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"Anthropoid" is based on the operation to kill SS
Obergruppenfuehrer (general) Reinhard Heydrich in Prague in
1942. It follows Czech soldiers Jan Kubis, played by Dornan, and
Jozef Gabcik, portrayed by Murphy, parachuted into occupied
Czechoslovakia from Britain to kill Heydrich in "Operation
Anthropoid".
"I'd never heard of this story and it was quite remarkable to
read it," Murphy told Reuters in an interview.
"It's quite extraordinary to think that what these men did
changed the course of the Second World War and inevitably
changed the course of history."
Heydrich, who stood at the pinnacle of the Nazi security
apparatus, was the most senior Nazi to be assassinated in World
War Two. The village of Lidice was razed to the ground in a
revenge massacre, part of a wave of reprisals.
Months before his death, Heydrich had chaired the Wannsee
conference near Berlin which formalised plans for the killing of
all Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe.
"Anthropoid" was filmed in Prague and features a local cast.
However, most of the leading characters are played by Hollywood
actors and the story is told in English. Director Sean Ellis
said finding a balance between "art and commerce" was a factor.
"I would've loved to have made this film in the Czech language
with Czech actors but then it would be a Czech film and no one
outside the Czech Republic would probably see it," he said.
"Anthropoid" hits UK cinemas on Friday.
(Reporting By Sara Hemrajani; editing by Ralph Boulton)
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