From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Search
The Search
The Search Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) March 23, 1948 (1948-03-23)
Running time 105 minutes
Country United States
Language English
The Search is a 1948 film directed by Fred Zinnemann
which tells the story of a young Auschwitz survivor and
his mother who search for each other across post-World
War II Europe. It stars Montgomery Clift, Ivan Jandl,
Jarmila Novotná and Aline MacMahon.
One oft cited feature of this film is that many of the
scenes were shot amidst the actual ruins of post-war Ger-
man cities, namely Ingolstadt, Nuremberg, and
Würzburg.[1]
Plot
The film begins in documentary style at a railway station.
Trains bring homeless children (Displaced Persons or
DPs), who are taken by Mrs. Murray (Aline MacMahon)
and other United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Ad-
ministration (UNRRA) workers to a nearby transit camp,
where they are fed and cared for. The next morning,
the children are interviewed by UNRRA officials to try
to identify them and reunite them if possible with their
families.
A young boy named Karel (Ivan Jandl) responds "Ich
weiß nicht" ("I don’t know") to all questions. He grew up
in a well-to-do Czech family. The Nazis had deported his
sister and doctor father, while the boy and mother were
Directed by Fred Zinnemann sent to a concentration camp. They eventually became
separated. After the war, Karel survived by scavenging
Produced by Lazar Wechsler for food with other homeless children.
Written by Richard Schweizer (also story) The next day, the children are split up into groups
David Wechsler (also story) and loaded into trucks and ambulances to be transferred
Paul Jarrico to other camps. The children in Karel’s group are at first
Montgomery Clift
terrified because the Nazis often used ambulances to gas
Betty Smith
victims, but are eventually coaxed into the vehicle. Dur-
Starring Montgomery Clift ing the trip, the smell of exhaust fumes causes the chil-
Aline MacMahon dren to fear they are being gassed. They panic; Karel’s
Jarmila Novotná
friend Raoul manages to open the back door, and the chil-
Wendell Corey
Ivan Jandl dren scatter in all directions. Karel and Raoul try to swim
across a river to escape from two UNRRA men. Raoul
Music by Robert Blum drowns, but Karel hides in the reeds.
Cinematography Emil Berna Later, Karel encounters an American army engineer,
Steve (Montgomery Clift), who takes care of him. He
Editing by Hermann Haller
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Search
starts teaching the boy English. Because Karel cannot • Best Story - Richard Schweizer and David Wechsler
speak at first, Steve names him Jim.
Once Jim feels more secure, he starts to remember his Nominations
mother and the last time he saw her, near a fence in the • Best Actor in a Leading Role - Montgomery Clift
concentration camp. He runs away one evening thinking • Best Director - Fred Zinnemann
the fence is nearby. Jim finds a fence at a factory, but • Best Writing, Screenplay - Richard Schweizer and
cannot find his mother among the workers going home. David Wechsler
Steve eventually finds Jim and tells him that his mother
is dead (Steve has reason to believe she had been gassed) Other
so he will stop searching for her. He also informs Jim that
he is going to try to adopt him and take him to America Wins
to start a new life there. • BAFTA UN Award
As it turns out, Karel’s mother, Mrs. Malik (Jarmila • Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Richard
Novotná) is not dead. In a parallel story, she has been Schweizer
searching for her son. By chance, she begins working for • Golden Globe Special Award for Best Juvenile Actor -
Mrs. Murray at the same UNRRA camp where her son had Ivan Jandl
been processed. After a while though, she resigns to re- • Golden Globe Award for Best Film Promoting
sume her nearly-hopeless search for Karel. International Understanding
That same day, Steve leaves the boy at the UNRRA
camp because he has a job waiting for him in America. Nominations
He hopes to send for the boy once the paperwork is com- • Directors Guild of America Award - Fred Zinnemann
pleted. Mrs. Murray remembers the boy from when he • Venice Film Festival Golden Lion - Fred Zinnemann
was there before; she suspects that Jim is Mrs. Malik’s
son. She hurries to the train station to bring Mrs. Malik
back, but is too late. The train has already left. Then, she
Reception
sees Mrs. Malik on the train platform; she had changed Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised it highly,
her mind and decided to stay. Mrs. Murray arranges for calling it, "an absorbing and gratifying emotional drama
her to greet the newest group of children. Mrs. Murray of the highest sort".[2] Crowther thought that Clift got
sends Jim to join the group. Mrs. Malik begins to organize "precisely the right combination of intensity and casual-
the children and bids them to follow her. Jim walks past ness into the role".[2] Clint Eastwood singled out Clift’s
without recognizing her. Mrs. Malik almost makes the performance as the one that had the greatest influence
same mistake, but then turns and calls, "Karel!" and the on his own acting career.[3]
boy and his mother are reunited.
References
Cast [1] "Filming locations for The Search (1948)".
• Montgomery Clift as Ralph "Steve" Stevenson www.imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/
• Aline MacMahon as Mrs. Murray tt0040765/locations.
• Jarmila Novotná as Mrs. Hanna Malik [2] ^ Bosley Crowther (March 24, 1948). "The Search".
• Wendell Corey as Jerry Fisher The New York Times (movies.nytimes.com).
• Ivan Jandl as Karel Malik / "Jim" http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/
• Mary Patton as Mrs. Fisher review?_r=1&res=EE05E7DF173FE770BC4C51DFB5668383659EDE&o
• Ewart G. Morrison as Mr. Crookes Retrieved 2008-04-26.
• William Rogers as Tom Fisher [3] Michael Costello. "Allmovie Review". Allmovie.
• Leopold Borkowski as Joel Markowsky http://www.allmovie.com/cg/
• Claude Gambier as Raoul Dubois avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:43357~T1. Retrieved
2008-04-26.
Awards and nominations
External links
Academy Awards • The Search at the TCM Movie Database
• The Search at the Internet Movie Database
Wins • The Search at AllRovi
• Special Juvenile Academy Award "for the
outstanding juvenile performance of 1948 in The
Search" - Ivan Jandl
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Search
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Search&oldid=433394511"
Categories:
• 1948 films
• American films
• English-language films
• Black-and-white films
• 1940s drama films
• Films directed by Fred Zinnemann
• Films set in Germany
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