The Search (1948) Movie Script
Get them out as quickly as you can,
but be careful with them, they've had a
very rough trip.
Yes, ma'am.
Ask them to get out.
The war is over, but want and suffering
have not come to an end in Europe.
A trainload of children dragged into Germany during
the war, found wandering, lost, homeless, found in
concentration camps.
Can they really be children?
They might be little old men and women.
Their spirit is broken, there is nothing left
in them but fear, fear of being punished
and beaten.
The mere sight of a uniform terrifies them,
for the men who persecuted them, they wore
uniforms.
That is why they obey every order, follow
every command.
They cannot understand that those now in charge
of them want to help.
They move like machines, not a sound can
be heard in the wretched little troop.
And this is but a handful, a tiny
handful out of the millions of orphaned, homeless,
bewildered children.
Children who had a right to better things,
a right taken from them by the war.
Bread, bread and it's there to be eaten.
But this boy knows why he hides it
away.
They have often been given a slice of
bread, then came a day, and a night,
and another day, and not a bite of
food.
And you little boy with a sad face
and the big eyes, you had to eat
your food with your fingers for so long
you've forgotten how to use a spoon.
Another habit has stuck.
After every meal, they had to show by
this movement that they were not hiding any
bread.
Oh dear, see that the children get to
bed as soon as possible, will you?
Where are we going to put them?
Everything's full.
Well, they're setting up some extra beds in
the corridors now.
Right.
This was once a barracks, a German barracks.
It has better uses now.
It's a long time since these children slept
in a clean bed under a warm blanket.
These are their keepsakes, the last memories of
their homes and parents.
Jealously guarded is a precious possession through all
their wanderings.
And still not a sound of children's voices
and children's laughter.
What's your name?
Raoul.
Raoul Dubois.
We live in Belfort.
I'm 11 years old.
And you're from Belfort?
And your religion?
Catholic, no doubt.
Yes, I always went to church with my
mother.
Religion, Catholic.
Where's your mother now?
They stuck her.
They caught her and took her I don't
know where.
Mother taken away, away, doesn't know.
And his father?
And your father?
Did he also get taken away by the
Germans?
My father joined the Maquis.
He was a hero, my father.
But he was shot.
Father killed with the partisans.
I was in the forest.
There were 16 of us.
It took them a long time to find
us.
In the end, they caught me and put
me in a camp.
He says he himself lived in a forest
for months with a whole gang.
But they caught him and put him in
a concentration camp.
Which camp?
Which camp?
Mauthausen.
Mauthausen, yes.
All right, sit down.
It's all right.
Tell him to sit down.
Come and sit down.
Next, Jadwiga Brunowska.
Come here.
This is my brother.
We are together.
He's her brother.
Sit down, Jadwiga.
We've never done anything bad to anyone.
My father was a music teacher in Petrkov.
We've never done anything bad to anyone.
Ask my brother.
They sent our parents to Bergen-Bels.
My brother hid them.
And I had to work very hard.
Then I found my brother.
I'm everything to him.
Father, music teacher in Petrkov, Poland.
Both parents killed at Bergen-Belsen.
And she was in slave labor.
Is that what she said?
Yes, sir.
I see.
Miriam Szigeti, parents domiciled Budapest, both gassed at
Dachau.
What did she say?
Her job was to sort out the clothes
of the people who had been gassed.
She had to sort them according to size
in a room next to the crematorium.
She found her own mother's blouse among them.
Say something to her.
Anything.
Next, the
little boy with the cap there.
I can't get anything out of this little
boy.
Come along, young man.
We aren't going to hurt you.
He seems to have understood that.
The boy's afraid.
Look at his eyes.
Has nobody spoken to him yet?
We tried.
Perhaps the other boy could help us.
Are these two together?
Are they brothers?
No, they're just friends.
He says there's nothing to be got from
the boy.
Is he German?
I don't think so.
Take it easy.
Yes, of course.
He doesn't know his name.
I'll ask him where he comes from.
Where were you born?
I don't know.
Where do you come from?
I don't know.
Sit down.
I don't know.
Sit down.
Next, Peter Lutken.
Why won't you speak?
Where do you come from?
Where is your home?
Where are your father and mother?
It was in a city in Czechoslovakia many
years ago.
Everybody knew Dr. Malik, for he was a
good doctor.
This was the Malik family.
The father, the mother, Mrs. Hannah Malik.
Their daughter, Vlasta.
And then there was a little boy, Carol.
It was a happy family life.
It was a happy
family life.
The enemy had occupied the little country.
The persecution of the Czech intellectuals had at
last reached the Malik family.
The family was separated.
Dr. Malik and his daughter were deported.
For a long time, the mother and Carol
were left together in a concentration camp.
Time passed.
And from the moment little Carol was separated
from his mother, his mind gradually went blank.
He has wandered far, come across many people,
heard many languages, picking up a word here
and there.
But he seldom speaks.
What's the use of speaking?
He knows it can't help.
Miss Thompson?
Yes, Mrs. Murray.
Twenty-two in your group.
Yes, I'll check it.
These are the children who are going to
the special camp.
Be sure they stay together.
Yes, I'll tell the driver.
Thank you.
Twenty-two.
Come on, children.
It's time to get in.
Come on, children.
Hurry up.
Hurry up.
Stop.
Good.
Good.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop!
Stop!
Stop!
Stop!
Keep your groups together.
What is it?
What's the matter?
They are afraid of the ambulance.
I don't understand why they're afraid of an
ambulance.
There's a big red cross on it.
I still don't understand.
It was an ambulance like this with a
big red cross that people were carried off
and gassed.
Gassed on the way.
Tell them we're their friends.
Tell them that the only reason we're using
ambulances is because we haven't got enough trucks.
Tell them they'll be taken to some place
where they'll be very happy.
Betty, you get in first.
If they see you go in, they'll know
that everything's all right for them.
Now, come on.
It's all right.
Come on.
All right.
Come along.
Oh, here we go.
Come along.
Now, there's nothing to be afraid of.
All right.
Come on.
Oops.
Quickly.
Watch.
Daddy!
Through many lands of what was once the
German Reich, there run these broad, parallel, endless
roads.
