Victims in Hangmen Also Die

There are many victims in this film: the Czechs, the Novotny family, Czaka, the hostages, and the Hangman himself. Although we are made to feel most sympathetic to the Novotny family, the greatest victims are really those who died due to the timidity and inaction of Nasha, Doctor Svoboda, and other Czechs. For example, the hostages who were killed before they could be saved did not need to die. They did not die in vain, as their fates motivated the whole town to rise up and save the rest of the hostages, included Professor Novotny. In a way, though, this is almost worse. Sure, we feel good when Professor Novotny is returned to his family, but should we still feel good when we consider that all of those hostages died so that an innocent man could be persecuted? They were victims not only of the Nazis, but also of the film's treatment. Even if we were able to see the importance of Doctor Svoboda to the resistance following the assassination of the Hangman, the deaths of the poor hostages would be better avenged.