Customer Reviews:
Pounds.......2008-03-03
The New Germany and Austria by extension have been in the process, these past several years, of divesting themselves of National Guilt in regards to the atrocities of World War 2: "Sophie Scholl," "Downfall" and also the superb "Lives of Others" (though set in post WWII East Berlin, it reeks of submission and totalitarianism) speak to the redemptive qualities of confession and penance.
And now we have "The Counterfeiters," the story of Solomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), a Russian-born Jew who spends his life forging documents thereby attaining the reputation of a master counterfeiter. Ultimately he is arrested and sent to a Camp at which he is given the assignment of forging the British Pound note for The Third Reich. This is 1945 and the disastrous German War effort is in dire need of cash to carry on its war effort.
"Counterfeiters" is all about survival and to what means we, as human beings will do to comply in order to go on living. Director Stefan Ruzowitzky is walking a slipper slope here as the counterfeiting was done in the Nazi concentration camp at Sachsenhausen and the technicians involved were almost all Jews, "The Counterfeiters" raises some provocative moral dilemmas.
Also, the Sorowitsch of Markovics is no paragon of honor. Instead he is a squirrelly, only thinking for himself, con man. He's happy to do what the Nazi's ask of him in order to get the perks of his "exalted position" in Sachsenhausen: clean clothes, good food, soft bedding, and weekly hot showers. "The Counterfeiters" begins with a post war sequence of Sorowitsch spending thousands of counterfeit British Pounds in Monte Carlo: gambling, grooming himself, dining, dating...basically enjoying the fruits of his labors and those of his fellow counterfeiters.
Sorowitsch is one who feels that: "Only by surviving can we defeat them."
"The Counterfeiters" is a difficult film to like but ultimately it speaks to something in all of us: the drive, the desperate need to survive despite the circumstances that we might find ourselves. Sorowitsch is flawed, a nasty piece of work actually but he's intelligent, crafty and grudgingly and ultimately deserving of our respect.
counterfeiters.......2008-02-27
The counterfeiters is a truly mesmerizing movie with an utterly compelling performance from Karl Markovics who plays the main character 'Sally' an artist turned counterfeiter par excellance.
When he is arrested by the Berlin police Sally finds himself in a concentration camp to survive he must adapt to his surroundings and he uses his artistic skills as a means of survival by painting portraits of the prison guards. Soon he is moved onto another camp and finds himself face to face with the man who put him in the concentration camp only now he wants Sally to work on a project to counterfeit the British pound in an attempt to flood the British currency market and ruin the economy.
The washed out colours and grainy film add to the archive feel of the film utterly compelling.
This Is Not Your Average Holocaust Movie........2008-02-03
I sincerely hope and pray that this astonishing movie wins an Oscar at this year's awards ceremony. "The Counterfeiters" is a remarkable achievement by director Stefan Ruzowitzky and all involved. So why, as far as I can gather, does this film seem to have passed some folk by? For, quite frankly,this is not a film that one SHOULD see, it is a film that one NEEDS to see!
So what makes "The Counterfeiters" such a stupendous movie? Well... I'm not about to reel off the SYNOPSIS, as Amazon have delivered the goods there! However, here are some reasons as to why this movie is, I believe, an undisputed masterpiece:-
1. The stark images within "The Counterfeiters" are often captured on hand-held cameras, adding to the realism of the movie, and plunging the viewer head-first in to the horror of the concentration camps. It makes for a very dizzying, gut-wrenching visual experience.
2. The two lead actors, August Diehl and Karl Markovics, perform out of their skins as the two lead characters with opposing ideals. We feel we can empathise with these characters. We share their dilemma. We as viewers are sucked in to the moral whirlpool that they inhabit.
3. "The Counterfeiters" is suffused with a real nail-biting tension and has the vice-like grip of a first-rate thriller. (Also, lest we forget, this movie is based on true incidents. This makes the drama all the more remarkable.)
4. One of the things that really thrills me about "The Counterfeiters" is that it expertly presents a story rarely told - "Operation Bernhard" - The Nazis' insane plot to flood the British and US economies with counterfeit notes.
5. Needless to say, this movie is highly emotionally charged, often to the point of being deeply, deeply painful. I went to see "The Counterfeiters" in my local movie theatre twice. At each viewing, there were many audience members openly weeping. We have shockingly offhand, violent scenes here that are as impactful as the best in the genre ("Come and See", "Schindler's List", "The Pianist"...)
...And, so...in summation, I would declare "The Counterfeiters" as an utterly magnificent film. A masterpiece, no less. As I stated previously, it is not a film that SHOULD be seen, it is a film that NEEDS to be seen.
Basically, in 2007 I saw two particular movies that simply stood head and shoulders above the rest. The first movie was "The Lives Of Others". The second was "The Counterfeiters". Both are cinematic experiences that I will never, ever forget.
a great film .......2008-01-22
a great film, looking forward to buy when it comes out I hope it wins the best foreign film in the oscars
Customer Reviews:
Pilates Matwork - vol 1-3.......2004-03-08
I would highly recommend these DVD's to anyone that is familiar with Pilates.
I have brought and returned numerous DVD's on this subject, as I have found then to be too basic or short in length.
I liked the fact that you go straight into the exercises without what seems like hours of explanations. I also liked that the breathing routeen is made clear for each movement.
This is the best (so far!) that I have found for UK veiwing at an intermediate level Pilates. ENJOY.
UK DVD:
- The Crucible [1997]
- The English Patient (Special Edition) [1996]
- The Flying Scotsman [2007]
- The Godfather Trilogy (5 Disc Box Set)
- The Lake House [2006]
- The Motorcycle Diaries [2004]
- The OC - The Complete Season 2
- The Shield - Season 4 [2004]
- The Thick Of It : Complete BBC Series 1 [2005]
- The Thorn Birds: Series 1
UK DVD List
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