The Counterfeiters [aka Die Falscher]

[KLAXXON]

Telling the incredible true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history – devised by Nazi Germany to use against the British; The Counterfeiters tells the story of Salomon Sorowitsch, a master counterfeiter, imprisoned as a Jew, who plays a pivotal role in the Nazi scheme. A gripping story from the director of Anatomy; if you liked Downfall, you’ll love this.

After a brief period after the war which sees Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) arrive at a French hotel and casino with a case full of cash, the story of The Counterfeiters is told in flashback from the perspective of man most involved.

Salomon Sorowitsch is at the top of his game. A master criminal, Sorowitsch is one of the world’s most wanted men who moves around Germany to avoid being caught by the authorities. After successfully counterfeiting the pound note, Sorowitsch has turned his attention onto producing the US Dollar. A Jew living in Nazi Germany; Sorowitsch appears to be oblivious to the plight of the Jewish people, charging full rates for his counterfeits and refusing to get involved in anything that would draw the attention of the German Police.

In 1936 however, Sorowitsch is arrested and imprisoned by the German police and later is sent to a Jewish Concentration camp during World War II.

While in the camp, Sorowitsch manages to get out of most of the backbreaking tasks the other Jewish prisoners are given by painting portraits of the Commandant’s family and given the job of painting various parts of the camp. In exchange, he is rewarded by additional rations and relaxed discipline.

After a while however, Sorowitsch and a number of other Jews are transferred from the camp to one overseen by Adolf Burger (August Diehl), the former police detective that arrested him. Burger greatly respects Sorowitsch’s abilities as a counterfeiter; and assigns him to a top secret project that uses Jews (that are expendable), intended to flood Britain with millions in fake pound notes which would cripple the British economy and the war effort.

Sorowitsch is a survivor and initially willingly cooperates with the Germans; over the course of the war however; he grows closer to the other Jewish prisoners and changes to fight for the survival of not only himself but also his new friends.

A brilliant film from writer and director Stefan Rozuwitzky, The Counterfeiters is a beautifully written and shot film about a Nazi plot that has only recently come to light. This is a very deep movie with lots of interesting twists and turns – indeed, often this is edge of your seat stuff.

The Counterfeiters is a story that had to be told, and German director Stefan Ruzowitzky tells it plainly but well. It's the substantially true tale of Saloman Sorowitsch, the counterfeiter arrested by the Germans as a career criminal and a Jew, incarcerated in the concentration camp of Sachsenhausen and then, as the war drew to a close, persuaded, on pain of certain death, to oversee a huge scam to aid the Nazi war effort and ruin the finances of the Allies.

The Nazis planned to flood the market with more than £130 million in fake sterling and a similar amount in dollars. Had the plan been conceived earlier, the war might have taken a different turn. But it was too late, and much of the counterfeit cash was flung into Lake Toplitz in Austria and has never been found.

Operation Bernhard was undertaken by Sorowitsch, professional printers, expert graphic artists and even bank officials brought in from other camps and kept in two barracks, separated from the rest of the prisoners. They were given special privileges as long as they co-operated. If they didn't, the gas chambers were inevitable.

Guilt at doing what the Nazis wanted wormed its way into the men. They existed in the safety of what they called their Golden Cage, often hearing the screams of the dying from outside. Some found the name cards of gassed Jews in the suits they were allowed to wear.

Although Sorowitsch decided on pragmatism, if only to get medicine for a sick friend and keep himself alive, others were bent on sabotage.

The gelatine used for the printing was ruined and the production of pounds and dollars delayed. In the end, the war was won and the counterfeiters released. The last we see of Sorowitsch is at the tables in Monte Carlo, where he's deliberately losing the counterfeit bills he has hidden from the Nazis and smiling at the call-girl who sympathises with his bad luck.

Such a tale would seem an impossible fiction if it were not for the fact that it is well documented, and it is much aided by a memorable performance from Karl Markovics as Sorowitsch, a man who has gambled all his life and is now faced with a life or death bet.

Ruzowitzky's film weaves its way around this formidable yet mouse-like figure with skill, creating humour as well as drama. It's another example of the new German cinema reaching the world outside with honour. Not perhaps as good as The Lives of Others but as horrifyingly watchable.

Thoroughly enjoyable wartime drama with a strong script and fantastic performances.


Karl Markovics (who looks like a grumpy Bing Crosby) plays Salomon (Sally) Sorowitsch, a Jewish master counterfeiter who lives a fast life of women, cards and forged cash in Berlin. He's arrested in 1936 and thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he quickly uses his artistic skills to gain favours by doing portraits of the guards and murals and the like.

Sally is quickly head-hunted and transferred to the camp of Sachsenhausen, where he's put in charge of overseeing Operation Berhard, the largest counterfeiting operation in history. However, their luxury conditions are in stark contrast to the concentration camp just over their adjoining wall and one member of Sally's team, Adolph Burger (August Diehl), resorts to sabotage, which puts Sally in an increasingly difficult position.


It's a little odd that Sorowitsch is the main character, given that the film is actually based on Burger's memoirs, but he's certainly the more fascinating character. As such, Markovics is terrific, in a performance that appears to be emotionally cold on the surface, but is gradually revealed to have hidden depths, primarily through his friendship with a young fellow prisoner from Russia (Sebastian Urzendowsky as Karloff).

Diehl is also excellent, nailing Burger's wild-eyed desperation - he looks like he could have stepped out of a 1940s Hollywood film. There's also strong support from Devid Striesow as Superintendent Friedrich Herzog, who's responsible both for Sally's arrest and his later promotion and who turns out to be surprisingly sympathetic.


The film's also beautifully shot and contains some superbly suspenseful sequences, such as Herzog gathering the men to tell them about one of their agents trying to cash the first batch of British pounds.


In short, The Counterfeiters is an impressively directed drama with a superb central performance from Markovics and a gripping story to tell. Highly recommended.

Karl Markovics ... Salomon Sorowitsch
August Diehl ... Adolf Burger
Devid Striesow ... Sturmbannführer Friedrich Herzog
Martin Brambach ... Hauptscharführer Holst
August Zirner ... Dr. Klinger
Veit Stübner ... Atze
Sebastian Urzendowsky ... Kolya Karloff
Andreas Schmidt ... Zilinski
Tilo Prückner ... Dr. Viktor Hahn
Lenn Kudrjawizki ... Loszek
Norman Stoffregen ... Abramovic
Bernd Raucamp ... KZ-Insasse Dusche
Gode Benedix ... 1. KZ-Insasse
Oliver Kanter ... 2. KZ-Insasse
Dirk Prinz ... SS-Wache


Download Torrent

[EDillio]

I really enjoyed this, thanks alot.

[catfishmark]

Thanks klaxxon