'The Counterfeiters' Movie

Karl Markovics plays a Jewish prisoner asked to assist a Nazi scheme in The Counterfeiters.  Watch the trailer: http://movies.aol.com/movie/the-counterfeiters/30930/main

 I forgot that this German movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. I've forgotten what were the other choices but I recall that France's La Vie En Rose wasn't nominated and should have been and won over this one. Rose deserved its two Oscars for Best Actress and Makeup in recreating the tragic life of Edith Piaf so there was more than consolation for me in those awards. However my preference for the French film is not to detract from my admiration for The Counterfeiters.

Usually movies about concentration camps are emotionally draining in their portrayal of brutality and this one comes close.  What's different here and optimistic (for a lack of a better term) is how a talented group of criminals uses their skills to survive and the Nazi officer who treats them with special care because they are needed to fulfill his plan. The Nazis want to use these criminals to forge British pound notes and American dollars to finance their war effort and ruin their enemies' economies. The plot is based on a true story you can read about on the film's website: http://www.sonyclassics.com/thecounterfeiters/

What's interesting here is the use of Tango music in this kind of movie. Since I'm a fan of Tango, I can see how it's used to make a point. There's so much give & take in playing and dancing Tango, it's used here to echo the symbiotic relationship between the prisoners and their captives. Each desires something of the other and how long they can continue this dance is what drives the story. The Nazis want their fake money and the prisoners want to stay alive and know they will live longer if they stall making it, either by poor work or sabotage. Pride, courage, deception, and teamwork must dance in unison for survival. Whose toes get stepped on is what holds your interest in this absorbing and well made film. If you're familiar with the horrors of the Nazi years, this movie will ring true as well as being a first rate drama about people making choices to survive under the worst of conditions.

 

The Counterfeiters will remind you of Schinder's List in a few ways and that's not a bad thing.  For a thoughtful review, read: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/movies/22coun.html

 

I stand corrected by a co-worker about this movie. It's actually an Austrian film and Austria's first win for a Foreign Film Oscar.