Modus operandi of hitler's crowd, and the third reich... rule by terror, cruelty, and revenge. When the czech locals refuse to co-operate with the germans, ss officer heydrich wants to get revenge on the town, to destroy their morale. He takes extreme, cruel measures, hoping this will stop any further action by the local resistance. This was made in 1943, while the war was still in full charge! This wasn't something that was swept under the rug and not discovered until years later. According to wikipedia, this started out as a documentary, but when mgm studios bought it and made so many changes, it's more of a fictionalized account. The ending is pretty bleak. But mostly accurate. Directed by douglas sirk. Similar story to "the secret of santa vittoria", made much later in 1969, also a story of revenge by the nazis when the town won't co-operate. Well done, but a dark sign of the times, as the war was still going on.
Review of Hitler's Madman
