Product Description
-------------------
The Heavy Water War depicts one of the most exciting
stories from the World War II - the Nazis' efforts to develop an
atom bomb and the Allies' desperate struggle to prevent it from
happening. The series starts in Stockholm in 1933 as German
scientist Werner Heisenberg is awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physics, and although considered "unreliable" by the Nazis, he is
allowed into the secret Nazi nuclear energy project,
'Uranverein.' Heisenberg's work reveals that the atom bomb can
only be made with the use of heavy water, which could be produced
in sufficient quantities by the Norsk Hydro factory in Rjukan,
Norway. After Norwegian professor Leif Tronstad catches wind of
Germany's interest in heavy water, he escapes to England to
enlist Allied help in thwarting the plan. Despite numerous
sabotage attempts by the Allies against the factory, the atomic
research continues and Heisenberg brags in a speech that the
Germans will soon have a bomb no larger than a pineapple that
will destroy London. Featuring leading English, Norwegian and
German actors, The Heavy Water War portrays real characters in
this true-life story of an epic struggle, the outcome of which
will determine the future of Europe.
Review
------
Meet Heisenberg not Walter White, but the original:
Werner the German theoretical physicist, he of the uncertainty
principle. Here he is collecting his Nobel prize, in 1932. And
later, at the outset of war, being accused by a y SS officer
of terrible crimes such as not hating Jews, and camping and
swimming with other boys in his youth, before being signed up to
the German nuclear weapons project. Saboteurs (More4) has
Heisenberg as a somewhat reluctant member of the Uranium Club. He
is not a saboteur, of course. Theyre the people who are going to
wreck the in occupied Norway whose heavy water Heisenberg
and his bomb-making chums want. In Norway, Leif Tronstad,
scientist, heavy-water expert and soon to be intelligence
officer, is going to be a saboteur. And in London, Colonel John
Wilson and Captain Julie Smith are going to be saboteurs. Captain
Julie (Anna Friel, below) will attack the enemy with a hockey
stick, probably. Thats where were heading here, I think:
Operations Grouse, Freshmen and nerside; plucky allied heroes
gliding by night into icy northern places; heroes of Telemark,
possibly. Certainly, Im expecting/hoping for cross-country
Scandinavian skiing. And because this six-part television
mini-series, like those wartime operations, is a collaboration
Norwegian, Danish, British it looks at those events from a broad
perspective. Not just goodies (allies) v baddies (Germans), it
paints a more complex, interesting picture. Its probably the
shows Nordicness that allows it to focus on characters, and even
a little light quantum physics, rather than just diving into the
action. There is a raid, at the start, but it turns out to be a
practice run. Then its back a few years, to Germany and Norway,
to find out what it was all about. Ill leave it to people who are
more in the know to approve, or contest, Saboteurs historical
accuracy. As TV, though, its intriguing, exciting and involving,
even in three different languages. My only moan is a minor one,
about a prop. The Austin FX4 London cab came into service in
1958. So what the hell is one doing dropping Leif off here, 17
years earlier? Taxi for whoevers responsible. Otherwise very
good, carry on. --The Guardian