The Heroes of Telemark (1965) User Reviews

The Toll of Norwegian Resistance

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 18 August 2006]

When Norway was occupied by the Nazis it had a unique burden to face. With the exception of Winston Churchill all the rest of the Allied political and military leaders favored no military operations to liberate Norway. The war was not to be fought in Scandinavia. Therefore the Norwegians could only sit back and hope for an allied victory in other parts of Europe in order to be free.

Knowing that those who resisted in Norway did it from real anti-fascist conviction and the fact that they wanted to do something against their unwelcome occupiers.

The Heroes of Telemark and the Norwegian film, Kampen om Tungtvannet on the same subject that was previously done showed the Norwegians in their resistance just such a chance even though it did not help one bit in the liberation of their country.

The Nazis have a plant used for making heavy water, deuterium, water made with a hydrogen atom with a neutron as well as a proton. This stuff was critical in the development of the atomic bomb. When a Norwegian scientist got wind of it he gets a message to a colleague played by Kirk Douglas who escapes to Great Britain to inform the Allied High Command.

Douglas goes back to Norway and with Richard Harris makes several attempts to destroy the water. A whole lot of people, British Commandoes and Norwegian citizens die in the attempts made. But the job gets done.

Hey if the job hadn't gotten done, I'd be writing a review of a different kind of film, maybe in German.

Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris prove uneasy allies. In a recent biography of Harris it was reported that he and Harris did not get along at all on this film. Douglas is a talented egotist and Harris was quite the carouser back in those days and also didn't get along with both Marlon Brando and Charlton Heston on films he co-starred with them. Not a good combination for a happy set, but the film got done.

Anthony Mann did some great location photography in Norway for this film, shot on the actual sites. Kirk and Dick on skis, even if it was stunt doubles were something to watch.

The Heroes of Telemark is a good World War II action/adventure film and a nice tribute to the Norwegian resistance.

Worthy, but somehow lacking.

[KEVMC · 6/10 · 19 August 2003]

In German occupied Norway during 1942, a group of Norwegian Resistance fighters joined by an initially reluctant Professor of Physics from Oslo University, attempt to destroy a German Heavy Water plant in Telemark, which is vital to the Third Reich's development of Atomic weapons.

What should be a tense and thrilling tale based on a true story is merely watchable. While it maintains your interest, it never grips. This must be down to the Director, Anthony Mann. Perhaps he had become too used to working on three hour epics (El Cid, Fall Of The Roman Empire), and he simply couldn't inject the necessary pace or urgency into a two hour adventure story. The cast are all fine, headed by Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris, more troubling is the overall look of the film. Despite extensive and commendable use of the actual locations, its rather unattractively photographed. This is quite surprising considering that Robert Krasker had done such sterling work on Mann's earlier epics. Also, the use of some black and white stock footage of planes is jarring and cheap looking.

This is a good story, worth telling. But as a wartime adventure film it pales in comparison to 'The Guns Of Navarone' or 'Where Eagles Dare', even though both of those stories were entirely fictional.

Norwegian resistance against Nazi Germany in World War II...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 24 January 2007]

THE HEROES OF TELEMARK is an espionage yarn involving a daring plan to prevent the Nazis from advancing plans to create atomic bomb components during the height of WWII, resulting in the sinking of a German ship.

Directed by Anthony Mann (his last film) with a mostly British cast, and starring KIRK DOUGLAS and RICHARD HARRIS, it's based on a little known true-life episode. Their mission: to return to Telemark from England and see whether ground invasion is possible--rather than bombing, because the village nearby is heavily populated. As someone else observed, Kirk and Richard spend more time fighting each other than the Nazis. Whatever animosity lies beneath the surface of these two stars, it shows on the screen.

Douglas reluctantly joins a group of nine men who go on the ground mission after a bombing raid wipes out some of the resistance fighters. Director Mann gets every bit of suspense out of the perilous mission...and the aftermath when the men are hunted by the Gestapo and wanted dead or alive.

Some of the derring-do has been fictionalized, I'm sure. Douglas manages a narrow escape on skis even though he's been wounded with a gunshot to his ankle. Several other aspects of the story have the ring of dramatic license.

It's tense and taut with remarkably good performances from KIRK DOUGLAS and RICHARD HARRIS especially. Well worth seeing and enjoying as a World War II adventure yarn based on a true incident.

A film about the NORWEGIAN resistance

[lars.gustavsen · 8 February 2000]

'The Heroes of Telemark' tells the true story of how a group of men from the Norwegian resistance, managed to halt a German attempt to produce heavy-water at a hydro-electricity plant in Telemark, Norway. Earlier attempts by British elite troops had failed, and in an attempt by the US Airforce to bomb the plant, they hit a nearby village killing several local inhabitants. The film is in many ways removed from reality. It portrays the event in true Hollywood style, with stout and brave resistance men versus scar-faced villainous Germans and of course the obligatory spectacular pyrotechnics. In the real event, not a single German soldier was killed, in fact, not a single shot was fired.

Norwegian resistance attempts to stop Nazis to produce an atomic bomb component during WW2

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 20 May 2012]

Based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World War II . Kirk Douglas plays Rolf Pedersen, a Norwegian physics professor, who, though originally content to wait out the war, is soon pulled into the struggle by local resistance leader Knut Straud (based on Knut Haukelid, portrayed by Richard Harris). Their assignment results to be to stop the Nazis from developing the atom bomb . They are both smuggled to England to have microfilmed plans of the Hydro examined, and then return to Norway to plan a commando raid on the Hydro. When a force of Royal Engineers, who were to carry it out, are all killed, Petersen and Straud lead a small force of saboteurs into the plant. The raid is successful, but the Germans quickly repair the equipment. They then plan to ship tankers of heavy water to Germany. Petersen and Straud sabotage a ferry carrying the tankers, and it sinks in the deepest part of a fjord.

