Die Fälscher (2007)

Director:

Stefan Ruzowitzky

Writers:

Adolf Burger (book)
Stefan Ruzowitzky (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 March 2007 (Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | War

Tagline:

It takes a clever man to make money, it takes a genius to stay alive

Plot:

The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936...

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Counterfeiter | Concentration Camp | Counterfeiting | Mauthausen

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Karl Markovics	...	Salomon 'Sally' Sorowitsch
August Diehl	...	Adolf Burger
Devid Striesow	...	Sturmbannführer Friedrich Herzog
Martin Brambach	...	Hauptscharführer Holst
August Zirner	...	Dr. Klinger
Veit Stübner	...	Atze
Sebastian Urzendowsky	...	Kolya Karloff
Andreas Schmidt	...	Zilinski
Tilo Prückner	...	Dr. Viktor Hahn
Lenn Kudrjawizki	...	Loszek
Norman Stoffregen	...	Abramovic
Bernd Raucamp	...	KZ-Insasse Dusche
Gode Benedix	...	1. KZ-Insasse
Oliver Kanter	...	2. KZ-Insasse
Dirk Prinz	...	SS-Wache
Hille Beseler	...	Grete Herzog
Erik Jan Rippmann	...	Bank Director
Tim Breyvogel	...	Agent
Dolores Chaplin	...	Girl in Casino
Roland Fischer-Briand	...	Concierge
Louie Austen	...	Poker Player
Michael Blohn	...	Croupier - Monte Carlo
Marie Bäumer	...	Aglaia
Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey	...	Hans
Jan Pohl	...	Sascha
Lilly Kugler	...	Dame
Matthias Luhn	...	Ganove (as Matthias Lühne)
Heinz Schubert	...	Hehler
Roswitha Straka	...	Tänzerin (as Rosi Straka)
Holger Schober	...	Unterscharführer
Steve Thiede	...	Kapo
Peter Strauß	...	SS Officer
Bernhard Linke	...	Junger Insasse
Werner Daehn	...	Rosenthal
Leander Modersohn	...	SS-Soldat Zug
Anton Maria Aigner	...	Regieassistenz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marian Kalus	...	Plappler
Hans Peter Kortenbruck	...	3 KZ Insasse
Michael Racinais	...	Direktor
Andreas Haslinger	...	Häftling (uncredited)
Dieter Hilpmann	...	Geisel Stein (uncredited)

Directed by
Stefan Ruzowitzky

Writing credits
Adolf Burger		(book "The Devil's Workshop")
Stefan Ruzowitzky		(screenplay)

Produced by
Josef Aichholzer	....	producer
Nina Bohlmann	....	producer
Christoph Fisser	....	co-producer
Henning Molfenter	....	co-producer
Babette Schröder	....	producer
Caroline von Senden	....	co-producer
Charlie Woebcken	....	co-producer
Sonja B. Zimmer	....	line producer

Original Music by
Marius Ruhland

Cinematography by
Benedict Neuenfels

Film Editing by
Britta Nahler

Casting by
Heta Mantscheff
Lisa Olah
Markus Schleinzer

Production Design by
Isidor Wimmer

Set Decoration by
Christian Krüger
Gerhard Krummeich
Johannes Slapa

Costume Design by
Nicole Fischnaller

Makeup Department
Waldemar Pokromski	....	makeup artist
Daniela Skala	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Monika Maruschko	....	production manager
Christian Springer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Anton Maria Aigner	....	first assistant director
Timon Modersohn	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Joshua Black	....	painter
Dierk Grahlow	....	construction manager
Isidor Wimmer	....	set designer

Sound Department
Stephan Fandrych	....	adr supervisor
Tobias Fleig	....	sound re-recording mixer
Rainer Heesch	....	sound designer
Torsten Heinemann	....	sound
Tatjana Jakob	....	supervising sound editor
Mark Kenna	....	consultant: dolby film sound
Olaf Mierau	....	post-production sound supervisor
Pierre Peters-Arnolds	....	dubbing
Peter Roik	....	foley artist
Matthias Schwab	....	foley

Visual Effects by
Joerg Bruemmer	....	digital compositor
Manfred Büttner	....	visual effects
Markus Degen	....	visual effects supervisor
Florian Gellinger	....	digital compositor
Claudia Lechen	....	digital compositor
Sven Pannicke	....	visual effects producer
Christian Pundschus	....	visual effects supervisor
Jonathan Weber	....	digital compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Alexander Boboschewski	....	Steadicam operator
Petro Domenigg	....	still photographer
Jürgen Olczyk	....	still photographer
Marcus Pohlus	....	Steadicam operator

Casting Department
Marcel Dykiert	....	extras casting assistant
Iris Müller	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Barbara Koeppl	....	wardrobe: extras
Inka Sherman	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Willi Willinger	....	colorist