Along these roads, people walk, going somewhere, anywhere.
Hannah Malick walks, too.
She was one of the few who escaped.
When she got home to Czechoslovakia, she found
that her husband and daughter had both been
murdered.
Of little Carol, there was no trace.
One day, she set out to look for
him.
She has wandered through all the zones of
occupied Germany.
She has come a long, long way.
Pardon me.
Where can I find Mr. Crooks?
I'm Crooks.
Is there anything I can do for you?
I was given your address.
I don't want to take up your time.
I'm with Sunday.
Oh, that doesn't matter.
Come in.
Thank you.
You've come a long way, haven't you?
You look very tired.
Please sit down.
Thank you.
Who are you looking for?
I...
You are looking for somebody, aren't you?
It's my child I'm looking for.
A boy.
I'm Mrs. Malik.
I come from Czechoslovakia.
You speak very good English.
We used to read English books at home.
That's a bit of luck.
For me, I mean.
We English aren't very good at languages.
Why did you come to me in particular?
Have you any data?
Pardon me?
I mean, have you anything to go on?
Nothing.
I go from camp to camp.
Sometimes I find a trace, but it turns
out wrong.
I've been looking for seven months now.
Just like that?
At random?
Is there any sense in it?
There's nothing in my life if I don't
find my child.
I understand.
You haven't given up hope.
And what's your boy's name?
Karel.
Karel Malik.
Malik?
Yes, why?
Have you heard the name before?
Just a moment.
Have you asked our central tracing bureau?
You know that on the hand...
I've asked everywhere.
Without result?
Hmm.
How old is your boy?
He's nine.
That is, he'll be ten next month.
Rather fair.
Grayish eyes.
Yes.
We're in luck, Mrs. Malik.
Your boy's alive.
Where?
He was picked up not long ago.
There you are, that's his card.
The name seems familiar, but I didn't want
to make any mistake and disappoint you.
Aren't you well?
I'm all right.
Quite all right.
I'm sorry.
Look, would you rather wait here and let
me fetch him?
No.
Come along.
What a silly question to ask.
As if you could just sit there and
wait.
I remember he's the boy who offered to
serve in the chapel as a choir boy
as soon as he arrived.
He's down in the chapel now.
Will you wait here, Mrs. Malik?
I'll bring him to you.
All right.
It's rather strange.
He refuses to come.
Oh, but it sometimes happens like that.
When children haven't seen their parents for many
years, they often act like that.
It doesn't mean anything.
Please keep quite calm.
Yes, I will.
Come on, come on.
Your mother's there.
This is not my child.
Are you sure?
I know my own child.
Oh, but he might have changed in so
many years.
I'd know him among thousands.
What's your name?
Karel Malik.
My name is Karel Malik.
You see, he speaks Polish.
There's something wrong here.
Where are you from?
My name is Karel Malik.
Look at this card.
Is that your name?
Yes.
Do whatever you want with me.
My name is Karel Malik.
What's he saying?
He keeps repeating that's his name.
Where are you from?
I'm from Lviv.
My name is Karel Malik.
That's what you told us.
He can't say who you are.
Just a moment.
Do you know what I think?
He's neither Czech nor Polish.
The boy's German.
German children often get into Andra.
They've got to find refuge.
They're hungry like the others.
You can hardly blame them.
You're German, aren't you?
No.
Oh, come on.
It's not true.
It's a lie.
I'm not German.
Hurry up, or I'll hurt you.
It's true.
I'm Karel's mother.
It's not my fault.
It's not my fault.
My mother told me.
When they took her to the camp, her
last words were, don't tell anyone your name.
In the camp, the last thing his mother
told him before they took her away was
never to tell anyone his real name.
So he isn't Karel Malik.
How did he get that name?
And then what happened?
I didn't know what else to say.
And then they called another one.
And then they called Karel Malik.
And no one answered.
So I said, I am.
Did he know Karel Malik?
No.
What's he saying?
A troll called in the camp one day
when nobody answered to the name Karel Malik.
He took it for his own, and it
stuck to him.
Please go on talking to him.
It's most important we find out why he
concealed his right name.
Mrs. Malik?
Yes.
He's frightened to be punished.
Oh, so that's it.
Explain to him where he is and that
nothing will happen to him.
Now promise him that.
His name is Joel Makowski.
Now I understand everything.
He's a Jewish child.
So that's it.
Ask him how he got into this situation.
He was sent to the church.
They thought he was a Catholic, and he
was so frightened he let them believe it.
Of course.
He felt safe, protected on the surface.
Will you wait here for me?
I'll take the boy upstairs.
I want to be quite sure that nothing
will happen to him.
Come on, Joel.
Hey, what are you doing up there?
All right, come on.
No?
Okay.
Well, you are hungry, huh?
Here.
Nice to have met you, my friend.
Hey, come here.
Come back here.
Don't run so fast.
I got you.
Hey, hold still.
Now, get it.
Get it.
You're a pretty sight, aren't you?
Boy, you sure got blisters.
Where do you belong, huh?
Obviously not.
All right.
Over there.
Move!
Hold still.
Hold still!
All right, you first.
No games now.
Go on.
Wait a minute.
A walk.
This is where I live.
Come.
That's entrance number one.
Come here.
Come here.
I used to breed rabbits.
You can be grateful I don't pick you
up by the ears.
That's number two.
Hey, present for you.
Number three.
That's...
That's for sure.
He may seem a little wild right now,
but he'll tame down.
Look.
Holy mackerel, my gold!
There he is.
Water.
He's going to get away.
Look, you.
Don't let's run any more races, you and
I.
Let's just quietly get...
Look out for your bet.
Come back here!
Look, lad.
You're cornered.
Give up.
A little wild right now.
Great.
When does he tame down?
Ouch!
Relax, will you?
Will you leave those goldfish alone for a
minute?
Come here.
Here you go, huh?
Yeah.
Come on.
Look at that.
Holy Moses.
What's the kid been up to?
Beats me.
What should we do?
Stick him in the bathtub.
I better take care of that foot first.
I can disinfect the rest of him later.
You think he's got lice?
Yeah, he's crawling with them.
Hey, hey, hold on to him.
Listen, that's a character who's got hold of
you.