This rousing film packs noisy action , high adventure , frozen hell , dramatic events , and wonderful outdoors from Norway . Although this movie takes liberties with some historical facts, some technical details are surprisingly correct given that it was made 20 years after the war: The car used by the Norwegians is fitted with a "generator" converting wood to natural gas , as petrol was in short supply, civilian cars were not allowed to run on real petrol. All-star-cast and excellent secondary actors formed mostly by British actors as Michael Redgrave , Barry Jones , Anton Driffing , Roy Dotrice , Maurice Denham , Geoffrey Keen and many others . It was filmed on location in Norway splendidly photographed by Robert Krasker , furthermore in Pinewood Studios . The motion picture was well directed by Anthony Mann .Other versions about same story was also covered in Ray Mears' documentary entitled The Real Heroes of Telemark . Despite mainly sticking to the factual evidence, some scenes in the documentary, like the film, were partly dramatized ; focusing more on the survival skills involved in the operation the 1948 Franco-Norwegian film Kampen om Tungtvannet , quite faithful to the real events, it even had many of the original Norwegian commandos starring as themselves.

Based on a true story , the deeds are the followings : The actual life World War II missions that this film is based on were conducted by Norwegian members of the British Special Operations Executive and resulted in the deaths of thirty British commando soldiers. Some were captured, interrogated, tortured and shot by the Nazi Gestapo whilst some of them died when two gliders crashed during landing in Norway. The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water (deuterium oxide), which could be used to produce nuclear weapons. In 1934, at Vemork, Norsk Hydro built the first commercial plant capable of producing heavy water as a byproduct of fertilizer production . During World War II, the Allies decided to remove the heavy water supply and destroy the heavy water plant in order to inhibit the Nazi development of nuclear weapons. Raids were aimed at the 60-MW Vemork power station at the Rjukan waterfall in Telemark, Norway. The Allies remained concerned that the occupation forces would use the facility to produce more heavy water for their weapons programme. Between 1940 and 1944, a sequence of sabotage actions, by the Norwegian resistance movement—as well as Allied bombing—ensured the destruction of the plant and the loss of the heavy water produced. These operations—codenamed "Grouse," "Freshman," and "Gunnerside"—finally managed to knock the plant out of production in early 1943.In Operation Grouse, the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) successfully placed four Norwegian nationals as an advance team in the region of the Hardanger Plateau above the plant. Later in 1942 the unsuccessful Operation Freshman was mounted by British paratroopers; they were to rendezvous with the Norwegians of Operation Grouse and proceed to Vemork. This attempt failed when the military gliders crashed short of their destination, as did one of the tugs, a Halifax bomber. The other Halifax returned to base, but all the other participants were killed in the crashes or captured, interrogated, and executed by the Gestapo.In 1943, a team of SOE-trained Norwegian commandos succeeded in destroying the production facility with a second attempt, Operation Gunnerside. Operation Gunnerside was later evaluated by SOE as the most successful act of sabotage in WWII .These actions were followed by Allied bombing raids. The Germans elected to cease operation and remove the remaining heavy water to Germany. Norwegian resistance forces sank the ferry, SF Hydro, on Lake Tinnsjø, preventing the heavy water from being removed

The Battle for Heavy Water.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 22 March 2014]

The Heroes of Telemark is directed by Anthony Mann and written by Ben Barzman and Ivan Moffat. It stars Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave and David Weston. Music is by Malcolm Arnold and cinematography by Robert Krasker.

1942, Nazi occupied Norway, and the Germans are making great strides with their plans for atomic weaponry. It's down to a band of resistance fighters and a scientist to blow up the German heavy water factory located up in the Telemark mountains.

Perhaps it's stating the obvious considering Mann and Krasker's reputations as quality visualists, but The Heroes of Telemark is a splendid looking war movie. It's solidly performed by the cast, the story, which is based on a real and crucial incident in the war, is gripping, while some of the tech flourishes shown by Mann for the more pacy scenes are impressive.

Problems only really arise when the film resorts to standard character interactions, shifting focus away from the film's strength, that of the mission, the planning and execution of such. The script doesn't really give the characters much to work with, so in truth it's hard to really care about them in context to their own personal trials and tribulations.

However, such is the visual treats and excellent action choreography on show, it still rounds out as a wholesome meaty war epic well worth investing time with. 7/10

Visually Stunning Epic with Clichéd Characterizations

[SgtSlaughter · 6/10 · 11 February 2006]

*HERE THERE BE SPOILERS* Anthony Mann made the mistake of stating during an interview that he thought a film's visual makeup was much more important than dialog. He stated that what you could say with words in several minutes you could say in a single silent shot of film. "The Heroes of Telemark" is a visually stunning war epic, but the lack of strong characterizations really lessens the impact of an important story.

Based on real events, the film tells the story of Norwegian resistance efforts to blow up the German heavy water factory high in the Norwegian mountains. When the attempt fails to be completely effective, the resistance finds themselves debating whether or not to sink a ferry on which the precious heavy water is being transported to Germany on – a ferry which also carries several dozen innocent civilians.

