|
 Winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, The
Counterfeiters brings to the screen a true story with an astonishing plot,
great acting and amazing cinematography.
I was drawn into the sorrowful story from the very beginning, to its
revealing ending. Whether you are a
child of the times, a film buff or a historical student, it’s a must see.
After being arrested by Nazi Inspector Herzog (Striesow) for
counterfeiting, Salamon “Sally” Sorowitsch (Markovicks) gets sent to Mauthausen, a brutal concentration camp,
where he survives on his artistic skills.
After many years of doing portraits for the Commandant, Sorowitsch
suddenly finds himself on the way to
Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp run by Herzog.
Rated: R
Starring: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, August Zirner
Directed by: Stefan Ruzowitzky |
He, along with
many other Jewish prisoners with art and printing skills, have been gathered at
the camp to counterfeit the currency of Britain and the United States in an
effort to destroy the enemy’s economy.
At first there is resistance, but Sorowitsch knows that, in order to
survive, they must cooperate together and give the Nazis what they want. However, Sorowitsch’s plan includes a lot of
cunning tactics, some of which lead to unwanted circumstances.
The
dank cinematography by Benedict Neuenfels sets the somber mood of the
film. His patient camera closes in on
the characters, showing their dismal life as they reluctantly perform their
counterfeiting tasks in a struggle for survival. With Neuenfels, the dreary concentration camp
becomes his award-winning showcase of the life and death struggle.
Markovicks
portrayal of the cunning Sorowitsch is outstanding. Constantly keeping the Nazi commanders at bay
for years by teasing them with his ‘close’ solution to the perfect British
Pound, Sorowitsch tends to the prisoners that he needs most to carry out his
waiting game. Sometimes consoling and
other times manipulative, Sorowitsch unwittingly holds the key to continued
existence, and Markovicks plays the crafty man brilliantly.
The
Counterfeiters has some strong violence, sexuality and male nudity. The film is spoken in German, but has easy-to-read
subtitles.
On
a side note, Doloris Chaplin, who plays the Red-Haired Woman in the film, is
the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin.
FINAL ANALYSIS: The Counterfeiters, worthy of the
Oscar it recently was awarded, is an exceptionally good film with thought-provoking and heart-wrenching content.
This Reviewer's Rating:   4 / 5
|
