secondtake The Search (1948)This is a critical film in director Fred Zinnemann's career. After years of doing shorts and B features, and after WWII had ravaged the world, he turned to a subject that must have ripped him up every day he was shooting. The story of orphaned kids, most of the Jewish, in the rubble of post-War Germany. You see, both his parents were killed by the Nazis in the war. And here he was, a man with roots in documentary film in the 1930s, making real one of the remaining problems recovering from Nazi mess, these displaced children. The black and white filming is gritty and polished at the same time, and much of it is shot on location in the real ruins of Germany in the American sector (in Nuremberg). For that alone it's worth seeing. By the way, the interior work was done in a Swiss garage—the crew for the whole film consisted of a total of ten Swiss technicians and a truck. Though the movie was an American release, the main producer was Swiss, too. All of these are reasons why it feels different than what Hollywood might have attempted on studios lots, and probably failed at least in authenticity.Throw in that Montgomery Clift is starring in the lead role and you have another reason to watch. He's really wonderful, already feeling like the mature, charming, disarming young man he is famous for on screen. Be warned however—he doesn't show up until nearly halfway through. The first half of the movie is touching but makes for disappointing drama, forming a quasi-documentary overview of the horrid situation but with a voice-over that means well but makes it almost sentimental instead of tragic. Be sure to stick it out until the real plot kicks in with Clift sitting in a Jeep. There are other actors here—the mother looking for her child is an opera singer in real life and is more pathetic than persuasive, and the chief nurse, played by Aline MacMahon, is terrific. Still, the movie, and the screen time in the second half, is Clift's, thankfully, and the boy's. This child was discovered while scouting for the movie, apparently, and is a Czech kid names Ivan Jandl. Amazingly, he knew no English when the movie started, and was coached by Clift as they went, very much like happens in the movie. This obviously makes it more convincing top to bottom. And makes you love Clift even more. He took the role quite seriously, studying (according to a TCM article worth googling) American soldier engineers by living with them, especially trying to get the way they walked. Fascinating details for a movie that depends on its verisimilitude above all.If there is an inevitable arc to the events, you'll have to live with it. And if some of the acting is average, and some of the plot requiring patience, you'll have to live with that, too. It's not a gem taken whole. But the best of it is remarkable. An absolute must-watch if you like this period, the director, or even this kind of shooting, which has an echo of "Rome Open City" and other European productions shot in the actual remains of Old Europe.

PamelaShort The Search is an extremely absorbing, satisfying and most heart-rending drama of the highest sort. A film where many of the scenes were shot amidst the actual ruins of the post-war Germany cities, Nuremburg, Ingolstadt, and Wurzburg. The story concentrates on a young orphan boy who is a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. He is befriended by a young, earnest G.I. who takes a sincere interest in the wide-eyed child, soon teaching him to speak fluent English. He decides to search aimlessly for any surviving relatives of the boy, for soon he must return to America with the homeless child. Meanwhile, the boys mother is not only alive, but has been searching desperately for her only child. With the two separately searching for each other, the viewer soon realizes a very heart tugging reunion is about to take place. Even though this happy ending is predictable, nothing can prepare you for the overpowering impact of emotion. Rarely does a movie pull you completely into such an staggering emotional state, all due to a poignant story, delivered by the superb performances of Ivan Jandl, Montgomery Clift, and Jarmila Novotna. Top-notch performances are given by all supporting actors in this perfectly paced film. A must see story for many reasons, especially for understanding the pitiful realities of war and the impact on innocent surviving victims.

