The Search (1948)

Top comments

1. 

   ExtraButter

   Saw this as a child. Watching the closing sequence of "The Search" was the first time a movie made me cry. 13 years 3 months ago
2. 

   twistedthursday

   THIS MOVIE. It gives me so many feels. So perfect. 11 years 8 months ago
3. 

   Siskoid

   The Search is worthy by its subject matter, dealing with all the war orphans and displaced children left in post-WWII Germany, many from concentration camps. There is an element of historical proceduralism that illuminates the audience on what was done with them, or for then, and uses an international cast to fully represent the Tower of Babel this created (no bad accents here except where characters are using their off-language). The narration is rather artless and intrusive, but it goes away once we get into the second act. This is background to a Czech woman looking all over the country for the young son she was separated from, and the traumatized, initially non-verbal boy's story itself, running from the American reintegration camp, being befriended by a G.I. (he and Montgomery Clift forge a very cute relationship), and various near misses that keep parent and child apart (wherein lies the tension, and I think we can forgive whatever melodramatic turns are in store for them). Unfortunately, the available copy of this film has weird sound problems, warbling on the background sound track which I personally recognize as what happens when you do a noise reduction pass that includes a a sound you don't want to actually eliminate. Was the copy that aired on TCM just bad, or was the digital transfer a wreck? I don't know, but viewer beware, it really was quite distracting. 3 years 10 months ago

See all comments

Friends

Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!