25 Dec Max Manus
Max Manus, WWII Film about Norwegian resistance fighters
(2008) Max Manus was a Norwegian Resistance fighter during the World War II Nazi occupation. This movie, Max Manus: Man of War, is based on the books this decorated hero wrote after the war.
Manus was one of a group of young men who decided that they were not going to just let the Nazis walk in and take over their country without a fight. And fight they did. Their biggest sabotage feat was to sink a major cargo ship, the Donau, which had earlier transported from Norway over 500 Jews headed for Auschwitz.
When the war was over and peace finally came to Norway, Max Manus could not forget the carnage he had seen and the friends who had died, gunned down or been tortured by the Nazis. Although he suffered from bouts of depression and alcoholism he was able to build a life for himself. He married “Tikken,” a secretary at the British Legation in Stockholm who was also featured in the movie, and built an office supply business, still in existence today. Manus died in 1996, having moved to Spain after his retirement.
Another notable who fought with Manus in the resistance is Gunnar Sønsteby, still alive today, the most highly decorated person in Norway.
I found on YouTube this video taken during the 2008 filming of the movie in Oslo, Norway. It obviously caused a stir. Don’t you know that anyone who was there during the war got chills watching the Nazis parade through their city. I got chills.
And lastly, I found this excellent article written in 2008 in anticipation of the movie’s release. What was surprising to me is how extensively Max Manus had traveled before coming back to Scandinavia at the time of war. He was only 26 years old when the Nazis took over Norway.
This Norwegian film with English subtitles is easy to watch. It is mesmerizing actually. The snow, the cityscapes. These young men were heroes in Norway. They dared to retaliate and gave hope to their country.
Max Manus: Man of War at amazon.com
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