"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
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