The Counterfeiters (German: Die Fälscher) (2007) Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky Watched: June 14, 2018 Rating: 6/10 {Clue: Adapted from a memoir by this man or Fast food favorite with fries} Behind-the-scenes of Nazi Germany's World War II Operation Bernhard- the largest counterfeiting scheme in history, Underdeveloped characters leads to difficulty empathizing,Reduced by its formulaic determination as awards season bait. Gives us moral quandaries to mull over- be a martyr sabotaging the operation and thus the lives of the entire group or assisting in the Nazi cause and indirectly perpetuating the war in order to survive? Entertaining and well-acted, with suspenseful moments and a talented Markovics leading the cast, Rated highly for its righteous themes and provoking material- but not enough to make a lasting impression. ---- Acrostic is a form of poetry where the first letters in each line, paragraph, or word are doubly used to spell a name, phrase, or word. The word "acrostic" comes from the Greek words "akros" (outermost) and "stichos" (line of verse). Read the appropriate letters in the poem vertically to reveal the extra message, called the "acrostich"! #Acrostic #PoemReview #AcademyBestForeign #German #Holocaust #WorldWarII

Imagine THE DIARY OF ANN FRANK if it had been filmed as a classic crime film starring Jimmy Cagney. This is a movie that turns all the well-meaning Holocaust clichés on their head. The story is simple. Late in the war, bankrupt Nazis desperately attempt to counterfeit Allied money on a massive scale, using a mismatched team of imprisoned Jews and hardened career criminals as skilled craftsmen. Most of the prisoners object, but their leader is almost chillingly willing to adapt. But there's more to his betrayal than meets the eye! The cynical, amoral anti-hero Solly is so completely selfish and so completely focused on his own survival that his own private journey through hell comes across as classic tough-guy drama rather than moral uplift. Yet at the end the brilliant forger discovers his conscience and finds a way to outwit the Nazis after all. A Holocaust movie for everyone who hated SCHINDLER'S LIST but loved THE MALTESE FALCON and THE PUBLIC ENEMY.

The Jewish nation has provided very many talented people; some of them found use of the talent on another side of law - as the counterfeiter Salomon 'Sally' Sorowitsch, the protagonist of Die Fälscher. Imprisoned before the World War II already, he was naturally transferred into a concentration camp, where he and other "graphic" talents survived due to their skills only as they were necessary for Operation Bernard. As there are Jews of different political views, moral values, education, countries of origin etc, tensions are high soon, and apart from their common enemy - Nazis, they will have fights with each other and inside themselves. All this is expressed in a realistic and enrapturing manner (although the ending is too sudden and trivial).During the film, you would also realise how similar totalitarian regimes (incl. the Soviet Union) were, i.e. in handling the sick, putting criminal and political prisoners together etc (btw, the Soviets took over Sachenhausen and used it as a NKVD special camp). Ancient principle of Divide And Rule! was widely used.The cast is very strong and even, beginning with Karl Markovics as Sorowitsch and Devid Striesow as Sturmbannführer Herzog. All the characters are elaborated, reasons for their deeds logically visible.Recommended to all those fond of historical dramas based on true events.

There have been countless films about WWII and the holocaust--lots. I have watched many of them but my family refuses. As my oldest daughter has said many times "I know what happened then. It was awful and evil. And, I've seen enough of them!". However, "The Counterfeiters" is not just another film about the holocaust but discussed an obscure but true story about a small number of Jewish prisoners who were able to spare their lives by working WITH the Nazis. Let me explain. The Nazis came up with a plan to destroy the economies of their enemies. First, they wanted to produce tons and tons of British pounds and flood the market with them. Then, do the same with the American dollar. And, while most may not know it, they were successful in producing perfect qualities pounds and dollars. This film is about how they did it and why, ultimately, the plan didn't change the outcome of the war.The film has some wonderful acting, a taut script and recreates the horror of the concentration camps. It's not pleasant but it IS also very fascinating--particularly the story of the hero (??) of the film--a cheap criminal with a talent for forgeries. Well worth seeing and a film that took the Best Foreign Language Oscar.