The film is about a very important incident that quite probably allowed the Allies to win World War II. Unfortunately, the story fails to draw in and engage the audience. The main characters are similar to those we've seen in many movies before and after this one was made. Kirk Douglas plays Dr. Rolf Pedersen, a Norwegian science professor who is drawn into the war for some rather ambiguous reasons. When we first meet him, he is opposed to fighting and elects to sit out the war; within minutes, not only has he helped seize a freighter in order to get vital information to London, he has also become the most vital member of a team sent to blow up a Nazi factory. Richard Harris appears as resistance leader Knut Straud, who is introduced as a tough and boisterous patriot, but fades to the background as quickly as Douglas takes center stage.

The host of supporting actors is totally wasted. Ulla Jacobsson ("Zulu") pops up as Pederson's ex-wife who cannot seem to make up her mind about getting back together with him; all she does is sleep with him, or yell at him because of his concern for nobody but himself. Seeing as Dr. Pedersen can't seem to make up his mind about being a loner or a patriotic idealist, I can understand why she left him. Michael Redgrave appears in a throwaway role as "Uncle", who has a few lines here and there and gets to die rather heroically.

The host of British and German co-stars including one of my favorite Nazi villains, Anton Diffring, unfortunately, have very little to do or say. What is also unfortunate is that every actor playing a Norwegian in this film is obviously English or America. None of them make any attempts to disguise their accents, which was incredibly distracting. I never believed I watching Norwegian resistance fighters; I could always painfully detect that they were British actors.

On the plus side, Mann does offer us some breathtaking outdoor sequences which would be imitated a few years later in the fabulous adventure yarn "Where Eagles Dare". There are quite a few tense scenes of the heroes scaling snow-covered peaks to attack the Nazi factory, which were shot entirely on location. Every ounce of this sequence looks incredibly authentic. There is a subsequent scene of the good guys escaping across the snow on skis from a large force of German alpenkorps troops, which again, must have been shot by a cameraman on skis. In fact, the only time I noticed any dated special effects techniques (notably rear projection) in the film was during a parachuting scene. And you simply cannot film a close-up of Kirk Douglas drifting across the sky, so this is very understandable and equally forgivable. Mann elects to use music very sparsely (sometimes not at all) during the action sequences and they are far the better for it. I loved hearing the blaring gunfire and whoosh of skis rather than a thundering piece of fanfare.

It's a pity that these adventure scenes were so well shot without engaging characters to really draw me into the action scenes. They were marvelously choreographed, but were not the least bit engaging because I could have cared less about the men and women who were in harm's way. It's a pity. Mann was dead wrong when he said that the visual makeup a movie was much more important than the character drama. He proves it with "The Heroes of Telemark". See the film and decide for yourself.

Based on a true story of the Norwegian resistance

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 25 April 2007]

"The Heroes of Telemark" is a 1965 film telling the story of the great bravery of people in the Norwegian resistance during World War II as they attempt to keep material for the atom bomb out of the hands of the Nazis. It stars Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Michael Redgrave and Ulla Jacobsen.

This is a strange film for several reasons. It has some tremendous people in it yet they aren't really used effectively, i.e., Michael Redgrave and Ulla Jacobsen as examples, gorgeous scenery and skiing sequences that aren't particularly well photographed; and a story that includes inaccuracies rather than the true facts. Certainly one can understand the need to combine characters or cut out segments of a story, but when the actual event is as thrilling as the real story of Telemark, why change it? Several people have commented, as usual, about actors having no accents, most especially Kirk Douglas as a Norwegian scientist. In films, it's more difficult to keep to the theatrical convention, but nevertheless, it is correct: When a film takes place in another country and characters from and in that country are speaking, they ARE NOT SPEAKING English. They are speaking German, Norwegian, whatever. So the convention is - NO ACCENT. Why would Norwegians be in Norway speaking to other Norwegians in English? Why would they be speaking English to Germans? They wouldn't be. A good example is the film "The Mortal Storm." It takes place in Germany, and Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, and Robert Young speak with no accents. CORRECT. The problem in Hollywood is that they cast some people who are American and some people who are from other countries, making the accent situation difficult. Be that as it may, Kirk Douglas did not need an accent and it was correct that he did not have one. And he can't slip in and out of one - speak with an accent when in England, for instance, because that would be ridiculous.

Despite the fact that this film has its drawbacks, it is nevertheless good, with some exciting sequences. It just wasn't very well directed by Anthony Mann, who makes the pace too leisurely. It would have been a better film with more attention to the true facts, a little more characterization, and a faster pace.

The Heroes Of Telemark

[victor-335 · 8/10 · 18 February 2012]

Throughout the 1960s, Hollywood invented what we now call 'infiltration commando films', a truly interesting sub-genre within war films, far from the brutal realism that would be introduced years later, but with enough adventure and romanticism to be regarded as a great spectacle. Until then, war films were characterized by a minimalist way of developing the theme, showing the audience small brush strokes of war. Although there were war scenes, directors focused more on directing the actors than on special effects and creating a spectacular story. Great films such as 'Objective, Burma!' (1945), 'Destination Tokyo' (1943) and 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957) included no important action scenes. They started to appear later on thanks to the demythologization of war, and the will to recover a genre that had been more or less forgotten. 'The Guns of Navarone' (1961), 'The Dirty Dozen' (1967) and 'Where Eagles Dare' (1968) are good examples of this commando sub-genre. They were keen to show a more feasible type of war, slightly unreal and 'festive', but without losing their ensemble film quality.

