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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.

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.

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.

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

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.

"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.

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.

"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

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.

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.

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..)

First of all. I toughed it was a very good movie. Fun to think that Kirk have been to a place where I've been hundreds of times.

And second; shill66 is right. This is a British movie. So this time the British makes up a lot of bullshit. Tough it might have been for the best.

The things that really happened may be more interesting, but the movie would not been better. If you find this story interesting then i suggest that you would take a look at a documentary or something.

*warning* The movie is BASED on a true story. But is far from what really happened at Rjukan in Telemark.

And I recommend that you read some of the Norwegian resistance called "Gutta på Skauen" / "you cant really translate it :P "

• Øyvind

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.

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.

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".

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.

It is a travesty to see this movie associated with the actual history of Telemark. One must suspend all common sense to become engrossed in the melodramatic histrionics of this bit of fiction.