He's a very important man in military government,
so don't struggle.
Hey!
You want me to use this hypo to
keep you quiet?
Now cut it out!
That's better.
Get the iodine.
No, alcohol.
Hold on to him.
He's going to yell.
I'm surprised.
You're doing all right.
He's got guts, not a sound.
Good boy.
What's his name?
What's his name?
I don't know.
I can't get a word out of him.
Who picked who up?
I was sitting minding my own business, and
this joker comes and eats my lunch.
Hey, we got to feed him.
The kid's starving.
Oh, by the way, did you talk to
Colonel?
Yeah, I talked to him.
He thinks he can get me out in
maybe the next couple of weeks.
Getting your passage home?
Trying to.
Steve.
What?
Concentration camp.
What's A?
A for Auschwitz.
Were you an Auschwitz kid?
Yeah, that's what he...
He thinks we're SS men or something.
No wonder he's scared to death.
He's trying to cover it up.
Yeah, and I go and lock him up.
Show him a hypodermic.
You know how they treat those kids in
concentration camps.
Well, what do we do now?
What do we do?
Show him he's with people he can trust.
It's not going to be so easy.
Look.
See this door?
It's not locked.
See?
You can come, go, whatever you want.
Go on.
Hello.
See?
You can go out if you want.
He doesn't believe you.
Shut up.
Come here.
You're going to run away, I'm telling you.
Maybe he will.
It's a gamble.
Come on.
Oh, yes, we know the case.
This Joel Makowski was brought to us just
a few weeks ago.
We put him with a group of children
who are waiting to go to Palestine.
You see, we have only Jewish children in
this camp at present.
That's why I'm so positive your son isn't
with us now.
He may have been here before, of course,
when this was still a transit camp.
I see.
I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait just
a bit longer.
New Zionist letters, ma'am.
Tonight?
Yes, in just a moment.
Will you leave them, please?
And, Miss Thompson, will you look in our
records and see whether a Karel Malik has
ever been entered with us?
Malik, M-A-L-I-K.
Yes, born in 1936, please.
All right.
Have you checked with our central tracing bureau?
Yes, several times.
Do they have a full description of your
son?
Well, I did give them a description once.
I had no picture.
Oh, you mustn't give up hope, you know.
My children are being found every day.
Only last week a father came here for
his two little girls right here to this
camp.
And there are amazing coincidences.
Parents and children find each other right in
the middle of the street.
It happens all the time.
I know.
I'm not giving up hope.
The supply officer is here about that consignment
of shoes.
Can you see him now, Mrs. Murray?
Did you find anything under Malik?
Not yet.
Well, ask Mr. Barclay to wait just a
moment.
Will you, please?
All right.
I see how busy you are, Mrs. Murray.
There are other people waiting for you, too.
No, no, no.
Why not wait?
Let's send in another inquiry.
The whole organization is so terribly overworked.
Sometimes it's better to be a pest and
ask them again.
Now, let's make this just as exact as
we can.
Do you happen to know if he had
a number tattooed on him in any of
the camps?
No, not as long as I was with
him.
Can you remember what he had on?
Of course I can remember.
In the end, he only had one suit.
The trousers were English stuff.
Cotton was a faint check in it.
And he had a jacket on with little
flaps to the pockets here and here.
And he always wore a wool cap, dark
gray, with white stripe and round tassel.
The white stripe?
Yes, it was machined.
It couldn't possibly be your son's, but...
Wait a minute.
There's nothing under Malik at all, Mrs. Murray.
Thank you.
Will you just close that door, please?
It was here, I'm quite sure.
There, is that it?
Mrs. Korofskaya.
Oh, are you quite sure?
I'm positive.
Look, look, it is done.
I made it myself in the...
Mrs. Murray.
What is it?
Mrs. Malik, your son was here with a
lot of other children.
But he ran away and...
He was drowned.
Yes?
No, no, I can't talk to him now.
Your son had a friend.
They ran away together.
The other boy's body was recovered.
These are his clothes.
All we ever found of Karel was this
cap.
We searched for days, but we couldn't find
a trace of him.
Could I see where it happened?
Well, yes.
It's quite near the main bridge.
There's a strong current there, and the water
spills over.
I know the place.
I passed it on the way.
I'm so sorry, Mrs. Murray, but Mr. Barton
said he can't possibly wait any longer.
Will you wait here a moment?
I'll be right back.
What more do I know?
Nothing.
Just a number.
That ain't particulars.
What good is a number to a tracing
girl?
Can't you say anything except, I don't know?
Weissnich.
Can't you say yes?
No.
Anything.
You must have taught you yes or no
in some language.
Parle-vous franais?
No, no parle pas franais.
Italian.
Italiano, huh?
You wouldn't be holding out on me, would
you?
I gotta find out something about you.
Where's an envelope?
Wait here.
Wait.
No, come on.
And this.
What am I gonna do with you?
What am I gonna do?
Well, one last chance.
Pretty soon I'll be 4,000 miles away.
Then what's gonna happen to you, huh?
Now then, look.
I'm gonna try this way.
When I don't want something, I say no.
See?
See?
I mean, uh...
No, no.
Like that.
Now then, say no.
Just no, that's not so hard.
I'll give you lots of time to think
it over.
30 seconds.
Now then, would you be good enough to
say the word no?
No.
Just no.
No.
No.
No, no, no, no!
No?
Okay, forget it.
Thank you for your patience.
You've been most kind.
I think I'll get drunk.
Here, have a drink.
No.
That's what I thought you said.
Hey, man, that's fine.
That's just fine.
Now I ask you, am I a genius
or am I not?
No.
Okay, okay.
But look, lad, the answer should have been
yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Chocolate, chocolate.
Here, now.
Have some.
But first you have to say yes.
Now then.
Yes?
Yes.
Yes!
Take the whole thing.
You've earned it.
Here's to you.
Hey, you haven't even got a name.
What am I going to call you?
Michael.
Hmm.
Uh, James.
Kevin.
James.
Jim.
Jim.
That's you.
Look, your name is Jim.
My name is Steve.
You, Jim.
I, Steve.
Never mind.
Never mind.
Yes or no is enough for one day.
We're friends, huh?
