty shelves of the studio. Kino Cinema helped restore the film to its rightful place in the canon of Lang’s great pictures.

The following weapons were used in the film Hangmen Also Die!:

Mauser Pocket Pistol

Throughout the film, Gestapo Insp. Alois Gruber (Alexander Granach) carries a 1934 Mauser Pocket Pistol.

1934 Mauser Pocket Pistol

Inspector Gruber gets the drop on Dr. Franticek Svoboda / Karel Vanek (Brian Donlevy).

Inspector Gruber warns the suspects.

Inspector Gruber phones the Gestapo.

Luger P08

Throughout the film, German Schutzstaffel (SS) carry a Luger P08.

Lugar P08

Inspector Gruber confronts Dr. Franticek Svoboda / Karel Vanek .

MP40 Submachine Gun

Throughout the film, German Schutzstaffel (SS) carry a MP40.

MP40 Submachine Gun

Schutzstaffel protect Gestapo headquarters and the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski).

Inspector Gruber searches Dr. Franticek Svoboda / Karel Vanek’s apartment.

Gewehr 41(M)

Throughout the film, German Schutzstaffel (SS) carry a Gewehr 41.

Gewehr 41 (M)

Schutzstaffel forces protect Gestapo headquarters and the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich.

Schutzstaffel forces search for the assassin, hiding in the dark.

Schutzstaffel forces question eyewitnesses.

Schutzstaffel forces seize hostages.

Schutzstaffel forces convey hostages to their deaths.

Schutzstaffel forces warn the Czech people of reprisals for the assassination of Heydrich.