The Search
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Year Released: 1948
Rating: 1.5
A young boy who managed to survive the concentration camps runs away from the Allies and finds himself lost and alone, until Good Samaritan Montgomery Clift 'kidnaps' him and 'Americanizes' him (he already knows about Walt Disney, however). The first act shows lots of dirty, depressed children and doesn't trust you to know what's going on so there's some obvious voiceover work; the second and third act do their damnedest to pry the tears out of your eyes. The child's ability to speak and understand English (in a few days) would amaze Noam Chomsky, and the circumstances that lead the boy back to his mother stretch credibility.
