The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich (2002)

Documentary

93 min    -    Rating: 6.1

Robert Beemer / Michael Kase

Reinhard Eugen Tristan Heydrich (1904-1942) was arguably the most enigmatic, and perhaps the most sinister, of all of the Nazi leaders. Although frequently portrayed as a mere pathological butcher, Heydrich was in fact a highly sophisticated man, obsessed by power and the means used to achieve and retain it. "The Face Of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich" examines his meteoric rise to command over the Gestapo and intelligence network in the SS empire, his consolidation of power in the Nazi movement as a whole, and his rule over the Czech people from Prague. Heydrich was a complex personality: an accomplished violinist, a world class fencer, a qualified fighter pilot who flew missions over enemy territory against Hitler's express orders. He was a man of supreme technical efficiency. His drive for personal power completely submerged any human feelings, leaving him chillingly devoid of compassion. As the chief architect of the 'final solution' he was the most murderous Nazi of them all. In 1942, Reinhard Heydrich was considered the most dangerous man in Germany after Hitler himself. The Allied plot to assassinate him, masterminded in England and carried out in Prague, was the most brazen of its