I'm going out to mail this letter.
You want to come?
Coming?
Yes, Steve?
Yes, Steve!
Thank you, James.
Slowly now.
Well, after all that long time in bed,
we wouldn't want you to relapse on us,
now would we?
There you are, Mrs. Malik.
The sun will be nice and warm for
you here.
And I'll fetch you in half an hour.
Thank you.
Go away!
We don't want you!
Boys!
Get out of here!
You're doing well.
He's alone and there are so many of
you.
Just push him.
It'll be urgent.
Good.
However did you manage it, Mrs. Malik?
I told them to go ahead and hit
him.
I said there are so many of them,
it should be easy.
The boy has a real problem.
He's new here and the other children haven't
accepted him yet.
These groups going to Palestine are very closely
knit, like a family, you might say.
All they have in the world is each
other.
You've seen yourself how they sit around here
for weeks and months.
They're waiting for just one thing.
They want to get away.
They want to get out of this country.
Mrs. Malik, would you consider, well, when you're
better, of course, but would you consider taking
a job with us here?
A job?
We need people who are good with children.
That's very kind of you, Mrs. Murray, but
I can't.
Why not?
I don't know how to tell you.
You see, you proved that Kara was dead.
But excuse me, I can't believe it.
You really never found him.
And as long as there is even the
faintest hope, I will have to go on
looking for him.
But you won't be well enough for that
for a long time.
Stay with us here.
You won't be so lonely.
Let these other children try to take your
Kara's place.
Now, the main thing is to get well
first.
Then you can decide.
Yes, I will.
The chair.
The house.
The blouse.
The flower.
The iguana.
The car.
The Indians.
The bird.
The tree.
Go ahead.
The bell.
No.
You miss that one every time.
That is an umbrella.
The umbrella?
Yeah.
The violin.
The bed.
You see any other beds?
Fine.
What's that?
The window.
The table.
The book.
The razor.
What's that?
The bridge.
Who built it?
You.
The bell.
No, no.
You're right, it looks like a bell.
That's a lamp.
A bell goes...
Ding, dong, ding.
You kids here say, bim-bam.
Uh, bim-bam.
Bim-bam.
That's it.
Bim-bam, bim-bam.
Bambi.
Bambi?
Where did you get that?
That's Bambi.
Attaboy.
Up on the wall.
Give me a thumbtack.
Thumbtack.
What's that?
What's what, lad?
That's an ostrich.
An ostrich in a zoo.
In a zoo, that's right.
And that?
That's a fence.
A fence.
Why the fence?
So the ostrich can't run away.
Fence.
You have no idea how useful it's going
to be for you to know English.
You can go wherever you like, everybody knows
what okay means.
You can use English all over the world.
Not...
Not just America.
Canada, Africa, Australia, India.
Even in England they understand English.
Well, sort of.
Hey.
What's this?
The bell.
No.
You have to know what an umbrella is.
Yeah, that you must know.
Look, that's Abraham Lincoln.
He was a great man.
He was President of the United States.
Lincoln.
My name is Steve.
Your name is?
Jim.
Jim.
His name, Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln.
Hi.
Hi.
Mail?
Three for you.
Good.
How's he coming?
Should we show him?
The bat.
The violin.
The bird.
The house.
Hey.
What did he tell you for that?
The tomato.
Oh, brother, you better stick to building bridges.
What's this?
The bell.
No, he hasn't had that yet.
Umbrella.
The kid's a mind reader.
Hey.
What's that?
I don't know.
The pretty girl.
Pretty girl.
You pass 100%.
Hey, Fisher.
Yeah.
Wait a minute.
Come here.
Something unwrought, people.
There is no record of anyone so far
having inquired at any of our offices for
a boy with the number A24328.
We were able, however, to conclude from the
number that he was one of a group
of children who were all separated from their
mother.
Only very few of these women have since
been discovered.
There is no case in which the data
of a child still missing corresponds to the
description of your boy.
We know definitely that all the other mothers
are dead.
They were gassed.
May I see the letter?
Steve.
Yeah.
That's a tower, lad.
The tower.
The tower, that's right.
Well, they've certainly gone into it thoroughly.
The tough part of it is they don't
even know the nationality of these people.
You'll never know who he is now.
What should I do?
It says here at the end of the
letter, I guess.
Didn't you read it?
And therefore request you to hand over your
charge to UNRRA as soon as possible.
What can you do?
You're planning on going home soon, aren't you?
Certainly.
Well, then turn him over to UNRRA.
Is that the only idea you've got?
What else can you do with him?
I could take him to America.
Are you kidding?
Why not?
Why not?
Sure, reconstruct a kid's life for a change
instead of a bridge.
Not a bad idea.
Listen, have you any idea what you've got
to go through to take a kid to
America?
What?
In the first place, you have to prove
he was in the American zone before September
1945, which you can't do.
You have to prove his nationality, which you
can't do.
And if you can't prove his nationality, his
own government has priority over him anyway.
Then you've got...
Hey, quit pointing at him.
You've got to prove he's in good health.
You've got to prove you can take care
of him.
Well, that's not so difficult.
Then you've got to have the okay of
a half a dozen committees, a dozen bureaus.
Can't you fix it with AMG so we
can cut through all that?
No.
No, my pal.
There's a reason for all that procedure, don't
you understand?
We'd have all of Europe and America if
we didn't have those rules.
So what?
You're the one that used to make cracks
about those filthy DPs, remember?
Yes, you did, not so long ago either.
Well, now I've learned something.
You, you, go on with your red tape.
You're so official you have to go through
channels to open a door.
Maybe.
But I haven't just got one case to
look after like you've got.
I've got hundreds of thousands of cases.
If I'm going to do anything for these
people, anything at all, I've got to keep
my own feelings out of it.
It's the only way.
Sentimental sucker, the first kid that comes along
and looks at you with his big blue
eyes.
All right!
I'm a sucker.
Well, suppose we can't swing it as soon
as you think we can.
You've got to leave by the 14th.
What if we can't fix it by then?
I'll smuggle him out.
Don't talk like a fool.
I'll cancel my ticket and wait for the
next ship.
That's a spoon.
