Higher Principle (1960) User Reviews

In terms of higher principle

[vercavykuk · 7/10 · 6 October 2014]

This movie is based on a story written by Jan Drda; a story of the same name. Personally I like the story more than the movie, but both of them have strong message in them.

"In terms of higher principle, murder of a tyrant is not a crime!" This is a part of the fiction, as well as the movie, where I'm fighting tears, because the whole scene is just so emotionally charged. Is the movie propaganda? Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe it's just a movie, based on a story, that on itself is based on real incident happening during Heydrich affair, adding bits and pieces, and most of all, genuine humanity, into a time where humanity, and the higher principle, had been sadly lacking.

The World War II drama that you must see!

[honza-tesa · 10/10 · 24 May 2003]

We are in Czechoslovakia during the World War II. The situation is very bad. Because of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazis are killing innocent people for least reasons. A few students from high school are going to be executed for a stupid little joke. Maybe their professor could head off it...

Strong movie made by Jiri Krejcik - the living classic of Czech film is the steady-state value of cinematography. After the end of this movie, you are gonna think about it at least for two weeks. I guarantee!

reaction

[maxi13 · 19 March 2016]

i have to write this review just because of this one who was written by didiermustntdie.

i don't know the numbers of killed people in Czech and Slovakia during WW2, but an average number doesn't mean that the amount of the daily killed persons couldn't have been much higher at special times. F.ex when there was something extraordinary happening, like an assassination of a big SS or Gestapo-guy (Reinhard Heydrich). it's not just an accurate depiction what really happened, the reality was even more horrible. All males older than 15 of the village Lidice were killed afterwards. It was a massacre in which 172 innocent people died. (wikipedia)

i was also aware of that this film was made during the time the communists ruled in these countries, but i wasn't able to find anything which could be mentioned as "Propaganda". Thats absolutely nonsense! Its a film which could have been made in Western Germany too. You cant find anything pro-communist here.

its a good film with some extra-ordinary good actors, but its maybe not a classic for people outside of Czech and Slovakia. The relationships between all characters could have been shown deeper for example. but maybe its just another movie which grows in time and in memory.

7 or 8 out of 10 (from someone who doesn't live in Czech or Slovakia)

better than average propaganda

[didiermustntdie · 5/10 · 4 July 2010]

a good movie though involving a great amount of communist propaganda.

according to some sources the total casualty of Czechoslovakian civilian in WWII is about 40000. that means even they were all killed by gestapo....it was 22 per day in whole Czechoslovakia.. but in this movie, there are 20 killed every day in just one city.. impossible.right? also,arguably, gestapo killed more people near the end of the war not in the beginning...

personally, i think there were less than 10000 killed by gestapo.. and most of the victims were members of different resistance groups.

BTW that Germany actor was typecast as Nazis, traitors, and various villains in eastern European cinema .. what a tragedy for him..but why he looked so cunning and cruel??