The Counterfeiters
Top Secret Nazi Project Explored in The Counterfeiters
ACTING STYLE AND ABILITY - IS THE CHARACTER BELIEVABLE AND INTERESTING
THE COUNTERFEITERS is highlighted by realistic portrayals most notably Karl Markovics as SALOMON SOROWITSCH and August Diehl as ADOLPH BURGER. In the film, the names have been changed except for BURGER’S. The characters are based on BURGER’S personal memiors accounting his role and others in OPERATION BERNARD during WORLD WAR II. MARKOVICS is primarily an AUSTRIAN television actor with one mainstream film, the dark comedy KOMM SUBER TOD. AUGUST DIEHL is a noted GERMAN actor who has starred in numerous films including the AMERICAN film LOVE THE HARD WAY (2003) starring Adrien Brody.
THE STORY LINE - DOES THE STORY OR PLOT FLOW SMOOTHLY THROUGHOUT THE FILM
THE COUNTERFEITERS is based on the true story of Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivor Adolf Burger, who was forced by the NAZIS during WORLD WAR II to make counterfeit BRITISH and AMERICAN currencies as part of Operation Bernhard. OPERATION BERNHARD was a secret NAZI plan to infultrate BRITISH AND AMERICAN economies by distributing millions worth of fake bills. The story centers around a ‘professional forger’ SALOMON SOROWITSCH [fictional name], who is transferred from Mauthausen Concentration Camp to a classified section known as SACHSENHAUSEN. At the camp, SOROWITSCH is part of a group of artists, photographers, and printers to produced the best counterfeit money ever. The group produces BRITISH pound notes so well done that it is authenticated by the BANK OF ENGLAND. The NAZI project supervisor HERZOG decides that the next logical step is to product AMERICAN currency, which up until this point, has not been accomplished. HERZOG alludes to the fact that the war is coming to a close and that his life may become difficult, but if SOROWITSCH will help him then he will be safe. HERZOG’s plan of making the perfect counterfeit AMERICAN dollar is hindered by ADOLF BURGER, who refuses to complete the forging process by making collotype [image on a glass plate] unusable. The NAZIS did receive a few AMERICAN dollars but only the BRITISH pounds were ever made in mass quantities. To date, OPERATION BERNHARD is still considered the largest counterfeiting operation in history with over 100 million pounds of BRITISH notes produced by BURGER and others at SACHSENHAUSEN.
PRODUCTION - DOES THE DIRECTOR HAVE STYLE, DOES THE PRODUCER HAVE AN OVERALL GOOD PRODUCT, AND DOES THE EDITOR MAKE THE FILM'S STORY AND ACTORS COME ALIVE
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY – ‘Pays sympathetic attention to those who play their cards to win even when the rules are terrible…’ A-
THE UNDERGROUND UNIVERSE – OVERALL THOUGHTS
THE COUNTERFEITERS won the ACADEMY AWARD for BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE film of 2007. Most critics agree that the film shows another side of concentration camp life without forfeiting the sense of survival predominates during THE HOLOCAUST. The filmmakers succeed in providing for the audience the life of the concentration camp elite with the contrast of the controlling NAZI commandos and tortured regular camp members. The acting is believable and compelling with an even paced script as well as overall first-rate production.
