EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Micransix Crappy film

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

wes-connors 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

mark.waltz Real monsters really existed, and while Dracula, Bluebeard and all those mad doctors were nefarious, none were as evil as the Nazi leader he plays here, thriving on the misery of the Czech's in this quaint village. No non-Nazi escapes from his inhumane treatment, and with pleasure, he has a priest shot, drives a young girl to suicide (and then mocks her choice for freedom), and sends innocent men to the Russian front. But like others in occupied Europe, the people stand up and take matters into their own hands. As history has shown, the Nazi's won many battles, but ultimately lost the war and their immortal souls.As I scream "Die, Nazi, die!" one more time at a viewing of this as the villains get what they deserve (wishing it was nastier and slow and painful), this elaborate propaganda film shows the atrocities. Filmed by the low budget PRC but released by MGM's B unit to give it bigger build- up, this has so much going for it. Future Broadway legend Patricia Morison is a fine young heroine who refuses to back down from teaching youngsters the Czech national anthem, while Ralph Morgan is outstanding as her father who takes things into his hands.Ludwig Stossel, a Nazi victim in "All Through the Night" plays a traitor to his own people and pays for his crimes against humanity. The legendary dramatic stage actress Blanche Yurka has several key scenes as a town matron, but is surprisingly unbilled. Every role is cast perfectly, and the technical achievements are brilliant as well. As directed by a young Douglas Sirk, this ranks as one of the great world war II anti-Nazi films that reminds us that the fascists of the world will pay one way or another, yet the world never seems to learn that lesson.

jlthornb51 As poetically dark as the poem recited throughout, this is a motion picture that should be studied and reflected upon for many generations to come. We must never forget. Lidice by Edna St. Vincent Millay is powerfully incorporated into the drama as the assassination of the brutal monster, Reinhard Heydrich is recounted and the subsequent murderous destruction of the town of Lidice exposed. The diabolical evilness of Heydrich is blood chillingly brought to the screen by director Douglas Sirk in his first Hollywood film after fleeing the Nazis himself. While the use of the stunning poem and the direction are superb, no film or actor could possibly convey what happened during this time and do justice to its under barbarous criminality and hellishness. This film is indeed a sincere and moving attempt to do so and while doomed to failure by the enormity of the horror it must bring to the screen, it succeeds in bringing the tragic story of Lidice's destruction to a wide audience. However, neither that terrible event nor the sickening, pure evil of Heydrich and the Nazis can ever be captured on celluloid.

TAYLOR BOWIE Although the history portrayed in this little cheapie is not 100% accurate, the power and style of the great director Douglas Sirk shines through all the way. Carradine's death-bed scene is superbly acted, photographed and directed, and the climax, propaganda or not, is unforgettable. It is well worth your time!