After the German “Hangman” is murdered, Franticek Svoboda (Brian Donlevy) finds himself on the run from the Nazis in Fritz Lang’s classic war film Hangmen Also Die! Check out our review.
Made in 1943 by the legendary filmmaker Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M), Hangmen Also Die is based around the killing of an SS Obergruppenfuher in Czechoslovakia who also goes by the name of “The Hangman”. Where most films would focus on the plan and attack of the killing, Lang instead focuses on the aftermath. The Nazi victim has been assassinated by a surgeon called Doctor Svoboda, who finds himself on the run and in hiding from the Germans.
It’s incredible to hear that Fritz Lang, Hanns Eisler (composer), Bertolt Brecht (playwright) and actor Hans Heinrich von Twardowski came together to create the movie whilst all being four German exiles in Hollywood. The result is a classic piece of cinema.
As with many older films, there can be a bit of wooden acting seen, but the film is full of intrigue and tension set during wartime. It’s also quite humourous to see that the Czechoslovakian heroes all have American accents, whilst the German bad guys all speak in a posh English accent. The cinematography looks fantastic in black and white and still holds up well today. Coming in at a little over two hours, Hangmen Also Die! is actually Lang’s longest American film.
The new release by Arrow Academy is packed with some great extras, including audio commentary by film historian Richard Pena, newsreel footage, restoration comparison, a trailer, the Story of a Hangman mini doc, reversible sleeve and (for the first pressing release only) a collector’s booklet.
Hangmen Also Die! is a great piece of cinema by a legendary director that is a must own for war film lovers.
The film is to be released on August 29th and is available to pre-order now from Arrow.
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