Oscar-Winning ‘The Counterfeiters’ a Bravely Told Gem From Depths of Nazi Germany

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CHICAGO – “The Counterfeiters” is a historical gem bravely told from the depths of Nazi Germany. An opening scene of a dismal sea sets the tone of Stefan Ruzowitzky’s historical jewel with a sense of despair that raises curiosity to the physical level.

Based on a true story and scripted from the novel “The Devil’s Workshop” by Adolf Burger, the film exposes the untold tale of Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch and a group of concentration camp inmates as they struggle with the principles of survival.

“The Counterfeiters”. Photo credit: IMDb

The film begins in Monte Carlo with Sally – played by Karl Markovics – experiencing the royalties of high-stakes gambling. After a night of glitz and glamour, he goes to bed with a beautiful woman who quickly discovers his concentration camp tattoo. This propels the audience into Sally’s darkest memories.

In 1936, he is arrested for being “the world’s greatest counterfeiter” and sent to prison. Sally eventually ends up in the camps as a Jew.

His artistic abilities gain him the position of drawing portraits and painting murals for the Nazi’s at Mauthausen. They later get him transferred to Sachsenhausen where he is ordered to oversee the largest counterfeiting operation in history (“Operation Bernhard”) or face certain death.

Details such as blood used as rouge, striped hairstyles, second-hand clothing from gas chamber victims and intricate counterfeiting supplies are but a few of the threads Ruzowitzky uses to weave together imagery in this film. A sharp, violin-filled soundtrack reminds the viewer that all senses can be harsh while bringing in a folktale quality that’s passed down from holocaust survivors to their grandchildren.

“The Counterfeiters”. Photo credit: IMDb

After Operation Bernhard is formed, a team of bankers, printers, photographers and graphic artists have been assembled and special treatments are granted. The first assignment given to them is to forge the British pound.

After successfully copying the pound, some of them begin to realize that the Germans are trying to surge the markets of the allies in hopes of winning the war.

One of the printers – Adolf Burger (played by August Diehl) – begins to sabotage the efforts of duplicating the dollar by melting the gelatin to the wrong consistency. Tension builds as the Nazi officers realize this sabotage and lives are threatened. The team is able to hold out long enough until the Nazis are bankrupt and the war has ended.

A handheld camera and lots of perspective shots create a gritty realistic and effect. However, the occasional extreme zoom seems to confuse the pragmatism into an over-dramatized Oliver Stone quality. Apart from the in-your-face zooms, creative camera angles like low angles looking up at a Nazi officer urinating on Sally’s head and close-ups detailing bloody fingers gripping a pencil pop in and out of the film with perfection.

“The Counterfeiters”. Photo credit: IMDb

Sally’s austere character holds the weight of this film and is effortlessly played. He conquers the role and makes one wonder if his job prior to acting actually was counterfeiting.

Supporting characters are upheld with equal theatrical abilities. All the performances blur the concept of acting all together and make it one of those “pinch me – I’m watching a movie” films.

Curt wit and intermittent humor allow dialogue to be one of the strongest features of this drama and each actor delivers lines with a truth rarely seen in cinema.

Ruzowitzky closes the film by bringing us full circle to Monte Carlo and shows a less-glamorous view of Sally. As Sally purposely gambles away counterfeit money from the camp, he leaves the viewer with a sense of dark hope. The closing scene is of Sally and the beautiful woman dancing on the beach. She shares her sympathies for all his gambled money and he simply reassures her that they can make more.

This incredible story needed to be told and Ruzowitzky has done a wonderful job adding another amazing film to the growing list of German cinema.

By ALLISON PITACCIO Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com allee@hollywoodchicago.com