Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
THE COUNTERFEITERS (Die Falscher)
Directed & Written by: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Running time: 98 minutes
Release date: February 22, 2008
Genre: Drama
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
MPAA Rating: R
The Counterfeiters is a biopic based on the accounts of concentration camp prisoners in the book The Devil's Workshop by Adolf Berger. Salomon Sorowitsch is a skilled and master forger who, during WWII, is captured and interned in a concentration camp in Berlin. Salomon, along with other Jewish printers and forgers, is forced to produce millions in counterfeit money, in a bid to offset the British and American economies.
When the film begins, Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch, who is a Russian-Jewish nightclub owner is living "fast and loose." This lifestyle comes to an end when he is deported to the concentration camps located in Mauthausen. Later he is moved to Sachsenhausen, after Superintendent of Police Friedrich Herzog (Devid Striescow) discovers that he had been faking various currencies and passports. In Sachsenhausen, this master counterfeiter is forced to lead a team of internees to produce millions of British pounds and American dollars for the German war machine.
Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) was a man without direction in the political sense or when it came to society. He was not a very intelligent man, but yet he was empowered through the knowledge of scamming. Although he was not a good man overall, he had some principles. For example, one of is principles was never saying something against his own Jewish people.
In his efforts to do as he's told in order to stay alive during his imprisonment, Sorowitsch runs up against a rebellious member of his team. This young man is Adolf Burger (August Diehl), a communist printer who sabotages the effort. It seems to me Burger's character in the film is impacted by the film's script. The Counterfeiters plots the historical rebel as a vengeful idealist who lacks concern for his fellow prisoners who had made a decision to do as they were told to stay alive. It is strange that the director of the film reduced this character to a supporting player, when the story is based on his memoirs. But I could only assume that the "Sally" character is much more colorful and that is why Salomon Sorowitsch was the main character of The Counterfeiters instead of Adolf Burger.
The concentration camp prison scenes were shot on a handheld camera, which allowed for great footage with soft lighting and zooms. The scenario in these camps explored the ethical and moral issues that the prisoners faced, such as whether they should help the Nazis and stay alive, or sabotage the operation known as "Operation Berhard" and die for their beliefs. The fact of the matter was that guilt was an issue with these "privileged prisoners" who lived with many delights, as other prisoners were tortured and killed.
The story left a strong impact on me and created a fine alchemy of melodrama. The actor's performances displayed both the comedic and dramatic elements of the script. The humor was highlighted in the carefree lifestyle Sorowitsch enjoyed. The fact he spent thousands of his fake pounds and dollars at casinos and hotels after the war ended, was a hilarious touch in the movie. Similar to Schindler's List, this movie explores the universal question of what people would do to survive in an extreme set of circumstances. However, in this film, the issues of morality and idealogy among a specific group during the final months of WWII becomes the focus of the controversy.
This is Austria's entry and the Academy Award nominee for 2008 Foreign Language Film. It is also my pick for the award.
See Gerald's other predictions for the 2008 Academy Awards
FILM RATING (A)
|