Together with the three mentioned above, one of the most popular films is 'The Heroes of Telemark', directed by the brilliant Anthony Mann, a great director of western and ensemble films, who lived in Europe back then and worked in Samuel Bronston's blockbusters. Using his savor-fare in 'The Heroes of Telemark' he adapted a true story that took place during Germany's invasion of Norway. He worked together with screenwriters Ivan Moffat, Knut Haukelid and Ben Barzman (with the support of novelist John Drummond) and the magnetism of Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson and Sir Michael Redgrave. We must not forget the excellent photography of Robert Krasker, which transports us to Telemark (Norway) in the comfort of our seats, and also the elegant score by Malcolm Arnold (who also composed the music for 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'). Curiously enough, Kirk Douglas worked with Anthony Mann again when he started to direct 'Spartacus' (1960), before he was replaced by Stanley Kubrick.

The film is set in the region of Telemark (Norway) in 1942, when the allies found a document that irrefutably proved that German scientists were making progress in the search for atomic fission at the Vemork heavy water plant, situated next to the small town of Rjukan, and were in the middle of making an atomic bomb that would change the course of the war. 'Heavy water' is a chemical compound with a molecular formula equivalent to water, in which hydrogen atoms are replaced with deuterium, a heavy hydrogen isotope.

Back then, Norway had built up its own resistance, made up of civilians and former soldiers. One of the members, Knut Haukelid (1911-1994), twin brother of actress Sigrid Gurie, became a national hero after being part of the real commando that appears in the film. The Norwegian resistance and the British army work against the clock to prevent Hitler from achieving his long-awaited bomb: Together they draw up an ambitious plan to destroy the Vemork factory. Once they rule out the possibility of bombarding, Operation Freshman is launched – British paratroopers are deployed over Telemark and are supposed to join the resistance, led by the Norwegian soldier Knut Straud (Richard Harris), who does not hesitate to seek the help of physicist Rolf Pedersen (Kirk Douglas). To make it all even more dramatic, Pedersen discovers that his ex-wife (Ulla Jacobsson) and uncle (Sir Michael Redgrave) have joined the resistance. This is dangerous for him personally because one's feelings can often cloud one's reasoning in times of war. The human reactions that take place in the film help to establish a stronger connection between the audience and the protagonists.

Operation Freshman proves to be unsuccessful because the Horsa Glidier gliders crash and part of the crew die in the accident, and the rest are shot by the enemy. A great part of the true story emerges in the film, although the name of Major Knut Haukelid is changed to Knut Straud (Richard Harris), in order to allow certain liberties in the development of the film. After the first mission fails, the Norwegian commando that is waiting, made up of 15 volunteers (in the film there are only 9), launches Operation Gunnerside. They enter the factory and destroy the tanks where the 'heavy water' is stored. The facility remains inactive for two months but the Germans manage to rebuild the tanks and increase production. The saboteurs ski all the way to Sweden to avoid being captured by the Germans, while the Norwegian and British soldiers continue to rack their brains to find a way to stop the production of 'heavy water'. These events pick up speed in the film and shortly after the first attempt to sabotage the factory, Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris (after a thrilling persecution on skis) come into action again and plan to blow up the factory which is about to transport the 'heavy water', even if they have to risk their lives and those of their loved ones to complete the mission.

For just over two hours, and thanks to the rhythm and elegance that Anthony Mann stamps in every shot, the audience will travel alongside the protagonists, in their adventures and mishaps, and will discover a truly interesting series of historical events. The filming locations were Vemork, Rjukan, Tinnsjo and Gausta, in the region of Telemark, in Norway, and also Oslo, because Anthony Mann wanted to make the most of the beautiful landscape. While he was there, he shot magnificent skiing scenes, in the manner of the best German Bergfilms. We must not forget that the region of Telemark is the cradle of skiing, as it is known today.

Reasonably exciting and enjoyable action/adventure

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 9 July 2010]

"The Heroes of Telemark" was one of a number of British war films from the sixties which dealt with relatively small-scale military operations but did so on a more lavish scale than similar films made in the forties and fifties. Similar films included "The Guns of Navarone" and "Where Eagles Dare"; all three, although most of the cast were British, included a major American star. (Kirk Douglas here, Gregory Peck in "The Guns of Navarone" and Clint Eastwood in "Where Eagles Dare").

The other two films mentioned above tell fictitious stories, but this one is based on a true story. It tells of the sabotage by the Norwegian Resistance of the Vemork Norsk Hydro plant, which the Nazis were using to produce heavy water, a substance used in nuclear fission. (Telemark is the name of the Norwegian county in which the plant is situated). Richard Harris, who also appeared in "The Guns of Navarone, stars as Knut Straud, the local resistance leader who leads the saboteurs; Douglas plays Dr Rolf Pedersen, a leading physicist.

Originally Pedersen, although not an active Quisling supporter, is cynical about the activities of the resistance, who he believes achieve little except provoking the Germans to carry out reprisals against innocent civilians. When, however, he realises what Nazis are working on, and what a nuclear bomb would mean in the hands of such a regime, he throws in his lot with the struggle. A complicating factor is that Pedersen's ex-wife Anna is also one of the resistance fighters.

The way in which war films had developed over two decades can be seen by comparing this film with two others about German-occupied Norway. "The Day Will Dawn", made during the war itself, contains very little in the way of action sequences; those in "Above Us the Waves", made during the fifties about the sinking of the "Tirpitz" are weak and unconvincing. "The Heroes of Telemark", by contrast, contains some very impressive action sequences, especially the attack on the plant. Whereas "The Day Will Dawn" and "Above Us the Waves" were studio-bound productions shot in black-and-white, this film is in colour and makes good use of snowy Norwegian locations to create something far more visually attractive.

