The Search

"Everybody agrees MGM's The Search is a wonderful motion picture!"

1948 1h 44m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 89

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In postwar Germany, a displaced Czech boy, separated from his family during wartime, is befriended by an American GI while the boy's mother desperately searches for him.

“Everybody agrees MGM's The Search is a wonderful motion picture!”

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Cast

Montgomery Clift
Ralph Stevenson
Ivan Jandl
Karel Malik aka 'Jim'/'Jimmy'
Aline MacMahon
Mrs. Murray
Wendell Corey
Jerry Fisher
Jarmila Novotná
Hannah Malik
Mary Patton
Mrs. Fisher
Ewart G. Morrison
Mr. Crookes
Leopold Borkowski
Joel Markowsky

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fred Zinnemann
Writers: Richard Schweizer
Languages: English, Czech, French, Hebrew, Polish, Hungarian, German
Countries: Switzerland, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 7 languages: English, Czech, French, Hebrew, Polish, Hungarian, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Switzerland, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fred Zinnemann, shot by Emil Berna. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robert Blum. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hermann Haller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Montgomery Clift and Ivan Jandl and Aline MacMahon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fred Zinnemann directs. Emil Berna behind the camera. Robert Blum scores. Hermann Haller cuts. Produced in Switzerland, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Czech, French, Hebrew, Polish, Hungarian, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

178 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 7 languages: English, Czech, French, Hebrew, Polish, Hungarian, German.
3International production across 2 countries: Switzerland, United States of America.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Fred Zinnemann, shot by Emil Berna. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Robert Blum. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Hermann Haller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Montgomery Clift and Ivan Jandl and Aline MacMahon carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Everybody agrees MGM's The Search is a wonderful motion picture!".
10IMDB entry: tt0040765 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 89 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 19 themes, including "adoption", "auschwitz-birkenau concentration camp", "post war germany", "love".