I'm a notoriously hard sell with films about children, but I was captivated and charmed by The Search. A young Czechoslovakian boy, Ivan Jandi, starred as one of the children in post-WWII Europe who lost their families and were taken in by American organizations in the reconstruction effort. He spoke no English and learned all his lines phonetically, working with the director and his costar Montgomery Clift. You'd never know he has no idea what he's saying - his emotional delivery was very convincing! It's a heart-wrenching performance from a non-actor, and he was rewarded with a Juvenile Oscar (and a Rag, too).
At the time, it was bravely directed by Fred Zinnemann, who shot on location in the ruined cities of Germany. American audiences weren't used to seeing the damage our bombs had done, and it was quite sobering to watch art imitating real life. When we see Monty and Ivan walking around the rubble, it's not fake stones or set pieces. Everything is real, just as there were really tons of displaced children we tried to help after the war. There are sweet moments in this movie, as the two leads bond even with a language barrier; but there are also heavy moments, too. Ivan has a tattoo on his arm, and even though he managed to survive a concentration camp, he still has upsetting obstacles to overcome.
For a unique post-war story that quite literally hit home, I'd definitely recommend The Search. It won the Golden Globe for Promoting International Understanding, a wonderful category that unfortunately no longer exists. Even if you're tough on child actors and prefer to watch movies about "real people", give this one a chance. It's very sweet.
At the time, it was bravely directed by Fred Zinnemann, who shot on location in the ruined cities of Germany. American audiences weren't used to seeing the damage our bombs had done, and it was quite sobering to watch art imitating real life. When we see Monty and Ivan walking around the rubble, it's not fake stones or set pieces. Everything is real, just as there were really tons of displaced children we tried to help after the war. There are sweet moments in this movie, as the two leads bond even with a language barrier; but there are also heavy moments, too. Ivan has a tattoo on his arm, and even though he managed to survive a concentration camp, he still has upsetting obstacles to overcome.
For a unique post-war story that quite literally hit home, I'd definitely recommend The Search. It won the Golden Globe for Promoting International Understanding, a wonderful category that unfortunately no longer exists. Even if you're tough on child actors and prefer to watch movies about "real people", give this one a chance. It's very sweet.