Steve, I don't like to mention this, but
if you are staying on, you'll know the
family's arrived from the States soon.
Yeah, you'll be needing their room.
Well, I don't like to ask that.
Oh, Jim and I can move into the
attic.
Oh, I don't want you to.
No, no, no, that's fine.
I've had worse billets, so has a kid.
Good.
Hey, that's what we want.
Take it easy, kid, it's okay.
That is New York.
New York.
Right.
Steve is just lying around out there.
I thought you might be able to use
him in his lessons.
Thanks.
You know, we're a couple of fools behaving
like that in front of the kid.
We're trying to raise him right, aren't we?
You want a drink?
The consumption of liquor by teachers during school
hours is strictly prohibited.
AMG regulation 93X247.
I'll get the bottle.
New York, James.
The largest city in the United States of
America.
United States of America.
Hello.
Oh, this is it, Tommy.
Here we are, honey.
Home sweet home.
Is that your Jeep?
No.
It isn't yours.
Why are you cleaning it?
I didn't understand you.
Whose is it?
It's my friend's.
It's Steve's Jeep.
Jeeps come from America.
I come from America, too.
Like Steve.
Do you?
No, I don't.
But I will go to America one day.
Here.
Thanks.
Let's have a look.
Tommy.
We've got a Ford at home.
And the people next door have two cars.
Steve's Jeep is fine.
I can drive it.
Tommy.
Somebody calls you?
Yes, that's my mother.
I'll come back.
Hey, Jimmy.
What?
Come on.
You've got to get cleaned up.
What's that?
Present.
Who for?
You.
For me?
Can I finish?
Upstairs.
I can finish.
Yes.
Steve.
What's in there?
Yes.
Lunch bag?
No.
Shop bag?
No.
It's an umbrella.
No.
No.
Run and wash your hands now, Tommy.
Your father's invited some people for dinner.
And they'll be here in just a few
minutes.
That's Mrs. Fisher.
Dad.
She came with the boy.
He's my son.
Go.
Well, well, well.
So you know that already.
Fast work.
Try them on.
They may not fit.
How did you get that?
Never mind.
I got it.
The man said you'll be wearing those shoes
ten years from now.
They are nice shoes.
Thank you, Steve.
You're welcome.
Hurry up.
We've got company for dinner tonight.
We'll go downstairs and knock them dead.
Oh, oh.
There's the gongs.
They're here.
Can you tie them all right?
Yes, yes.
Steve.
What does that mean?
Mother.
Hmm?
Mother.
Well, a mother is a mother.
Stand up.
I want to see if they're big enough
for you.
Tom called her mother.
He did, eh?
They don't pinch, huh?
They're okay?
Well, they're okay.
What's a mother, Steve?
Well, uh.
What am I going to tell you?
Here.
Look.
That's the mother.
That's the child.
The child?
Mm-hmm.
And that's the mother.
Yeah.
Come on, now.
We're late.
Come.
Wait a minute.
Steve.
What?
Mrs. Fisher is Tom's mother.
Yes.
That's right.
That's exactly it.
Now, go on.
I want to see how your shoes fit.
Steve.
Where's your mother?
Where's my mother?
She's in America.
She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Baltimore.
Cleanest, finest city in the United States.
Hello, everybody.
Hello, Steve.
Hi, Ellen.
I know.
Hi, dear.
Hi.
Well, Ellen, here he is.
Jim himself.
Hello, Jim.
Happy to meet you.
What do you say, lad?
How do you do?
Tommy's been telling me all about you.
You must be pretty smart.
I hear you're Steve's right-hand man.
Can he understand what I'm saying, Steve?
Every word.
Well, almost every word.
One word in ten.
We'll make the rounds with PX and commissary
in the morning.
That isn't unless you're too tired.
No.
No, I'd enjoy going with you very much.
Mighty fine-looking pair of shoes you got
on there, Jim.
I noticed them the minute you came in.
Dad.
Yes?
Jim says he can drive the Jeep.
Can I go for a ride with him?
OK.
It's all right with Steve.
Sure.
We'll all go off tomorrow.
Jim will drive us around.
I thought he'd look more haggard or something.
Not the way Steve's been fattening him up.
He's been stuffing him full of food and
education.
And there's been no word at all of
his family.
Don't dream, Tommy.
Eat your supper.
How are you making out on that permit
to take him to the States, Steve?
Fine.
Just fine.
I've seen all the brass in the zone.
I'm surprised they're very understanding.
Oh, so they swung it for you.
Nope.
Something wrong?
No.
Eat.
Hurry up.
This office is emotional.
What are you planning to do, Steve?
I don't really know.
I can't postpone going home again.
I got a job waiting for me.
Well, if you do go, what'll happen to
the boy?
I'll take him to an unruh camp about
40 miles from here.
I can't even start working on a case
till the kid is there.
And I'll see if I can't work on
it from the States.
Does he know he has to leave you?
Oh, sure.
I've told him all about it.
He knows we'll see each other later.
What's the matter?
You not hungry?
When are you leaving, Steve?
Three days.
Soon as that.
Uh-huh.
Oh, Tommy.
Oh, it's all right.
It's not as bad as all that.
Maybe.
He's more frightened than he is hurt.
Good for you, Popo.
It's all right, Tommy, dear.
It's not that bad.
Oh, darling.
Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Crying like that in front of Jim.
Jim's a big boy.
He doesn't cry.
He drives a Jeep.
Jim.
What's the matter?
Where's my mother?
Where's my mother?
Where is she?
Look, I can't.
It's difficult to...
Why don't you tell me?
You know where she is.
I'm sure you know.
That's just it.
I don't know.
You and I will have to find out
what's happened to her.
You don't know?
I can't finish your dinner.
I don't want to.
I'm not hungry.
Listen, Jimmy.
As soon as dinner's over, we'll go upstairs
and talk.
I want to go to my mother.
You have to help me.
If we go together, we'll find her.
Jimmy, we don't even know where we would
look for her.
I do.
I do.
It's very close to here.
There were friends and people, a whole lot
of people.
They took my mother away.
And then they did that to me.
You have to help me.
Come.
Come.
Please.
Jimmy.
You won't help me.
You aren't my friend.
You don't know me.
Listen, Jimmy.
