AllMovie

Set in Czechoslovakia during the German Occupation, this drama of morality and politics centers around the slow awakening of an elderly professor to the truth about Nazism. The second German to rule over Czechoslovakia, Reinhard Heydrich was put into his position in 1941. He was in full accord with Himmler's brutal policies and unlike his predecessor, he well-earned the title of "Hangman of Prague." This story picks up its tale after his assassination, when three students are brought into custody for drawing a beard on a newspaper photo of the dead Heydrich. When the three are condemned to die, the old professor is convinced he can get their sentence commuted by simply reasoning with the Nazis. He does not feel the Gestapo is as inhuman as rumored, but his ivory tower is about to be razed.