Le jongleur

Sometimes modern audiences get desensitized by Holocaust movies, but in the years following WWII, it was quite shocking to talk about the camps. 1953 audiences may have seen an unknown Czechoslovakian boy talk about his sorrow in The Search, but they hadn't seen an established, incredibly famous movie star roll up his sleeve and show a tattoo on his forearm. Kirk Douglas took a big chance with this movie, the first to be filmed in Israel. He exposed a hidden part of himself in front of the camera, and the rawness is appreciated by those who have since found this forgotten classic.

In the opening sequence, a group of Jewish refugees are being bussed to their new living encampments in the new state of Israel. The children on the bus are understandably frightened; they're asked questions by uniformed officers who claim they're classifying them for their safety-and this time, they're supposed to believe everything's going to be alright. Kirk calms down a little girl by drawing a face on his hand and distracting her with humor, but he's also frightened. Immediately after the audience is lulled into a sense of security, he approaches a woman with her children who he believes is his long-lost family. He cries and begs her to remember him until his friend whispers in his ear, "Your family is dead, Hans. You've seen the certificate." It's an incredible scene, not only because of Kirk's heart-wrenching performance, but because it shows the audience the post-war emotionality of survivors. How can they possibly relax and trust when they've lived through such horrors and are missing their family and friends?

My one comment on this movie is the uneven storyline. The beginning follows Kirk's introduction to his new home, but when he runs away after a violent run-in with a policeman, he takes up with a young boy, Joey Walsh. He and Joey hike the countryside, often acting as though they haven't a care in the world. Kirk even meets up with the beautiful Milly Vitale and strikes up a romance, but this lighter side is far from the true point of the story. Perhaps the filmmakers felt audiences couldn't handle another hour as heavy as the first twenty minutes, which I understand.

Chances are you've never heard of this movie. I hadn't, and I've seen dozens of Kirk Douglas movies. If you can find a copy, you'll get to see an incredible performance in a groundbreaking drama. It might not be one you'll want to watch over and over again, because it is upsetting, but you'll be very glad you found it. Start looking. You owe it to Kirk Douglas to see this movie.