Go upstairs to your room.
I'll be up in a minute.
You aren't my friend.
What's the trouble, Steve?
He's all upset.
I don't know why.
He...
I'm going to have to talk to him.
Will you forgive me if I don't stay?
It's our being here, isn't it, Steve?
Well, partly.
He talks about his mother.
He thinks...
He seems to remember the camp.
Auschwitz.
He thinks it's somewhere quite close.
He wants to go and try and find
her.
You mean you haven't told him his mother's
dead?
Will you excuse me?
Jimmy?
Jimmy?
Jim?
Where are you?
Jimmy?
Jimmy?
You've been
here before.
This road leads us back to town.
Give up.
Must have been Jim.
That factory woman said the boy she saw
had on new American shoes.
Look, we're just wasting time this way.
Let's go back to town and organize a
search.
There he is.
Listen, Steve.
You promised me you'd take him to an
on-ride camp.
It's the only way.
Look, I've got to go easy with him
now.
Have you left Lola?
Yeah, will you take the jeep back?
I'll walk with him and give us some
time.
Good luck.
Hello.
Hey, don't run.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Don't.
Don't cry.
It's all right, lad.
All right, cry.
I won't.
No, don't say anything.
I know.
Come.
No handkerchief.
It was a big mistake.
When you run away, take a handkerchief.
That's a rule.
Why did you stay away?
Didn't you think I wanted to know where
you went?
Where you were?
Why don't you feel like talking to me?
Yes, I do.
When you left
the house last night, where were you headed?
Where were you going?
Where did you want to go?
I was looking for the fence.
There were a lot of people there.
They took my mother away.
Was it at that fence you last saw
her?
Yes.
Jimmy, maybe you can remember where you were
just before that.
No.
Try and remember.
You must have lived somewhere.
Was it in the city?
Was it someplace with fields and trees?
Try and remember how it was.
I don't know.
There's a fence there.
You don't remember anything else?
No.
Well, never mind.
We won't worry anymore about what's happened.
Jimmy, you know what I think the best
thing now would be?
That you and I go to the UNRRA
camp tomorrow, okay?
I'll do all I can to get you
as soon as possible to America.
I'm not going to America.
The people in charge of the camp will
take care of you until I send for
you.
As soon as I get home, I'll go
to Washington, D.C. That's where they decide
such things.
I don't want to go to America, Steve.
I want to look for my mother.
Jimmy, I'll tell you.
It's best if you know.
Your mother is dead.
Dead?
Yes.
Terrible that it should be so.
There isn't anything you can do about it.
Then I can't find my mother ever.
No.
And my mother won't ever come back.
No, dear, she won't.
See, I tell you, because if you look
for her, you won't find her.
If she were alive, she wouldn't want you
to torture yourself.
Your heart is part of hers.
She's with you.
You're a part of her always.
You must know that.
Let's go, huh?
Steve, if I can come to America, my
mother will be there too, like you said.
Sure.
Okay, Steve.
Then I will come to you in America.
Children, we want to tell you how wonderful
it has been to work with you here.
Good luck on the trip to Palestine.
Shalom.
Shalom.
The first group to the pilgrims.
Shalom.
Shalom.
Shalom.
Bring the children to the pilgrims.
To the pilgrims.
Listen, two good songs.
Alleluia, Alleluia Shalom.
Alleluia.
Every time the children leave, there's this awful
silence.
It is very lovely, isn't it?
Oh, I thought I'd look forward to a
few days' rest.
But somehow I'm glad the new children are
coming today.
Not that they'll be noisy, poor things.
I hear this new group is in very
bad shape.
Mrs. Murray.
You're not leaving?
Yes, I am.
I promised to stay until the children left.
They're gone now and I've stayed too long
already.
But you know that it's hopeless.
Oh, it won't do.
You'll never stand the strain.
You'll go about from camp to camp.
You'll find nothing.
It'll only break your heart.
I think I will find Carole.
Well, you've become a new person since you
started working with the children.
You've come out of yourself.
You're facing life again.
You're going to throw all that over now
for what?
I know.
I must seem very foolish to you, Mrs.
Murray.
The new children will be here any minute.
They need you.
And I think you need them.
I can't help myself.
I have to go.
Well, I think you're making a mistake.
But if you're so determined, I can't hold
you back, can I?
I knew you would understand, Mrs. Murray.
Where will you go?
There is an afternoon train.
I will go as far as it goes.
Then I will get off and start looking.
Is there some place where we can reach
you?
I don't think so.
Will you write to us sometime?
Anytime?
Yes, I will.
Goodbye, Mrs. Mallick.
Goodbye.
This is it.
Come on.
Out.
Let's drive on.
Let's not go away.
You're not scared, are you?
I don't want to.
Come on now, Jimmy.
Get out.
Hurry up.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
I'm not going to leave you any place
that's bad.
No.
Look, Jimmy.
Are you really scared?
You shouldn't be.
These are the people who can help you
get to America.
Now, come.
I'm leaving for the States tomorrow.
I can't go away feeling the boy is
just going to stay here.
Couldn't you at least promise he'd follow me
by a certain date?
I can't.
With the best will in the world, I
can't.
That just isn't in my power.
All I can promise is that we'll take
good care of him here.
And when you do get permission, we'll try
to send him to you immediately.
Can you help me get that permission?
I've been to everybody.
Yes, I have a very good idea now,
Mr. Stevenson, of what you've been trying to
do for the child.
What I need now are some facts about
the boy himself.
Is that really your name?
Jim.
Tell Mrs. Murray your name.
My name's Jim.
He speaks English.
I've been teaching him.
When I first picked him up, I couldn't
get a word out of him.
No clue to his mother tongue at all?
Well, he must have said something when you
met him.
Not a word.
That's the whole point.
Well, it's not uncommon.
I've known of several such cases.
Once or twice, at the beginning, he said,
That's all.
Mr. Stevenson.
No, that isn't possible.
What isn't possible?
That's a wild notion of mine.
You know, I still have the feeling that
I've seen him somewhere.
Is it possible he's been here before?
I don't know.
Jim, come here.
Jim, you heard what Mrs. Murray said.
Have you ever been here before?
With other children, several months ago.