Music Department
Peter Fuchs	....	music engineer
Marius Ruhland	....	music producer
Marius Ruhland	....	orchestrator
Allan Wilson	....	conductor
Marius Ruhland	....	music arranger (uncredited)
Marius Ruhland	....	music programmer (uncredited)

Other crew
Pierre Barnaud	....	location manager: France
Jorge Bosicovich	....	choreographer
Eva Cifrain	....	production coordinator
Umut Dag	....	production assistant
Katja Hoerstmann	....	co-production coordinator
Margaret Metz	....	production coordinator
Mirjam Weber	....	assistant to co-producer

Production Companies

• Magnolia Filmproduktion
• Babelsberg Film
• Beta Cinema
• Filmförderung Hamburg (funding)
• Josef Aichholzer Filmproduktion
• Studio Babelsberg Motion Pictures
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Distributors

• ABC Distribution (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Continental Film (2007) (Slovakia) (theatrical)
• Filmladen (2007) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classic Entertainment (2007) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Nordisk Film (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Europa Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Homescreen (2008) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media)
• Mediasoft Films (2008) (South Korea) (all media)
• Metrodome Distribution (2007) (UK) (all media)
• Paradise Group (2007) (Russia) (all media)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (2009) (Germany) (TV)

Other Companies

• LISTO Videofilm  post-production (laboratory) (telecine dailies) (digital intermediate) (film recording)
• Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra  orchestra

Also Known As:

The Counterfeiters (Canada: English title) (UK) (USA) (new title)
Der Fälscher (Austria) (working title)
The Counterfeiter (International: English title)
Los falsificadores (Argentina) (Mexico) (Peru) [es]
Les faussaires (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Dáblova dílna (Czech Republic) [cs]
Diablova dielna (Slovakia) [sk]
Förfalskarna (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Falskmyntarna (Sweden) [sv]
Falszerze (Poland) [pl]
Forfalskerne (Denmark) [da]
Il falsario (Italy) [it]
Kalpazanlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Krivotvoritelji (Croatia) [hr]
Os Falsários (Brazil) [pt]
Pénzhamisítók (Hungary) [hu]
Paraharaktes (Greece) [el]
Väärentäjä (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong violence, brief sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Austria | Germany

Language:

German | Russian | English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:Unrated | Czech Republic:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Germany:12 | Australia:MA | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:R13 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Company:

Magnolia Filmproduktion

Trivia:

First Austrian film to win an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film Category.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Solly and Burger are arguing in their sleeping quarters, Burger pulls down a bunk bed. In the next shot the bed is standing up.

Quotes:

Salomon 'Sally' Sorowitsch: Ich bin ich. Die anderen sind die anderen.
[I'm myself. Everyone else is everyone else]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

laughter in the dark

Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch (Markovics) is a master counterfeiter, living a life of debauchery in pre-war Berlin, until his luck finally runs out, and he is captured and shipped out to the Mauthausen concentration camp. He witnesses the horrors of camp life; fellow prisoners are beaten, shot, and starved, but Sally, determined to survive, looks out for himself and uses his skills as an artist to secure a more comfortable lifestyle during his incarceration. After taking advantage of his talents, his superiors transfer him to Sachsenhausen, where he is to oversee the largest counterfeiting operation in history.

Here, Sally is provided with all the men and equipment he needs to crack the pound and the dollar; his criminal enterprises are now government funded. The price of failure is made clear, but the counterfeiters are also wary of the price of success, as once the currencies have been cracked, they will be surplus to requirements; their lives depend not only on their successes but also their failures.

This is where Burger (Diehl), the film's moral centre, comes into play. Unlike Sally, he sees the bigger picture, struggling to come to terms with the fact that while his work keeps him alive, it helps the Nazi war effort. Neither can he reconcile himself with the fact that while he lives in relative comfort other detainees, including his wife and children, live in squalor.

These moral dilemmas form the basis of the film, and in the face of the horrors of camp life, Sally tries to shrug them off with De Niro squints and smiles; the maxim that one must look after oneself is one repeated throughout the film. It's a very interesting idea, and it's one that is presented very well, both in terms of style and performance. The camera-work captures the bleak setting effectively, and the lead performances are uniformly excellent, but the use of tango for the score is inspired. The contrast between the music and the images adeptly complement the film's complicated moral tone. There is also a surprising amount of humour; while the bigger picture is indeed bleak, there are moments of comedy, and even if it is laughter in the dark, it is welcome and helps not only to carry the film along but humanise it and its characters.

The Counterfeiters is a very enjoyable film, which isn't something that can be said for many World War II "true stories". Its interesting exploration of adaptation and survival under extreme circumstances makes for an engaging story, and one that is definitely worth seeking out.