The obvious victims in Hangmen Also Die! are the Czech people. They are brutally controlled, hundreds of them rounded up and summarily murdered to try to extract information about the murder of Heydrich. However, for the American audience, I believe that the true victim is Freedom. Americans have an intrinsic connection with the idea and symbol of Freedom, which is obviously lacking in every sense in the film. The actors, due to their very clear American accents, also seem very familiar to the audience, while the Germans retain their “other” ness. This Americanization of the Czechs, the victims, reminds the audience of what could (would) happen if the Nazis were not defeated. While the United States had the protected barrier of the Atlantic Ocean, the audience member would have a difficult time not thinking of the dangers to the US due to the victimization of the Americanized Czechs.
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