As is common in adventure war films of this type, the characterisation is not particularly well developed, and relies heavily on the standard "Allies Good, Nazis Bad" formula, although the Germans are not caricatured to the extent that they were in "The Day Will Dawn". The most developed character is Pedersen, who starts off as a cynical, womanising playboy professor but who is quickly won over by Straud's idealism. There is even some humour, as in the scene where Pedersen and Anna manage to escape the attention of the Germans by pretending to be a courting couple.

Although it does not go into the ethical issues it raises in any great depth, and although it could perhaps have increased the tension it generates by some judicious cutting, "The Heroes of Telemark" is a reasonably exciting and enjoyable action/adventure. 6/10

nice scenery, but not much more

[golfermj · 4/10 · 23 March 2007]

If you want to truly appreciate the story of events concerning the efforts of the United States and Great Britain in preventing Adolph Hitler and the Third Reich from building an atomic bomb,I recommend the book "Blood and Water"by Dan Kurzman.It is a great read and a great true life adventure,and details in great detail the long and difficult series of efforts that were made to prevent the Nazis from manufacturing "heavy water", that in turn would generate nuclear power and lead to the atomic bomb."The Heroes of Telemark" is an OK movie,but that is all.Perhaps its best asset is some fine photography and the cast is OK,but the film does not really deal with the real life men involved in this story."Kirk Douglas" is suppose to be a Norwegian,but he is all American.the real heroes were Norwegian.this lack of realism hurts the film.An actor other than Douglas would have been better in the role,perhaps an actor who at least attempted an accent.Then we have the cornball romance between Douglas and the female lead that wastes time.the film does not due justice to the men who may have saved the world.Instead of a gritty,realistic and tragic adventure.-we get pure Hollywood hokum.This film is watchable but thats all.I would like to see one todays great filmmakers make the real deal movie on this subject .P.S. in retrospect," Marlon Brando",who was good with accents or "Robert Shaw" would have been better in the "Douglas" role.Neither was Norwegian, but they would not have been so Hollywoodish.

very good 1960s WWII flick

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 12 February 2006]

The 1960s brought us some excellent WWII flicks with incredible cinematography and great acting--particularly THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and WHERE EAGLES DARE. In this same vein we have THE HEROES OF TELEMARK. It's not quite as big in scope as these other two films, but it is still an excellent film.

Kirk Douglas is a Norwegian man living out his life in the UK during the war, as his native Norway was overrun by Nazis. However, he is convinced to return. His expertise is needed to infiltrate a factory to see if it is indeed manufacturing Deuterium ("heavy water"--used in the production of atomic weapons). If so, he's under orders to destroy it or pinpoint it for bombing raids. What makes this tough is that its surrounded by a town full of innocent people, so the stakes are high.

The acting and action are excellent. What I really liked was the ending. While VERY depressing, it just goes to illustrate the high cost of war.

PS--After watching this movie, I discovered that much of it was true--including the sad but necessary scene involving the ferry. Such a raid really did occur in Norway in order to destroy their deuterium production.

Patriotic Flagwaver for the Allied Cause

[l_rawjalaurence · 7/10 · 3 March 2016]

THE HEROES OF TELEMARK is a late entry in the cycle of British war movies that reached its apotheosis in the mid-Fifties with THE DAM BUSTERS (1953) and others.

Made by the Rank Organization, with an American star and a director with a proved track record of war movies and westerns, THE HEROES OF TELEMARK tells the story of the Norwegian Resistance and their campaign to destroy a plant manufacturing "heavy water," - i.e. material that could help to create the atom bomb. At first the Resistance blows up the plant, but when that scheme fails, they end up destroying a ferry carrying the "heavy water" across a fjord on the first stage of its long journey to Germany. The fact that some innocent passengers get killed as well is part of what might be called collateral damage.

There are some obvious stereotypes here, especially in director Anthony Mann's portrayal of the Germans, who all speak English in accents reminiscent of the comic officers in the Eighties sitcom ALLO ALLO ("We hev vays of mekink you talk"). Anton Diffring has a small role as Major Frick, but it is not really developed in any way.

By contrast the Resistance fighters, led by Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris, are portrayed as indefatigable, fearless in the face of impossible odds, and totally committed to their cause. Their characters are likewise not really developed: Douglas does his usual turn of a stone-faced hero, while Harris reveals some of the rebel- like qualities characteristic of THIS SPORTING LIFE (1963). Michael Redgrave has a cameo role as a pipe-and-slippers type, who is ultimately provoked into defending his property.

In truth the film is mostly memorable for its action sequences. Shot in Norway, it contains some spectacular moments where the Germans pursue the Resistance fighters on skis across rolling mountain landscapes. Later on Harris and Douglas have great fun trying to plant explosives in the doomed ferry, while listening out all the while for potential intruders.

We all know what the film's outcome will be; but it proceeds to that predictable conclusion in highly entertaining fashion.

