The Search

1948
U
1h 44m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

5.1K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer2:52

1 Video

26 Photos

Drama War

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

5.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 7 nominations total

User reviews86

Featured review

8/10

How to make a grown man cry

I got to this movie randomly in the night program and found it was rather undeservedly relegated to past 11pm duties on TV. For Germans, it may be hard to chew the past concentration camp experiences of Children survivors in English and American orphanages and the highlighted search of a mother for her young boy, from whom she has been separated during the war. Sentimental : Yes Heart Gripping : Yes Wonderful to watch to the (happy ???) ending ? Yes all over. Great performances by the young boy, Ivan Jandl, the mother and the orphanage manager and very convincing performances of Montgomery Clift and Wendell Corey as teachers and father stand ins. I do know the ending, but it grips me nevertheless, even on replay. And if you're not icy to the heart, it will do the same for you.

NewInMunich
Sep 24, 2005
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Videos1

Trailer 2:52

Official Trailer

Photos26

+ 20

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Ben Mankiewicz on TCM indicated that Ivan Jandl spoke no English at the time this film was made, and that his English dialogue was phonetically memorized.

Goofs
On Montgomery Clift's right shoulder, he wears the patch of the 102nd infantry division, but it is sewed on incorrectly; it is turned 90 degrees to the right.

Quotes
[Steve is teaching a young boy, whose name he does not know but has coined Jim, to speak English]
Ralph 'Steve' Stevenson: [to Jim] You have no idea how useful it's going to be for you to know English. You can go where ever you like. Everybody knows what 'OK' means. You can use English all over the world. Not, not just America: Canada, Africa, Australia, India. Even in England, they understand English... well, sort of.

Alternate versions
There is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA srl, "LA SETTIMA CROCE (1944) + THE SEARCH (Odissea tragica, 1948)" (2 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.