Hitler's Madman (1943)

Disturbing yet enthralling

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Let's not kid ourselves, "Hitler's Madman" is not only no masterpiece but pretty terrible in places yet director Douglas Sirk's movie about the assassination of Heydrich, made almost as the events themselves were unfolding, has great moments. There are scenes here as good as any in war movies, just as there are B-Movie moments as bad as any in B-Movies. Certainly the events portrayed are harrowing enough for this to feel like the ultimate feel-bad movie; perhaps what is most astonishing is that it was made at all while the war was still going on.It's let down, (badly), by some awful acting but redeemed by Sirk's brilliant handling of individual scenes and by a terrific performance from John Carradine as Heydrich, (his death scene is Oscar-worthy). It may not stick very closely to the events but it's still preferable to the more recent movie dealing with the same subject.

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

HITLER'S MADMAN 1943This Producer's Releasing Corporation production is one of several put out by various studios dealing with the assassination of Nazi bigwig, Reinhard Heydrich.The film is also the first film made in Hollywood by future hit-maker, Douglas Sirk.It is June 1942, and the British parachute several Czech agents into their homeland to stir up trouble. They want the locals to sabotage the massive munitions and armaments factories situated throughout Czechoslovakia. The Czechs had ended up with quite a few heavy industries after the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918.Needless to say the Nazi types are not amused with this idea. Hostages are taken and the slightest whisper of dissent brings swift action by the Gestapo. In charge of the country, is the highly efficient, Heydrich. Heydrich is played here with particular glee by a blonde haired John Carradine. A perfect Nazi swine is Carradine , he smiles while signing death warrants , while at the same time he picks out young girls to serve as "comfort" girls for the troops on the Eastern Front.The main leads here are Alan Curtis as the Czech agent, and his girl, Patricia Morrison. Also in the mix are, Edgar Kennedy, Jimmy Conlin and Alan Shean. At first the locals are reluctant to rise up against the Nazi types. That changes after Carradine has the local priest shot, and grabs up several of the village girls.Heydrich is then bushwhacked on a forest road and badly wounded. He lingers on in hospital for several days before dying in agony. The Germans of course retaliate and round up the village women, shoot all the men, then raze the village, (Lidice) to the ground.The story plays fast and loose with the actual facts of the event. But so what, it is meant to be a flag-waver, and as such it works. Most war films produced at the height of the conflict had gobs of anti-Axis propaganda.MGM was so impressed with the film, that they bought the finished product from PRC and released it themselves. Needless to say the film turned a profit.The director, Douglas Sirk, was a German Ex-pat who escaped Germany in 1939 and came to Hollywood. By the 1950's he was turning out big money earners like, WRITTEN ON THE WIND, ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION, IMITATION OF LIFE and ALL I DESIRE. He also scored with an earlier series of film noir productions such as, LURED, SLEEP MY LOVE and SHOCKPROOF.Look close and you will see a 21 year old Ava Gardner in an unbilled bit.

This is one of those little typical WW II allied propaganda-flicks, made during WW II. It's rather simplistic and cheap looking all but its all enough to still make this movie a good watch, of course especially when you're a fan of the genre. Of course the biggest problem with this movie now days is its propaganda undertone that can be basically seen back in every sequence of the movie. Cowards become heroes and bad men turn into good ones. It makes the movie a bit ridicules and not always credible enough to watch now days but it's a part of the time period the movie got made in. The story itself is quite interesting on its won right but you feel it deserved a better and more fair and closer to the truth treatment. Who knows, maybe filmmakers will pick up this story once again and give it the treatment it really deserves and making it the great movie that this movie in potential could had also been. None of the actors really known to impress within this movie but John Carradine still manages to push the movie to greater heights with his role of Nazi SS commander. It's a movie worth watching due to its main story but it's production values and acting make this movie also far from a great or impressive one. 6/10