Most of it just didn't happen that way

[benbrae76 · 3/10 · 18 May 2014]

Just a few notes on this variation from reality.

a) Why was it necessary to hijack a ship to get the scientist (Kirk Douglas) from Norway to England? The Germans found it impossible to patrol the thousand mile Norwegian coastline. Ergo there was a regular 'underground' ferry service from Norway to the Shetland Islands called the 'The Shetland Bus Service'. Plus the fact that London already knew about the Hydro plant and what was being produced. The invented Kirk Douglas role just wasn't needed.

b) What happened to the story of the parachuted four man advance team which spent months preparing the way, and which all almost starved doing it? All Richard Harris said about this epic tale of survival of an horrific winter on a remote ice plateau was "I'm starving". He sure didn't look it. The real guys certainly did. For a while they had to resort to eating reindeer moss.

c) Why the silly and hackneyed love complication when there wasn't one? If the movie had kept to facts it wouldn't have been needed.

d) There wasn't a Nazi infiltrator. The Germans knew nothing about the operation until after completion.

e) After the aircraft & glider catastrophe, there was no sudden change of plan. A new plan was carefully worked out in London with SOE (Special Operations Executive). The saboteurs didn't need a horny professor to show them where to place explosives. As one of the real saboteurs said afterwards, "I knew the plant better than my own garden". They all knew, they'd been studying the layout for months from accurate models.

f) There weren't any German guards inside the plant at the time of the raid, just one Norwegian, who was held at gunpoint (as was actually shown). There wasn't even any reaction from the sound of muffled explosions.

g) There was no gunfire battle before during or immediately after the raid, not even one shot fired. The saboteurs just walked in, placed the explosives and walked out again. And no saboteurs were killed. Indeed not only did they all survive the operation, but they survived the war and on into old age. Of course Americans aren't satisfied unless a war movie is filled with carnage and guns blazing. That's what comes of having a gun culture. Intelligence and subterfuge aren't really their strong points.

h) It took the Germans 3 months to get back into heavy water production after the saboteurs' raid, not just 2 weeks as mentioned.

i) The ferry 'Hydro' didn't sink bow first. It keeled on to its side, and then stern upwards. As the captain said afterwards. "I walked on the side, and jumped into the water from it". Nor were any passengers warned. But then Kirk Douglas just had to play the hero to please the American audience didn't he? But no such heroics happened on the sinking ferry. There just wasn't time, not even for a lifeboat to be lowered. However there were fishing boats around which picked up any survivors there were.

j) Names of characters in the credits don't give surnames. I'm sure real participants in the operation were very relieved.

I could go on and on with the contortions of truth displayed in this movie, but to conclude, it's not such a bad movie in itself. However don't treat it as a guide to what really happened. Facts here are few and far between. You may not believe me, so find out what the actual saboteurs thought of the movie. They've all said, "Most of it just didn't happen that way". They weren't very impressed with it. Nor am I. The real story is far more inspiring, and the real heroes deserve a far better epitaph than this Americanised movie gives them.

See it for the action, not the history.

[rudge49 · 12 November 2005]

This is a British Movie that received the Hollywierd treatment.One of my many peeves is "historical " movies that hoke things up, make things up, change things around. The real story is far more exciting and dramatic, why fictionalize it. The first attempt at attacking the Norsk Hydro plant, "Operation Freshman", a British glider commando raid, ended in disaster, one tow plane crashed killing its crew and commandos, the other glider crashed, those who weren't killed in the crash were captured and shot by the Gestapo under Hitler's "Commando Order" which authorized the execution of Allied commandos even when they were in uniform. An attempt by the USAAF to destroy the Norsk Hydro plant from the air failed, the British then turned to the Norwegian section of SOE. eight of them attacked the plant, did tremendous damage, escaped without loss. The Germans then decided to move the heavy water and its production equipment to Germany, it was American born Knut Haukelid and an another Norwegian who planted the charges than sank the ferry Hydro and defeated the Germans' attempt to build an atom bomb. I am not sure why the Norsk Hydro plant made heavy water, there were no Norwegian atomic scientists at the time. Nuclear physics was still a very theoretical subject. As with so many movies, see it for the action, then read the history. Best part of the movie is the portrayal of the sinking of the Hydro.

Beloved in the 70s... now very, very dated.

[shoobe01-1 · 6/10 · 9 August 2019]

Dated. I liked this more as a kid, but over time it has become more clear how oddly structured it is, how much it's just random Brit/American production with really good Norwegian locations, and how very bad Kirk Douglas is in it. Richard Harris is just sorta mediocre, but Kirk Douglas really phoned it in, and his character is written to be a pretty horrible person and entirely un-believable. He flips between apathetic/hero/cad at the drop of a hat, and sure is capable and manly (acrobatic, parachuting, ski-fighting, shooting,... ) for a guy who started the movie making out with students in the photo lab, sold as a citified science nerd.

Also, too much fiction. Real story was very good, doesn't deserve this.

An unusual case where I want to see a remake. I think go with a Norwegian produced 6 part series. That should give enough time.

Wel... Erhm

[jadedragon87 · 6/10 · 8 January 2006]

this is NOT a Hollywood film, but a British film. And I'm not really satisfied on how the story is told. I am from Norway, a couple of miles from Rjukan, and the heroes all seem like civilians, something they weren't. There were also 6 actions (not 3) and only in the last one, there were only civilians. I know it's a movie, but this thing did happen and it would be more nice if they did tell the story more like it was.. The actions occurred over two years, though it seems in the film that it occurred over weeks.. I know I sound really nasty but I just wanted to inform you about it.. (By the way I'm not angry or anything, I'm just bored..)

Figures in a Landscape

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 15 July 2023]

The wartime operations carried out in the snow were probably the most uncomfortable in which to participate but were certainly the most photogenic.

Richard Harris's ascent had been rapid from a supporting role in 'The Guns of Navarone' (for which this plainly provided the template) to co-starring with Kirk Douglas (who rather blots his copybook by shooting an unarmed man) in 'The Heroes of Telemark', which proved the final film completed by Anthony Mann before his untimely death at the age of 61.

Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris make a highly unlikely pair of Norwegians in this yarn, for which Douglas and Mann had presumably buried the hatchet after Douglas had him fired from 'Spartacus'.

Like all the best war films of the fifties and sixties the music is by Malcolm Arnold and Anton Diffring plays a meanie in a peaked cap.