What's the matter?
Why don't you answer?
What are you scared of?
I noticed even downstairs he was afraid of
something.
He didn't want to come in.
Why didn't you tell me?
He does remember something.
Listen, Jim.
I'm very fond of children.
You can tell me anything and it won't
matter.
It's happened before that a child has run
away.
Escaped.
Do you understand that word?
But there's no great harm in that.
And you can't be punished for it.
I was afraid.
You were here.
Oh, wait.
This is terribly important.
Now, listen, Jim.
How did you get away that day?
Were you alone when you ran away?
There was another boy with me.
I knew it.
And I know now why he was frightened.
Now, tell me.
Where did you go?
Can you remember?
We...
we went...
I know!
We went to a lake.
Wasn't it a river?
Try and remember.
Maybe it was a river.
We couldn't get across.
There were two men behind us.
We were afraid.
We jumped into the water.
Miss Thompson, the afternoon train.
Yes, that one.
When does it leave?
I must know exactly what time does that
train leave.
Malik, I saw the train leave.
Yes, but I decided to stay after all.
How I've run!
I wanted to fetch you back.
Do you want to know why I'm here?
For them.
I'm proud of you for changing your mind.
It would have been wrong to go.
You've no idea how wrong it would have
been.
Oh, yes, I know.
I know now.
You can't know.
Everything's all right now.
I'm sorry I gave you so much trouble.
I was so sure of myself.
But when I saw these children, all the
misery, you know, I had to go back.
There is so much to do here and
everywhere.
You're on the beam, as we say.
Nothing can happen to you now.
I hope so.
I'm sure of it.
Mr. Stevenson!
Come.
Sit here.
Stunted!
Stunted!
Go over there with the other kids.
Okay.
but be careful with them, they've had a
very rough trip.
Yes, ma'am.
Ask them to get out.
The war is over, but want and suffering
have not come to an end in Europe.
A trainload of children dragged into Germany during
the war, found wandering, lost, homeless, found in
concentration camps.
Can they really be children?
They might be little old men and women.
Their spirit is broken, there is nothing left
in them but fear, fear of being punished
and beaten.
The mere sight of a uniform terrifies them,
for the men who persecuted them, they wore
uniforms.
That is why they obey every order, follow
every command.
They cannot understand that those now in charge
of them want to help.
They move like machines, not a sound can
be heard in the wretched little troop.
And this is but a handful, a tiny
handful out of the millions of orphaned, homeless,
bewildered children.
Children who had a right to better things,
a right taken from them by the war.
Bread, bread and it's there to be eaten.
But this boy knows why he hides it
away.
They have often been given a slice of
bread, then came a day, and a night,
and another day, and not a bite of
food.
And you little boy with a sad face
and the big eyes, you had to eat
your food with your fingers for so long
you've forgotten how to use a spoon.
Another habit has stuck.
After every meal, they had to show by
this movement that they were not hiding any
bread.
Oh dear, see that the children get to
bed as soon as possible, will you?
Where are we going to put them?
Everything's full.
Well, they're setting up some extra beds in
the corridors now.
Right.
This was once a barracks, a German barracks.
It has better uses now.
It's a long time since these children slept
in a clean bed under a warm blanket.
These are their keepsakes, the last memories of
their homes and parents.
Jealously guarded is a precious possession through all
their wanderings.
And still not a sound of children's voices
and children's laughter.
What's your name?
Raoul.
Raoul Dubois.
We live in Belfort.
I'm 11 years old.
And you're from Belfort?
And your religion?
Catholic, no doubt.
Yes, I always went to church with my
mother.
Religion, Catholic.
Where's your mother now?
They stuck her.
They caught her and took her I don't
know where.
Mother taken away, away, doesn't know.
And his father?
And your father?
Did he also get taken away by the
Germans?
My father joined the Maquis.
He was a hero, my father.
But he was shot.
Father killed with the partisans.
I was in the forest.
There were 16 of us.
It took them a long time to find
us.
In the end, they caught me and put
me in a camp.
He says he himself lived in a forest
for months with a whole gang.
But they caught him and put him in
a concentration camp.
Which camp?
Which camp?
Mauthausen.
Mauthausen, yes.
All right, sit down.
It's all right.
Tell him to sit down.
Come and sit down.
Next, Jadwiga Brunowska.
Come here.
This is my brother.
We are together.
He's her brother.
Sit down, Jadwiga.
We've never done anything bad to anyone.
My father was a music teacher in Petrkov.
We've never done anything bad to anyone.
Ask my brother.
They sent our parents to Bergen-Bels.
My brother hid them.
And I had to work very hard.
Then I found my brother.
I'm everything to him.
Father, music teacher in Petrkov, Poland.
Both parents killed at Bergen-Belsen.
And she was in slave labor.
Is that what she said?
Yes, sir.
I see.
Miriam Szigeti, parents domiciled Budapest, both gassed at
Dachau.
What did she say?
Her job was to sort out the clothes
of the people who had been gassed.
She had to sort them according to size
in a room next to the crematorium.
She found her own mother's blouse among them.
Say something to her.
Anything.
Next, the
little boy with the cap there.
I can't get anything out of this little
boy.
Come along, young man.
We aren't going to hurt you.
He seems to have understood that.
The boy's afraid.
Look at his eyes.
Has nobody spoken to him yet?
We tried.
Perhaps the other boy could help us.
Are these two together?
Are they brothers?
No, they're just friends.
He says there's nothing to be got from
the boy.
Is he German?
I don't think so.
Take it easy.
Yes, of course.
He doesn't know his name.
I'll ask him where he comes from.
Where were you born?
I don't know.
Where do you come from?
I don't know.
Sit down.
I don't know.
Sit down.
Next, Peter Lutken.
Why won't you speak?
Where do you come from?
Where is your home?
Where are your father and mother?
It was in a city in Czechoslovakia many
years ago.
Everybody knew Dr. Malik, for he was a
good doctor.
This was the Malik family.
The father, the mother, Mrs. Hannah Malik.
Their daughter, Vlasta.
And then there was a little boy, Carol.
It was a happy family life.
It was a happy
family life.
The enemy had occupied the little country.