Marcin Kukuczka "I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?" (Eve Merriam).When seeing this wonderful post-war production, one could almost swear that it is a product of Italian Neorealism. Opening at the UNRRA camp with the sad image of war orphans, it powerfully addresses viewers' hearts. Are there any other creatures on earth more harmed by the terrifying reality of war than innocent children? Those who want to live at the dawns of their lives? Those whose simplicity of happiness lies in smiling faces? Those who 'have the right to better things' in this corrupted world? Yes, the story places us on solid ground of this tragic reality not making anything look sweeter, nicer but simply the very dramatic way it is. We are among those who did nothing wrong to anybody and, yet, are suffering so intensely as 'nameless human beings.' The search...we soon realize that it is not merely a search of a stolen thing which affects employment but a search of a human being and a human perception - a human whose dignity has been terribly robbed.Many of the extras, scenes shot in actual ruins of post war Wuerzburg, Nuremberg, Ingolstadt along with the languages used by the children, including Czech and Polish, supply the movie with an almost documented material, something Bosley Crowther (New York Times, March 1948) accurately referred to as "an illusion of absolute naturalness." From the moment we pay attention to one of the kids, a 10-year old Czech boy Karel Malik who does not know nor remember anything after he was separated from his family, from his mother (we know him from a touching flashback), we follow his story and empathize with him. Though there is a fence in his mind, his pursuit of freedom and happiness does not close him within the walls of the camp. Together with another boy, he escapes the ambulance and, ironically, amids the ruins of destruction, he meets a true friend who shows him that people may talk instead of yell, people can build instead of destroy, people can give instead of take. Yet, his longing written deep in his heart, a longing for a mother reveals the story's humane power. For its authentic depiction, great credit is given to director Fred Zinnemann, scriptwriter Richard Schweizer and his collaborator, a Swiss producer Lazar Wechsler.Much could be said about various performances but the one that truly deserves a very special note is Ivan Jandl's. A talented boy found by Mr Zinnemann in a school group in Prague evokes extraordinary feelings in viewers to this very day. His achievement certainly belongs to the very best child performances ever seen on the screen. Let me again refer to Bosley Crowther who notes that young Ivan "has such tragic expression in his slight frame, such poetry in his eyes and face and such melting appeal in his thin voice that he is the ultimate embodiment of the sorrow-inflicted child." Unforgettable from the moment at the UNRRA when his only answer is "Ich Weiss Nicht (I don't know)" to the vibrant scenes with Steve played brilliantly by Montgomery Clift (Ivan did not know English but learned his lines phonetically). He shows us a great ability to display feelings of trust yet, a state of mind still affected by trauma. Consider his moment with one American boy Tommy. Winning a very special Oscar, the Juvenile Award, as a Czechoslovakian inhabitant, Ivan Jandl was forbidden to travel to the USA in order to receive the awards. Despite his great performance, the drama of his role somehow influenced his real life from that moment on. Pity Ivan Jandl had not lived in the USA...Americans, indeed, had more breathing space and, naturally, greater possibilities for a career. Along with RED RIVER (1948), THE SEARCH may be considered a movie that made Montgomery Clift a star. He handles his role nicely as the one who 'tames' a nameless boy first but the one who soon becomes a friend of the boy whom he calls 'Jim'. Note that he first fulfills Karel/Jim's basic need of food (seemingly simple but so meaningful in the depiction of reality) and then, he renews hope in 'Jim,' gives him some possibilities for 'normality' and teaches 'Jim' English. Indeed, the scenes of 'natural English lessons' belong to the best ones that these two young talented actors have. The unforgettable moment of the two, however, is the moment at the birches and their conversation about the mother who is alive. After this film, Clift's talent was recognized and he made some of the greatest movies in his short but fruitful career in Hollywood.Among the cast, a person whose career influenced more music than film is Jarmila Novotna, an opera singer who gave her performances at MET as well as at the Vienna State Opera and Opera Berlin. She subtly plays Ms Malik, Karel's mother. She is one of the most humane characters that Hollywood ever depicted, one of the most sympathetic characters who fills her search, her longing, her waiting with helping others. By helping others, she helps herself not out of some religious duty but out of heart's call. From the supporting cast, Aline MacMahon deserves attention as Ms Murray, a compassionate UNRRA worker.Much suffering had to be endured and much burden within the patience of the search so that both grown ups and children could be amazed by the wonder of "Schalom" (Peace). This masterpiece is a must for everyone who is able to accept some thought provoking aspects. Are you ready to empathize with these characters? Are you ready to notice the very special treasure you are looking for? Are you ready to be engrossed by the wondrous idea hidden in the film's morale? Without its core search of human perception within yourself, the movie is a mere product of its time - the past. Yet, there is something more to be conveyed. 10/10

burfox This is a genuine overlooked gem, portraying the desolation of post-World War II Europe, and the hopelessness of hundreds of thousands of displaced child refugees with lost or dead parents, no place to go and nothing to eat. Some aspects of the plot and dialog are dated, but the story and the craftsmanship make the movie timeless. This was Montgomery Clift's second movie and he did an excellent job, both starring in it (for which he received an Academy Award nomination), and apparently in rewriting the original script substantially (the movie also was nominated for best screenplay, and won for best story, both in the names of the credited screenwriters). The entire cast, American and European, did an excellent job, and the use of bombed and destroyed German cities as backgrounds gave The Search a sense of reality and urgency that can be almost jarring and startling. Despite the bleak sounding summary of the plot, the movie is inspiring, witty and entertaining, and no downer.