Mediocre

[Easygoer10 · 6/10 · 28 December 2020]

As usual, the Nazis are shown as complete bumbling idiots. The end is pitifully unrealistic. Specifically, when the explosion goes off, the ferry does not move an inch; that is, until all of the children (of course) aboard are helped into a lifeboat. A waste of screenwriter Ivan Moffatt's time. There must have been multiple rewrites (3 uncredited writers) of the screenplay. For Kirk Douglas fans only.

True heroes, mostly true movie

[Ulriken · 8/10 · 7 March 2009]

True story about daring sabotage by Norwegian commandos fictionalized into action movie.

The true story about several attempts to destroy heavy water production for Germany during World War II. Heavy water was produced by the Hydro company in relation to a major water power plant in the mountains of Telemark. The first attempt was in October 1942, while the final sabotage on the ferry happened in February 1944. These operations were carried out by different groups of commando soldiers (as well as failed attempts by US and British bombers), but is in the movie integrated into a single story involving the same, few persons. Names and background of key persons have been changed, romantic relationships added, time span have been shortened, geographical distances understated.

Although the movie takes liberties with minor facts, the historical context, key events and the local context is very accurately described. The movie is made on the very same location where the sabotage happened, and the commando soldiers appeared in British uniforms and under British command (within the Special Operations Executive). The movie gives a very precise image of the landscape and winter conditions in the Norwegian mountains. Some details are correctly shown in the movie, for example the fact that the civilian watchman in the heavy water factory was saved by the saboteurs before the bomb went off, and some women and children were warned not to enter the ferry. However, the movie does not show the hardships endured by the saboteurs waiting for months in the mountains with hardly any food available.

Although the sabotage probably had little consequences for the course of the war (at least seen in hindsight), these Norwegian commandos were true heroes. The Norwegian resistance under Nazi occupation was limited, but the achievements and efforts of these few men are nothing less then impressive. This movie should be watched only to get a feel of how the time and the context.

Heavy water production continued after the war and irony is that some heavy water was sold to Israel (among other countries), and Israel may have used this heavy water in an effort to make nuclear weapons.

Hey, This Akevitt Tastes Like Caraway.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 28 August 2013]

Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobbson, and their fellow Norwegians certainly look good in those dazzling Scandinavian sweaters, as they go about destroying Germany's supply of the atomic-bomb facilitating element called heavy water.

It's called "heavy water" because, although it looks and acts like water, and you can wash your face with it, it's heavier than water. Instead of having two plain hydrogen atoms combined with one plain oxygen atom (H20), one or two of the hydrogen atoms carry a neutron. That's what makes it so heavy. And it's now called deuterium oxide (D2O).

Why -- you, the discerning and curious viewer want to know -- why is it important in making nuclear fission happen? I don't know. Neither does Richard Harris, the Norwegian nationalist who demands an answer from Norwegian physicist Kirk Douglas. Why should the commando team call in bombers to destroy the plant, along with the hundreds of innocent civilians living next to it? Douglas scribbles D20 on a piece of paper and holds it up before Harris, then whips it away. "You'll never understand," he says, or words to that effect.

Douglas is certainly right, if that's the only explanation he's going to offer us. And the screenwriters were correct too. The point of this movie isn't to explain nuclear fission. They don't even bother to show us the mousetraps going off seriatim. The point is to show us an action movie in which the heroes win, though not without sacrifice. Objective achieved.

It's not particularly good, though. In 1961, "The Guns of Navarone", a big splashy tale of a team of experts sent on a dangerous mission into enemy territory, was a big success, and there followed the usual spate of big splashy tales following the same pattern. "The Heroes of Telemark" was just one of several, no better or worse than the other imitations. In this one, men stumble around in waist-deep snow, ski after one another, rappel down mountainsides, and every time a gun is fired we hear the same ricochet on the sound track -- Ptew-woo-woo-woo. The dialog does not coruscate.

But the movie has its plus side. It was actually shot in Telemark, a rustic area of Norway that is very cold in the winter. Anthony Mann is a competent director and doesn't try to overwhelm us with the kind of camera tricks that have now become fashionable. That cross-country ski chase, with a traitor trying to shoot down Douglas, is handled so matter-of-factly that it looks like what it's supposed to be. And Malcolm Arnold's martial score doesn't shatter our ear drums, and it's used sparingly. The important events really happened. They're not fictional.

There must be the inevitable dramatization. Douglas happens to run into his ex wife, Jacobbson, who looks like she'd be lots of fun to run into, and there is a fist fight, and Michael Redgrave has nothing to do but get shot and die with dignity. The children are snatched from the jaws of death at the end, which they didn't in real life.

Anyone interested in the facts is advised to check out "The Real Heroes of Telemark", available free on YouTube.

Great cast, but slightly forgettable story

[HotToastyRag · 4/10 · 6 January 2018]

In this World War II drama, Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris are part of the Norwegian resistance, and they fight to delay Germany's development of an atomic bomb. This isn't your typical front-lines war movie, and it isn't your typical strategy-only war movie. The leads aren't in shiny uniforms who order troops around all day long. They're regular people doing more than their fair share to help in the war effort, since what they're trying to prevent could change everything.

Loosely based on a true story, the movie was filmed on location in Norway, so if you like lots of snowy backdrops in between tense struggles, you'll probably like this one. I've seen so many war movies that they all start to blend together, and really the only part of The Heroes of Telemark that stands out in my mind is the cast. Kirk Douglas and Ulla Jacobsson have wonderful chemistry together, their scenes filled with extra tension because of the wartime setting. Kirk and Richard have opposite screen personas, and it's great fun to see them work off each other and use their combined strengths. If you're the type of person who watches movies for the cast, like I do, you might want to rent this one. If you get bored easily during lengthy war dramas, like I do, you might want to watch Catch Me a Spy or Paths of Glory instead.

