The screen writer (Apr-Oct 1948)

The Story of The Search THE theme of The Search, which brought to the screen the tragedy of Europe's war orphans, may have originated with a book of photographic studies, Europe's Children, made by Therese Bonney. It was filmed as a result of the trip made to the United States in 1945 by Lazar Wechsler, the producer, to arrange distribution for his outstanding film, The Last Chance. Mr. Wechsler was already familiar with the plight of the children. In America he became impressed with two things; the generosity innate in most Americans and their lack of comprehension of the extent of human suffering abroad. He also realized that this lack of comprehension had made Europe suspicious of American generosity. Mr. Wechsler believed that the medium of the motion picture could serve to interpret this problem internationally. It was obvious that in presenting such a theme, the most important thing was to show the inner truth of the situation and of all characters portrayed. To stop short of this would be inexcusable, for the subject we proposed to deal with involved the plight of tens of thousands of people now living and any misrepresentation or interpretation, however slight, could be very harmful. Therefore, it seemed most important not to approach the subject with any preconceived ideas, for no writer, however conscientious, could sit in an office and try to imagine situations, characters, and psychological processes such as those which existed in this terrible new world of suspended animation: the D.P. Camps. Therefore, it was vital that the story be conceived on the spot. These children must be seen. They cannot be imagined. Under the pressures of terror and insecurity, they have been so essentially changed psychologically that knowledge of normal childhood, of its motivations and antagonisms, is not only useless but misleading. So long as it was obviously impossible for the writer and others "associated with the making of such a film to experience that terror and insecurity themselves, it became important that they at least come as close to it as possible and that they see at firsthand the results of it. This unique psychological content presented one problem. The structure of the screen story presented another. The solution of this second problem by the writer, Richard Schweizer, is an outstanding and decisive contribution. BEFORE I left for Europe I had a long talk with Arthur Loew. At that time we both agreed that it was very important that a film of this kind should be conceived so as to reach the American public at large, and not just those who patronize the art theatres in the few big cities of this country. In order to achieve this, Mr. Loew felt that it was of paramount importance that the dialogue be largely in English, because a film in foreign dialogue and with subtitles would not be acceptable to the general public. This, then, was the only limitation imposed upon us. And to overcome it seemed, at first, almost impossible. Fortunately, after a few anxious days, Mr. Schweizer arrived at an ingenious solution. He decided to make the story a double one, with the mother searching for her son and the son searching for his mother. The devices which made the use of English dialogue legitimate were these: in the main story Mr. Schweizer decided to use a boy who had forgotten his language, and like so many of the children, had withdrawn into silence. This child would be picked up by a GI and, as their relationship developed, he would learn to speak English— perhaps even American. As to the mother's story : the official language in all UNRRA camps in the American and British zone is English ; therefore, it was natural that all scenes involving the mother would play in that language. As soon as Mr. Wechsler, Mr. Schweizer and I had agreed on these two ideas, that of the double search and the means of telling the story in English, a ten page synopsis was written. Mr. Schweizer and I then proceeded to the American zone in Germany. WE toured the UNRRA camps, paying especial attention to those for "unaccompanied" children. This technical term used to describe boys and girls torn from both parents is typical of the dry phraseology which is psychologically necessary if the pressure of a wall of misery is not to become overwhelming. The UNRRA personnel, from top men to field workers, were consistently and intelligently helpful. Their organization had hitherto been victims of a "bad press." The general impression was that the UNRRA mainly wasted the taxpayers' money and that it was a front for black market activities besides. Only those who had been on the scene themselves could possibly 12 The Screen Writer, August, 194