THE COUNTERFEITERS

THE COUNTERFEITERS is the latest of a string of German releases to grace British shores, coming as it does after the wonderful THE LIVES OF OTHERS and the much-lauded intellectual thriller Yella, though it is more in the mould of the former release than the latter. Like THE LIVES OF OTHERS, THE COUNTERFEITERS takes a closer look at individual experiences in German history, though treading far more familiar turf in the form of World War II concentration camps. The story is centred on Operation Bernhard, the Nazi plan to counterfeit British and US currency on a grand scale in order to flood the economies of its enemies, thus hampering their war efforts. However, this forgery was not undertaken by blue-eyed Nazi saboteurs but by Jewish financiers, and a Russian-Jewish forger and artist named Salomon Smolianoff, from a specially segregated section of Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It was Smolianoff who was to inspire the main character - Salomon Sorowitsch - in the film. Whilst this sensitive topic is a well versed one, with SCHINDLER'S LIST and LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL alone more than adequately portraying the horror and implications of the horrific event, writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky takes this in his stride and I'd say even turns this to his advantage. Rather than feeling the need to 'disseminate basic facts' he instead puts all his efforts to depicting the moral and emotional nuances of those prisoners involved in operation Bernhard, ably drawing us through the turmoil felt by them as they came to terms with the fact that, to ensure their own survival, they were helping finance a regime whose evils they know too well. Not all of the forgers are compliant with the will of their captors however, and Adolf Burger (whose real-life memoirs aided the historical accuracy of the film) becomes intent on sabotaging the operation, a decision complicated in no small measure by the moral dilemma posed by the choice between aiding the Nazis and causing the death of himself and his fellow captors. The result is broadly a team effort at delaying tactics designed to stem both the cash flow and the inevitable retribution for as long as possible. Central to the debate is Sorowitsch, whose criminal background and present persecution, along with his attachment to a young Russian Jew named Kolya Karloff provide a useful medium for the ambiguity of the morality in question. The 'documentary-style' shooting and liberal use of close-ups, along with the moody lighting and natural camerawork, keeps us engaged with the seclusion of the 'golden-cage' the counterfeiters inhabit within Sachsenhausen and help to convey some measure of the tension and internal strife suffered in their unique situation, and the acting is strong too. Karl Morkovics carries of Sorowitsch's moral ambiguity remarkably well, and Devid Striesow does a similarly impressive job with the man in charge of the concentration camp - Friedrich Herzog - who avoids most of the tired clichés so frequently attached to such roles. But the strongest aspect of the film is the way it portrayed the occasional encroachment of the real horror of concentration camps into the world of these 'privileged' few: the luxury of civilian clothes, courtesy of those unfortunate Jews gassed at Auschwitz, the occasional sound of other inmates forced on punishment marches or being shot, indeed one of the most memorable scenes of the film is when passports, requested by Sorowitsch for one of his other forging duties required of him at Sachsenhausen, contains those previously held by the family of one of the forgers. I don't think I need to elaborate on the implications of such a macabre encroachment. Overall the film is a moving one, which avoids many of the tired clichés which have evolved in World War II and Holocaust films and tells a genuinely compelling tale, but it may not be for everyone. There is little action to spice up the simmering emotion on screen, and the terror and bloodshed of the Nazi regime is more implied than held up for us all to gawp at with horror and derision. Some may also find the pace a little slow as it carefully depicts the moral nuances of the prisoners forced into Operation Bernhard to save their own lives with carefully considered, but far from flashy, cinematography. Nonetheless, I for one think that this is a well-made film depicting a period of history that is not only important as a warning to future generations but rich in individual tragedies that are more than worthy of bringing to public attention.

rating: 3.5

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