The Search
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Written by Richard Schweizer, David Weschler, and Paul Jarrico
1948/US
Praesens-Film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
“Today, as yesterday, a nation is judged by its attitude towards refugees. – Elie Wiesel”
This was made in the American-occupied sector of Germany shortly after the end of WWII and explores the sad lot of displaced people in Europe at the time of production. It is a moving story and I liked it very much.
The first half of the film is devoted to a general overview of the lot of refugee children who have been separated from their parents. Mrs. Murray (Aline MacMahon) is the head the child division of a UN Relief and Rehabilitation Center somewhere in Germany. She narrates the stories of many of her charges including that of Karel Malik (Ivan Jandl), a Czech child who after being separated from his mother survived internment at Auschwitz. He wandered far and wide in search of his mother. When he is finally gathered up by the UNRRA, he is so traumatized he refuses to speak. The authorities don’t know his nationality much less his name. He is being sent to a special center where he can receive treatment. The journey by trucks and ambulances throws the children into a panic and Karel escapes. His fellow escapee is drowned but Karel continues his travels.
In the second half of the movie, GI Ralph “Steve” Stevenson (Montgomery Clift) spots the starving child hiding in the rubble of Berlin. He more or less adopts him and starts teaching him English. In the meantime, his mother has been scouring all the camps of Europe looking for her son.
The film has an uplifting ending and, while sad, is more gentle than many Holocaust films (there are no graphic scenes from the camps). This was the first film starring Montgomery Clift to be released and he earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for it. Ivan Jandl, who won the Juvenile Oscar for 1948, has to be one of the most natural and appealing child actors in cinema history. The film was also nominated for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay. Highly recommended.
