Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Ross622 Anthony Mann's "The Heroes of Telemark" is the second to last film that he ever directed and even though it isn't one of the very elite war movies of all time it is certainly a very well told story in the hands of one of the best directors of his generation. The movie is based on the true story of a Norwegian resistance group that fought back against the Nazis during WWII to prevent them from getting the atomic bomb despite the fact that at that time Norway was already invaded by Germany. The movie stars Kirk Douglas as Dr. Rolf Pedersen a physics professor at Oslo University who is then encountered in his office by a young man named Knut Straud (Richard Harris) who gets him to be part of the resistance group. This isn't the best movie that Mann ever directed but so far out of all of his movies that I've seen my favorite would be "Winchester '73" (1950) which was one of his many movies with Jimmy Stewart. The World War II movie that this most reminded me of was "The Great Escape" (1963) because unlike a story about American POW's who escaped a concentration camp, this movie talks about a few ordinary people in Norway who fight back against a global threat at the time. However my problems aren't with the performances which are top notch especially by legendary actors like Douglas and Harris my only problem with them is that they didn't use Norwegian accent, my other problem with this movie is that even though the screenplay was very good there was a lack of suspense during the course of this movie except towards the end of the movie. The movie also features an excellent supporting cast, and like all WWII movies the performances of the Nazi soldiers are exactly on point. Even though this isn't one of the best movies of 1965, I would definitely recommend it because of the performances, and the entertainment. Even though it isn't a masterpiece it is certainly a memorable and very adventurous and entertaining movie.

Leofwine_draca THE HEROES OF TELEMARK is a solid enough WW2 adventure in the WHERE EAGLES DARE mould, although the direction is a little off and not quite as involving as in the true classics of the genre. This is a surprise given that director Anthony Mann made some great films with James Stewart back in the 1950s, but you get the impression that his heart wasn't quite in this one.It is, however, watchable enough, and has an interesting true-life story that keeps you watching throughout. Kirk Douglas is the hero of the piece, playing a Norwegian scientist who agrees to help resistance forces blow up a factory that the Nazis are using to develop nuclear technology. Richard Harris plays in support as a stock hero, but the supporting cast are a little lacklustre. The only ones who make an impact are an aged but effective Michael Redgrave, Anton Diffring as yet another Nazi, and Roy Dotrice in an early part.THE HEROES OF TELEMARK saves most of the action and set-pieces for the latter half of the production, and at times the adventure feels muted, but it's quite well shot. The snowbound action is occasionally remarkable and seems to have inspired the later Bond movies that utilise ski chases and the like, such as ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. The climactic scenes are where it really picks up and Douglas shows his mettle in some good cat-and-mouse style moments.

Spikeopath 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

whpratt1 Recently visited the Country of Norway and became interested in the area of Telemark where my tour guide told me about this true story concerning the production of heavy water which the Nazi's needed for their experiments in developing an atomic bomb. The photography in Norway is outstanding and clearly shows the Fjord in which all this action took place and the type of ferry that was utilized during WW II. Kirk Douglas,(Dr. Rolf Pedersen) was a scientist at the University of Oslo, Norway and his knowledge was needed by the Resistance movement in Norway and his life changed completely in working with England and America to make attempts to destroy this plant at Telemark. Hollywood added some romance in this picture between Dr. Rolf and his ex-wife, Anna Pedersen, (Ulla Jacobsson) and also great acting by Richard Harris,(Knut Straud) This film clearly shows how the Norwegian people were controlled by Hitler's Nazi's and how brave men and women did everything in their power to defeat their horrible control of human life.