The Heroes of Telemark

Infobox_Film
name = The Heroes of Telemark


caption= original movie poster
director = Anthony Mann
producer = Benjamin Fisz
writer = Ben Barzman
Ivan Moffat
starring = Kirk Douglas
Richard Harris
Ulla Jacobsson
Michael Redgrave
distributor = Rank
Columbia Pictures
music = Malcolm Arnold
cinematography = Robert Krasker
released = 1965
runtime = 131 min
imdb_id = 0059263

"The Heroes of Telemark" is a 1965 war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World War II.

Norwegian resistance fighters sabotage the Vemork Norsk Hydro plant in the town of Rjukan in the county of Telemark, Norway, which the Nazis used to produce heavy water to make a nuclear bomb. Snowy Norwegian locations serve as a backdrop for the plot. Kirk Douglas plays the role of a Norwegian physics professor who, though originally content to wait out the war, is soon pulled into the struggle by resistance leader Richard Harris.

The movie bears only a cursory resemblance to the actual events. For instance, the sabotage on the plant itself was achieved without a shot being fired, unlike the gun battle portrayed in the film. The love story involving Douglas' character was also entirely invented. Understandably the film was a big hit in Norway, but was unsuccessful outside Europe.

As a response to the inaccuracies of the film, Ray Mears made a documentary titled "The Real Heroes of Telemark", sticking to the facts, partly dramatised, but focusing more on the survival skills involved in the operation.

The same story was also covered in the 1948 French-Norwegian film Kampen om tungtvannet. Quite faithful to the real events it even had many of the original Norwegian commandos starring as themselves.

ee also

*Norwegian heavy water sabotage
*Norwegian resistance movement
*List of World War II films

External links

*imdb title|0059263
* [http://www.cavinguk.co.uk/holidays/HeroesOfTelemark2006/ The reality behind the movie]