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The Search (1948)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
5/22
5/22:
The Search is Montgomery Clift's first theatrically released film, but the Holocaust story (in spite of the
misleading movie poster) is much bigger than him which has been amateurishly handled.
The first thirty minutes with the children is strong, but the focus is shifted to a specific case, thus losing any power
the film had going. By the time Montgomery Clift shows up and starts interacting with the blond-haired kid who eventually
learns English in a world record time, it suddenly becomes made-for-TV.
The gum-chewing Tom Cruise look-alike sticks out too much like a sore thumb, but people of the time said he was realistic
enough to pass for a G.I. Joe. Yet there are nearly nobody around him in the war-torn city. As a matter of fact,
The Search was shot on location in Ingolstadt, Munich, Nuremberg, and Würzburg, Germany, which is the first for
any Hollywood picture. That means Berlin Express was actually the second to do so.
The longer the show goes on, the more predictable the ending becomes. What I wasn't anticipating is the long, dragged-out
sentimental scene of mommy finally reuniting with her long-lost son. This is when director Fred Zinnemann forgot it was
supposed to be a Holocaust, not Hollywood, movie. Shame on him for the manipulation to score extra points, hence the five
undeserving Oscar nominations. Happily, the film failed at the box office despite its ultra-low budget of $250,000 which
means the public knew better.
Speaking of Oscars, after the original author left, Montgomery Clift redid the dialogue, angering two replacements, but the
bland script ironically won them an Academy Award for Best Story. Ivan Jandl, who plays the child and is arguably the star
of the show, earned a Special Juvenile Academy Award. He didn't know any English and had to learn his lines phonetically.
Sadly, the then communist government of Czechoslovakia refused to permit him to attend the ceremony. It's the only
Hollywood movie that Ivan Jandl ever appeared in because the government wouldn't let him do any more.
All in all, The Search is okay for a Holocaust picture that was overpraised for poor reasons, but it's worth
watching, regardless.