'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.
Review of The Heroes of Telemark
The Heroes of Telemark
(1965)
A film about the NORWEGIAN resistance
8 February 2000
Warning: Spoilers