"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.
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.