Wide-Spread Victimization in Hangmen Also Die

Throughout the entire film, Hangmen Also Die projects the Czech people as victims of the Nazi regime. From the hundreds of hostages that are taken away and systematically executed, to the innocent Masha whose love life is thrown into jeopardy due to the world of lies she creates to protect Dr. Svoboda (not to mention her inner-family turmoil which occurs as a result of her father’s unjust imprisonment), examples of victims in the Czech population suffice to allow for the general and all too vague conclusion that all non-Nazis are presented as victims.

One Czech that does not appear entirely victimized by the Nazis is the brewer, Emil Czaka, who is instead presented as a traitor who goes behind the backs of his family and friends to profit by their misfortune. This argument, however, may not be enough to entirely validate the accusation that Czeka was not at all victimized, because it can be argued that he only did what he did to protect himself from the oppressive force controlling his surroundings. In this regard, perhaps, he can be seen as one of the film’s greatest victims, being forced to sacrifice his respectability to avoid impending troubles. His “victimization” is realized as his fellow Czechs catch on to what he has been doing and frame him for the assassination, thereby forcing him to pay for a crime he had nothing to do with. Again, this argument may be considering unconvincing due to Czeka’s role in the hostages’ arrests.

Regardless of how one views Czeka, the film has countless victims, many of whom are nameless characters simply recognized as individuals with little to no freedom and a constant threat looming over them. This allows for the assertion that the film suggests victims beyond the filmed plotline, simply presenting one example of the many populations being victimized by Nazi rule. With this in mind, it may be easier to reach a conclusion by plainly stating that the Nazis victimized everyone in their vicinity, and arguments can be made to include countless names on the list of the film’s victims.