The Heavy Water War: Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb

The Heavy Water War stands out not only for its compelling historical narrative but also for its remarkable technical execution, especially considering it is a television series rather than a feature film, where resources are typically more concentrated. Despite the broader scope of its multi-episode format, the series manages to deliver a rich, cinematic experience.

The visual storytelling is particularly effective for a television series. The sweeping shots of Norway's icy landscapes feel expansive, yet the intimate, close-up moments that define character development are given just as much care. The varied camera work, such as the occasional handheld shots during moments of peril, intensifies the action, making the stakes feel personal and urgent, a clever use of television's more fluid pacing. This is a rarity for a series where visual cohesiveness can sometimes suffer when stretched across episodes. Yet here, the cinematography remains tight and focused, maintaining the sense of urgency and tension in each scene.

One of the most impressive feats is how The Heavy Water War retains the atmosphere of a high-budget film despite the limitations of a television series. The detailed set designs and period-accurate costuming elevate the experience, creating a world that feels both authentic and immersive, as though viewers are stepping back in time to WWII. Such dedication to realism is more common in films with larger budgets, but the series expertly makes the most of its resources.

Acting is another strong point in this series. Espen Klouman-Høiner's portrayal of Leif Tronstad shines with remarkable subtlety. He captures the character's internal struggles without resorting to melodrama, allowing the emotional weight of his decisions to unfold naturally. The supporting cast also brings depth to their roles, contributing to the overall gravitas of the series. In television, where performances can occasionally feel stretched over long arcs, here, the actors remain grounded and emotionally engaged, a testament to the tight direction and the careful attention to casting.

Even with its reliance on limited resources in comparison to a film, The Heavy Water War excels in technical aspects. The sound design, another often underappreciated aspect of television production, adds greatly to the atmosphere. The wind howls through the mountains, and the rumble of military aircraft enhances the urgency and danger that permeates the show. Although a few CGI moments don't quite match the level of the rest of the production, they don't detract from the overall immersion.

The Heavy Water War demonstrates that a television series can achieve the same cinematic quality as a high-budget film, thanks to its exceptional direction, stunning cinematography, and immersive sound design. Each episode captures the tension and emotional depth of its characters, maintaining a powerful and cohesive narrative from start to finish. The series excels in transforming its historical setting into a living, breathing world, leaving a lasting impression on viewers long after the credits roll.

This decade or so, Norway has created several series depicting life and events during WW II in Norway, under German annexation, but still different way than in e.g. Central or Eastern Europe. But still, people had to make hard choices, and very often you were between rock and hard place, trying to see/predict a bigger picture and "sniff" potential outcomes. Kampen om tungtvannet gives a broad overview, through different angles and participants, of a successful, yet controversial operation (thus, in my opinion, the UK title The Saboteurs is not felicitous), with many real episodes and characters, performed by good character actors (more as a team, no one really sticks out unnecessarily). It is also to my liking that characters of different nationals were played by respective representatives, so different languages heard are always correct and without accent. Well, the run of scenes is not always smooth, some of them are excessive and tensions are sometimes fading, but still - this series is worth watching, at least for Northern Europeans interested in the events during WW II not commonly known.

For us Scandinavians there is a lot of familiar faces in the cast. They really brought the big guns for this one. Casting is great, acting is superb and we all in all get the same from this series as we got from Max Manus, maybe even more. It's based upon what actually happened, with some artistic freedoms of course. But largely sticks to the story. If you can somewhat understand Norwegian or enjoy foreign cinema/tv series (not in english), you should definitely give this a try.

This is a miniseries about the German efforts to create the first nuclear bomb as well as the Allied effort to put a stop to it. Much of the film is set in Norway, as it was the center for Nazi deuterium production. Because of this, the series is in Norwegian, English and German (with a tiny bit of French). While it might not sound that interesting, it is--provided you are patient and give the programs a chance. My only reservations are minor. First, although it's stylish, the shaky cam is a STUPID idea and I have no idea why it's used throughout the show. I watched it on a very large screen TV and it practically induced motion sickness. Second, the CGI of the B-17s was rather poor. Eight year old episodes of "Dogfights" look better and more realistic. Still, with excellent acting, an engaging script and a nice history lesson, it's well worth seeing.

By the way, some of what occurs in the show can also be seen in the excellent Kirk Douglas film "The Heroes of Telemark"--and is mostly covered in episode 6 of the series.

After watching this, I mentioned to a friend of mine with a degree in physics that Heisenberg really was compromised working for the Germans during the war. He corrected me and suggested I read "Heisenberg's War" by Thomas Powers. Thank goodness, I did. It's an excellent book, and sets the record straight about what Heisenberg did and didn't do, and did and didn't think, during the war.

The miniseries show him trying to dazzle the German military with the destructive potential of his nuclear research, and it shows him working diligently on developing a bomb. What Powers shows, though, is that Heisenberg and the scientists who worked closely with him tried in various ways to discourage the Nazis from pursuing a bomb. And they were successful. After a critical meeting with Speer in 1943, in which Heisenberg emphasized all the problems and pointed out that a bomb, even if it could be developed, would take too long to be used in the war, bomb research stopped, and nuclear research was aimed at a reactor or "energy machine." The Heisenberg group were so horrified by the idea of an atomic bomb that they even signaled to scientists outside Germany that Germany was not working on a bomb, hoping to prevent a world of nuclear weapons. (This was misunderstood by many distrustful Allied scientists, who feared Heisenberg was trying to stop their work so that he could proceed without competition on his own.)

So enjoy the series, but please don't do as I did and take it as factual about Heisenberg's participation in a German atomic bomb program. I suppose that part of the story was added to crank up the excitement and drama.

Incidentally, after the destruction of the Norwegian hydro/heavy water plant and the sinking of the ferry carrying the heavy water, Germany's was completely crippled in its supply of heavy water, never to recover.