Fälscher, Die (2007)

Director:

Stefan Ruzowitzky

Writers:

Adolf Burger (book)
Stefan Ruzowitzky (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 March 2007 (Germany)

Genre:

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:

Humiliation | Currency | Flashback Sequence | WWII | Jewish

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 8 nominations

US Showtimes:

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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
Louie Austen	...	Poker Player
Michael Blohn	...	Croupier - Monte Carlo
Marie Bäumer	...	Aglaia
Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey	...	Hans
Jan Pohl	...	Sascha
Matthias Luhn	...	Ganove (as Matthias Lühne)
Holger Schober	...	Unterscharführer
Peter Strauß	...	SS Officer
Werner Daehn	...	Rosenthal
Leander Modersohn	...	SS-Soldat Zug
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andreas Haslinger	...	Häftling (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
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
Olaf Mierau	....	post-production sound supervisor
Pierre Peters-Arnolds	....	dubbing
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

Editorial Department
Willi Willinger	....	colorist

Other crew
Pierre Barnaud	....	location manager: France
Jorge Bosicovich	....	choreographer
Eva Cifrain	....	production coordinator
Umut Dag	....	production assistant
Katja Hoerstmann	....	co-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 GmbH
• 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)
• Homescreen (2008) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media)
• Metrodome Distribution (2007) (UK) (all media)
• Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Nordisk Film (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Paradise Group (2007) (Russia) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Filmfonds Wien  funding
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)  funding
• Hessen Invest  funding
• Land Niederösterreich  funding
• Land Oberösterreich  funding
• MEDIA Programme of the European Union  funding
• Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg  funding
• ORF Film/Fernseh-Abkommen  funding
• Östereichisches Filminstitut  funding (as Österreichisches Filminstitut)

Also Known As:

The Counterfeiters (Canada: English title) (USA) (new title)
Fälscher, Der (Austria) (working title)
The Counterfeiter (International: English title)
Falsificadores, Los (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
Faussaires, Les (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Dáblova dílna (Czech Republic) [cs]
Diablova dielna (Slovakia) [sk]
Falskmyntarna (Sweden) [sv]
Falszerze (Poland) [pl]
Forfalskerne (Denmark) [da]
Kalpazanlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Pénzhamisítók (Hungary) [hu]
Paraharaktes (Greece) [el]

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:

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

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.

Movie Connections:

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

You can almost smell the ink

The power in this film is that the action and dialogue is understated. We're not subjected to the full visual horrors of life in the concentration camps yet we feel what it was like nevertheless. The main characters' problem in reconciling the differences between being incarcerated in a 'normal' gaol along with 'normal' criminals and their 'code of conduct' - and the imprisonment and abuse of 'normal' citizens is an ever present theme that is conveyed with complete mastery by the script writer, actors and director. An incredible film of enduring merit. The gaunt features of the actors seemed tailor made for this instructive entertainment.