Hangmen Also Die!

The 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich—the "Hangman of Prague"—and the fierce resistance against the Nazi henchmen provide the backdrop for the meeting of two German artists in American exile. Brecht, who was able to emigrate to the US thanks to Fritz Lang’s efforts, soon felt betrayed after an initial sense of euphoria, as Lang had little use for his ideas: "He wants to make a Hollywood picture and doesn't give a shit about scenes depicting the common people," Brecht noted with disappointment in his work journal. It would remain his only foray into the US dream factory; yet the film—whose title was coined by a secretary during a contest—has endured to this day as one of the definitive anti-Nazi films.
(Florian Widegger)