Fight against something bigger and more threatening than ever before;

[holmboe1 · 10/10 · 24 February 2008]

War-saboteur reveals:

For this was the fight against something bigger and more threatening than ever before; against something which was able to rock the very core of our universe.

On the night of 16th February 1943, in "Operation Gunnerside" (named after a village and the moor where the Hambro Family and Sir Charles Hambro, the head of SOE, used to shoot grouse), an additional six Norwegian commandos were dropped by parachute by a Halifax bomber of 138 Squadron from RAF Tempsford. They were successful in landing, and encountered the Swallow team after a few days of searching. The combined team made final preparations for their assault, which was to take place on the night of 27 February.

The battle to prevent heavy water production is probably the most dramatic chapter in modern Norwegian history. This was a fight against something bigger, powerful and more threatening than ever before. This was a fight against something which was able to rock the very core of our universe. The Norwegians took up arms in defense of their liberty. The atom bomb in the hands of the invaders could have turned the war, and history could have taken a completely different path.

The despot could have become the master of the world. The entire configuration of events was stunning beyond belief. This new weapon was not completed before the intruders were defeated. Some few men who risked their lives to carry out sabotage missions which was more daring and audacious than anything undertaken before.

If the heavy water had come under Hitler's control, the dictator would have possessed a weapon that could have ensured «control of the world».

Destroying the heavy water factory at Vemork in Telemark, set the production back by a half a year and it contributed to the delay of the German effort to produce an atom bomb. "I've been afraid of not being able to approve of the final result", he explained.

That's why he did not portray himself when the movie "The Fight Over Heavy Water" was made in 1948, as many of his friends and colleagues in the resistance group did.

Later he experienced a Hollywood portrayal of himself in the "Heroes of Telemark" with Kirk Douglas in the roll of Holmboe Rønneberg. -"The fight over heavy water" was an honest attempt to describe history. On the other hand, he says, "Heroes of Telemark" had little to do with reality.

We weren't certain what the heavy water in Vemork was intended used for, says Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg (born 1919) and Birger Strømsheim (born 1911). We were not informed that the Germans wanted to use heavy water to develop an atom bomb. But before we left England, we were told that our action had the highest priority. But we were in no way aware of the large bearing it could have on the outcome of the war.

For the allies, it was important that the sabotage in 1943 was successful.

We had an assignment (a mission) to accomplish. When at war one does not ask its purpose. Our task was to carry out the blasting. That was for us to accomplish. We knew that 40 British commandos had lost their lives in an attempt a couple of months earlier, and that Vemork stood in danger of being bombed by allied planes if our attempt failed. With that, many civilian lives could be lost. But it was after the war, we first got to know what heavy water was to be used for, says group leader Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg. Together with Birger Strømsheim he carried the responsibility for placing the explosive charges which destroyed the heavy water plant at Vemork.

Careful planning, good luck, and co-operation, are the reasons they give the most credit for the success of the action, and without loss of life. The sabotage squad, consisting of nine people, made it to the heavy water plant without being detected by German guards. No crisis occurred until the blasting party was to enter the room containing the heavy water tanks, while the others kept guard outside. By mistake members of the blasting party lost each other. Two of them, among them Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg, got into the plant through a cable intake and began to place the explosives.

For Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg the fight began in earnest as he was leaving for Scotland in 1941. He wanted to join the Navy, but after a couple of days met Martin Linge of the close to legendary Linge Company. There he became a fast rising star -- among the British too.

"Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg was one of the most outstanding men we had. He was well-balanced, intelligent and awfully hardy," narrator Colonel Charles Hampton said in the film program. Just before Christmas 1942, second lieutenant Holmboe Rønneberg, designated as the explosive material expert, was put in charge of the action against the heavy water plant at Vemork. At the end of February the following year, the sabotage action was accomplished-without loss of life.

"We must not forget history. It can happen again".

Flat and Uneven Pacing

[TanakaK · 6/10 · 29 December 2010]

Many of the criticisms of this film I've read here have been based on its apparent historical inaccuracy. I really don't give a hang about that. (If I want to learn history I'll READ.) Rather, my complaints are with the movie as purely an entertainment piece, which is all it was probably ever meant to be. You would think that any film featuring Kirk Douglas paired with Richard Harris could be terrific. But this is just somehow flat. Neither really gets up to capacity and the story tends to get dragged down, often by utterly irrelevant personal background details.

In the end, you just don't get the Hooray! feeling that you should after watching a 130 minute film about a couple of guys who saved the world from -gulp- Germans! You're just glad it's over and want to go to the bathroom.

If you want the real story on this major achievement of the allies - AVOID this film!

[Fangs78 · 5/10 · 17 January 2005]

This film has almost nothing in common with the real events of the Commandos that did the sabotage at Rjukan. It is just a cheap Hollywood movie that tries to get credibility by stating - based on a true story. Like so many other WW2 movies from Hollywood. This also skews the truth so much, it is not even close to what the heroes experienced back then. As a movie however, it might be watchable. If you want the real story, you might want to look for the BBC documentary about the subject. A well done documentary that tries to recreate the conditions and experience some of the hardship themselves. They don't come close to what the actual heroes did, but the effect of what they do do is pretty amazing in itself. And it just makes the actual event even more incredible!