The Search (1948)

Everybody agrees that M-G-M's 'The Search' is a wonderful motion picture. Everybody, ya here???Okay, The Search is a pretty adorable movie. And seriously sad. And then seriously happy. And it has a young Montgomery Clift in a uniform, so what more could you ask for? Jk, Jk, there's more to Montgomery Clift than just his looks. He's also a fabulous actor, and although in this movie he just plays a regular old G.I., he plays it so well that you never for one moment think of him as actually acting. It's all genuine.

- After World War II there were many unwanted orphans roaming through Europe, friendless and parentless. Some were simple war orphans, their mothers and fathers either killed fighting in the war or else killed by bombs, but many others were former concentration camp victims, their parents gassed or shot, or just plainly starved to death. Among these former death camp victims is Karol Malick (played by a fabulous Ivan Jandl), a 9-year-old Polish boy who runs away from the English and American soldiers and nurses who only desire to help him. Having been in Auschwitz for a very long time, he has lost trust in almost all humanity. He runs away, not knowing where he'll go, only knowing he mustn't be captured by anybody ever again.

Karol

Enter Steven, a regular old G.I. looking forward to going home to America after a long war in Europe. Whilst sitting and eating lunch in his jeep, he spots the runaway Karol hiding in the ruins of some wrecked building, watching very hungrily as Steve eats his k-rations. Steve leaves his food for Karol to eat and manages to catch him and bring him to the house he's staying at, where we meet Steve's housemate, Jerry. Both Steve and Jerry grow an attachment to the boy, but Steve is Montgomery Clift, so that means he's the main character of course. While Steve attempts to teach Karol (whom he called Jimmy) to speak English (which is honestly the cutest thing ever) and grows more and more attached to him, Karol's mother, who is still alive, searches all over Europe for her lost son -

So, Montgomery Clift doesn't even enter this movie until probably a good twenty minutes in, and even then the film is split into his and Karol's relationship and Mrs. Malick searching for her son. But let me tell you, every single scene with Karol and Steve will just melt your little heart. They're too adorable.  This movie is quite dark at times, especially when it shows the war orphans and the repercussions of their time and treatment in the concentration camps. It's also rather depressing when Karol starts remembering that he had a mother and wonders where she's gone 😢 You see, everyone believes that Karol is an orphan so Steve spends a substantial amount of time wondering how to tell Karol that is mother is dead. But yo, the end is not sad, and like I said, I would watch this movie a lot just to see Steve and Karol together. It's also just a good movie, so yeah. I don't want to spoil too much so I'll just stop there. I'll just leave a few pictures here....

~Irene