Story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi SS commander, by Czech partisans and the reprisals inflicted by the Nazis on the Czechs.Story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi SS commander, by Czech partisans and the reprisals inflicted by the Nazis on the Czechs.Story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi SS commander, by Czech partisans and the reprisals inflicted by the Nazis on the Czechs.
Ludwig Stössel
- Herman Bauer
- (as Ludwig Stossel)
Enrique Acosta
- Prisoner
- (uncredited)
Fred Aldrich
- German Machine Gunner
- (uncredited)
Nellie Anderson
- Old Lady Masaryk
- (uncredited)
Louis V. Arco
- German Sergeant
- (uncredited)
Richard Bailey
- Anton Bartonek
- (uncredited)
Wilmer Barnes
- Officer
- (uncredited)
Walter Bonn
- Military Doctor
- (uncredited)
Chet Brandenburg
- Linesman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile in Germany before the war, director Douglas Sirk met Reinhard Heydrich at a party, and later recalled that "he made my blood run cold."
- GoofsHeydrich was ambushed in the city of Prague, not on a country road. His travel plans were also no secret: despite Hitler's admonitions Heydrich always took the same route when traveling in the city, believing the the people were too cowed to dare attack him.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Anton Bartonek: Telling you not to eat or drink. one morsel of food, one swallow of drink, before you think, Before you think! What is best for your country. Keep your country free from the foe you hate. Catch him! Catch him! Do not wait!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (2004)
Featured review
From his relatively safe base in England, Czech soldier Alan Curtis (as Karel Vavra) parachutes into his former hometown of Lidice, now controlled by bloodthirsty German Nazis. The village is a resource-rich riverside farming community, now helping to fatten Hitler's madmen. Hiding out and encouraging residents to support British allies through sabotage, Mr. Curtis reacquaints himself with glamorous schoolteacher Patricia Morison (as Jarmilla Hanka). While on his mission to bolster local resistance, Curtis is unable to resist Ms. Morrison's movie-star beauty. Their greatest obstacle is John Carradine (as Reinhardt Heydrich), an especially nasty Nazi called "The Hangman" and "The Protector" (of Hitler's Third Reich)...
This was director Douglas Sirk's first American film, after arriving from Hitler's Germany. He makes a great first impression on US shores and had, no doubt, some personal observations about Adolf Hitler and his fascist regime. The brutality is addressed more vividly in modern movies. Older films had to tone down the violence or omit it altogether in favor of gun-ho propaganda. Sirk manages to covey the horror without gore and tells the story exceptionally well...
"Hitler's Madman" is bogged down by the ill-placed Hollywood-style romance played by co-leads Curtis and Morrison. They are out of place, here, but the film's supporting roles are marvelous. The "Madman" in the title refers to Mr. Carradine. There are a couple others who would have made "Hitler's Madmen" a more appropriate heading. Carradine has several great scenes. So does gluttonous Ludwig Stossel (as Herman Bauer), the mayor inserted by the Nazis. And, while only seen briefly, Sirk has portly Howard Freeman (as Heinrich Himmler) primping memorably in a mirror while planning a slaughter...
From the obvious twists in Edgar Kennedy's showy alcohol-drenched hermit (Nepomuk) to the subtle revenge enacted by mournful German mayor's wife Johanna Hofer (as Magda), there are engaging characterizations. Yet, the story belongs to the "organizers and intellectuals" targeted by Hitler, and represented by veteran actor Ralph Morgan (as Jan Hanka). The father of leading lady Morrison, Mr. Morgan initially doesn't want to support the resistance because he believes his entire village could be destroyed. His character's journey is the one to follow and Morgan's "Jan Hanka" walks away with the film.
******** Hitler's Madman (6/10/1943) Douglas Sirk ~ Alan Curtis, Patricia Morison, Ralph Morgan, John Carradine
This was director Douglas Sirk's first American film, after arriving from Hitler's Germany. He makes a great first impression on US shores and had, no doubt, some personal observations about Adolf Hitler and his fascist regime. The brutality is addressed more vividly in modern movies. Older films had to tone down the violence or omit it altogether in favor of gun-ho propaganda. Sirk manages to covey the horror without gore and tells the story exceptionally well...
"Hitler's Madman" is bogged down by the ill-placed Hollywood-style romance played by co-leads Curtis and Morrison. They are out of place, here, but the film's supporting roles are marvelous. The "Madman" in the title refers to Mr. Carradine. There are a couple others who would have made "Hitler's Madmen" a more appropriate heading. Carradine has several great scenes. So does gluttonous Ludwig Stossel (as Herman Bauer), the mayor inserted by the Nazis. And, while only seen briefly, Sirk has portly Howard Freeman (as Heinrich Himmler) primping memorably in a mirror while planning a slaughter...
From the obvious twists in Edgar Kennedy's showy alcohol-drenched hermit (Nepomuk) to the subtle revenge enacted by mournful German mayor's wife Johanna Hofer (as Magda), there are engaging characterizations. Yet, the story belongs to the "organizers and intellectuals" targeted by Hitler, and represented by veteran actor Ralph Morgan (as Jan Hanka). The father of leading lady Morrison, Mr. Morgan initially doesn't want to support the resistance because he believes his entire village could be destroyed. His character's journey is the one to follow and Morgan's "Jan Hanka" walks away with the film.
******** Hitler's Madman (6/10/1943) Douglas Sirk ~ Alan Curtis, Patricia Morison, Ralph Morgan, John Carradine
- wes-connors
- Dec 13, 2016
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Hitler's Hangman
- Filming locations
- Angeles Crest Highway, Angeles National Forest, California, USA(exterior snow scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $300,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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