Wednesday, November 11, 2009

What is interesting about "Hangmen Also Die" is that the generally victimized people are not necessarily the most prominent victims in the film. Clearly we are supposed to sympathize with the Czech people, but in fact they come out as better off in many ways in the film-- the main protagonist family, despite being suspects, manages to shift the blame by the end of the film. The victims in this film seem like they are 1) "The Hangman," who was shot (definitely something that he can't overcome), and 2) Czaka. Czaka is actually THE one blatant victim at the end, since everyone frames him in a beautiful show of cooperation. However, in both of these instances, you get the feeling that these victims "got what was coming to them," i.e. that they deserved it. In that way, the film seems to communicate that even victimized people can act assertively and succeed, and that oppression can be overcome; it is empowering.

No comments:

Post a Comment