The Search (1948)

In post-war Berlin, an American private helps a lost Czech boy find his mother.

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Richard Schweizer (screen play), David Wechsler (collaborator: on screen play)

Stars:

Montgomery Clift, Ivan Jandl, Aline MacMahon

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Montgomery Clift	...	Ralph Stevenson
Aline MacMahon	...	Mrs. Deborah R. Murray
Wendell Corey	...	Jerry Fisher
Jarmila Novotna	...	Mrs. Hanna Malik
Mary Patton	...	Mrs. Fisher
Ewart G. Morrison	...	Mr. Crookes
William Rogers	...	Tom Fisher
Ivan Jandl	...	Karel Malik
Leopold Borkowski	...	Joel Makowsky
Claude Gambier	...	Raoul Dubois

Storyline

A silent nine-year-old Czech boy, a survivor of Auschwitz, flees a refugee center in postwar Germany and is found by an American G.I. At the same time, the boy's mother, the sole surviving member of his family, searches refugee centers for her son. Time, distance, and the massive numbers of refugee children are factors hampering the reunion of mother and son.

---

Plot Keywords:

germany | children | concentration camp | auschwitz | u.s. soldier | 

---

Taglines:

Everybody agrees MGM's The Search is a wonderful motion picture !

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

Switzerland USA

Language:

English German French Polish Hungarian Czech

Release Date:

26 March 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Det dagas

Filming Locations:

Zurich, Switzerland

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Praesens-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first telecast in New York City Saturday 9 March 1957 on WCBS (Channel 2), followed by Hartford CT 31 March 1957 on WHCT (Channel 18), by Chicago 10 May 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), by Seattle 20 July 1957 on KING (Channel 5), by Philadelphia 6 August 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), by Altoona PA 3 September 1957 on WFBG (Channel 10), by Memphis 13 Septermber 1957 on WHBQ (Channel 13), and by Binghamton NY 19 September on WNBF (Channel 12) ; it was not telecast in Los Angeles until 4 January 1959 on KTTV (Channel 11), followed by San Francisco 10 January 1959 on KGO (Channel 7), and by Minneapolis 11 January 1959 on WTCN (Channel 11).

---

Goofs

During the dinner party, Karel (now known as Jim) gets angry with Steve and runs away. He runs out the door, and as the door closes behind him, the moving shadow of a cameraman can clearly be seen against the field of the door.

---

Quotes

Jerry Fisher: [holds up picture of sexily-posed woman] What'd he tell you for that?
Karel Malik: The tomato!
Jerry Fisher: [to Steve, who's standing nearby] Ohhhh, brother! You'd better stick to building bridges!

---

Connections

Referenced in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

---

Soundtracks

'S Wonderful
(1927) (uncredited)
Music by George Gershwin
Played on a radio

User Reviews

Ivan's performance...

I am often blown away by the amazing performances of child actors and I suppose that it should come easy for a child to act because children "pretend" to put themselves into any situation every day when they play. That is what a kid does. In this film Ivan Jandl actually becomes his character "Karel" so well that it seems like we are watching a documentary of a real war orphan instead of a movie. This is one of the most heartbreaking and yet uplifting films I have seen in my 60 years. I don't know how I missed this film for so many years and I thank Turner Classic Movies for the chance to finally see it. The expressions and emotions displayed by Ivan are so "real" that, several times, I wanted to pull the kid out of the film and just hold him for a while. Someone commented that Karel did not produce any "tears" when he cried, but in reality we must remember that these children were "walking zombies" living in horrible conditions completely against the nature of childhood. I could believe that the tears had probably dried up long ago, and would only come if he saw his mother again. Montgomery Clift portrays a realistic role in that, like most men of that era, he cannot make himself pick up the kid and just comfort him and that very fact makes the pain and suffering of the little boy all the more agonizing for the viewer to watch. I was very pleased to learn that Ivan received a special Oscar and a Golden Globe for his work in this film. I hope that throughout his short 50 years of life, this recognition gave him great personal joy, in spite of the political persecution brought against him in the past for having a part in the film.