The persecution of the Czech intellectuals had at
last reached the Malik family.
The family was separated.
Dr. Malik and his daughter were deported.
For a long time, the mother and Carol
were left together in a concentration camp.
Time passed.
And from the moment little Carol was separated
from his mother, his mind gradually went blank.
He has wandered far, come across many people,
heard many languages, picking up a word here
and there.
But he seldom speaks.
What's the use of speaking?
He knows it can't help.
Miss Thompson?
Yes, Mrs. Murray.
Twenty-two in your group.
Yes, I'll check it.
These are the children who are going to
the special camp.
Be sure they stay together.
Yes, I'll tell the driver.
Thank you.
Twenty-two.
Come on, children.
It's time to get in.
Come on, children.
Hurry up.
Hurry up.
Stop.
Good.
Good.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop!
Stop!
Stop!
Stop!
Keep your groups together.
What is it?
What's the matter?
They are afraid of the ambulance.
I don't understand why they're afraid of an
ambulance.
There's a big red cross on it.
I still don't understand.
It was an ambulance like this with a
big red cross that people were carried off
and gassed.
Gassed on the way.
Tell them we're their friends.
Tell them that the only reason we're using
ambulances is because we haven't got enough trucks.
Tell them they'll be taken to some place
where they'll be very happy.
Betty, you get in first.
If they see you go in, they'll know
that everything's all right for them.
Now, come on.
It's all right.
Come on.
All right.
Come along.
Oh, here we go.
Come along.
Now, there's nothing to be afraid of.
All right.
Come on.
Oops.
Quickly.
Watch.
Daddy!
Through many lands of what was once the
German Reich, there run these broad, parallel, endless
roads.
Along these roads, people walk, going somewhere, anywhere.
Hannah Malick walks, too.
She was one of the few who escaped.
When she got home to Czechoslovakia, she found
that her husband and daughter had both been
murdered.
Of little Carol, there was no trace.
One day, she set out to look for
him.
She has wandered through all the zones of
occupied Germany.
She has come a long, long way.
Pardon me.
Where can I find Mr. Crooks?
I'm Crooks.
Is there anything I can do for you?
I was given your address.
I don't want to take up your time.
I'm with Sunday.
Oh, that doesn't matter.
Come in.
Thank you.
You've come a long way, haven't you?
You look very tired.
Please sit down.
Thank you.
Who are you looking for?
I...
You are looking for somebody, aren't you?
It's my child I'm looking for.
A boy.
I'm Mrs. Malik.
I come from Czechoslovakia.
You speak very good English.
We used to read English books at home.
That's a bit of luck.
For me, I mean.
We English aren't very good at languages.
Why did you come to me in particular?
Have you any data?
Pardon me?
I mean, have you anything to go on?
Nothing.
I go from camp to camp.
Sometimes I find a trace, but it turns
out wrong.
I've been looking for seven months now.
Just like that?
At random?
Is there any sense in it?
There's nothing in my life if I don't
find my child.
I understand.
You haven't given up hope.
And what's your boy's name?
Karel.
Karel Malik.
Malik?
Yes, why?
Have you heard the name before?
Just a moment.
Have you asked our central tracing bureau?
You know that on the hand...
I've asked everywhere.
Without result?
Hmm.
How old is your boy?
He's nine.
That is, he'll be ten next month.
Rather fair.
Grayish eyes.
Yes.
We're in luck, Mrs. Malik.
Your boy's alive.
Where?
He was picked up not long ago.
There you are, that's his card.
The name seems familiar, but I didn't want
to make any mistake and disappoint you.
Aren't you well?
I'm all right.
Quite all right.
I'm sorry.
Look, would you rather wait here and let
me fetch him?
No.
Come along.
What a silly question to ask.
As if you could just sit there and
wait.
I remember he's the boy who offered to
serve in the chapel as a choir boy
as soon as he arrived.
He's down in the chapel now.
Will you wait here, Mrs. Malik?
I'll bring him to you.
All right.
It's rather strange.
He refuses to come.
Oh, but it sometimes happens like that.
When children haven't seen their parents for many
years, they often act like that.
It doesn't mean anything.
Please keep quite calm.
Yes, I will.
Come on, come on.
Your mother's there.
This is not my child.
Are you sure?
I know my own child.
Oh, but he might have changed in so
many years.
I'd know him among thousands.
What's your name?
Karel Malik.
My name is Karel Malik.
You see, he speaks Polish.
There's something wrong here.
Where are you from?
My name is Karel Malik.
Look at this card.
Is that your name?
Yes.
Do whatever you want with me.
My name is Karel Malik.
What's he saying?
He keeps repeating that's his name.
Where are you from?
I'm from Lviv.
My name is Karel Malik.
That's what you told us.
He can't say who you are.
Just a moment.
Do you know what I think?
He's neither Czech nor Polish.
The boy's German.
German children often get into Andra.
They've got to find refuge.
They're hungry like the others.
You can hardly blame them.
You're German, aren't you?
No.
Oh, come on.
It's not true.
It's a lie.
I'm not German.
Hurry up, or I'll hurt you.
It's true.
I'm Karel's mother.
It's not my fault.
It's not my fault.
My mother told me.
When they took her to the camp, her
last words were, don't tell anyone your name.
In the camp, the last thing his mother
told him before they took her away was
never to tell anyone his real name.
So he isn't Karel Malik.
How did he get that name?
And then what happened?
I didn't know what else to say.
And then they called another one.
And then they called Karel Malik.
And no one answered.
So I said, I am.
Did he know Karel Malik?
No.
What's he saying?
A troll called in the camp one day
when nobody answered to the name Karel Malik.
He took it for his own, and it
stuck to him.
Please go on talking to him.
It's most important we find out why he
concealed his right name.
Mrs. Malik?
Yes.
He's frightened to be punished.
Oh, so that's it.
Explain to him where he is and that
nothing will happen to him.
Now promise him that.
His name is Joel Makowski.
Now I understand everything.
He's a Jewish child.
So that's it.
Ask him how he got into this situation.
He was sent to the church.
They thought he was a Catholic, and he
was so frightened he let them believe it.
Of course.
He felt safe, protected on the surface.
Will you wait here for me?
I'll take the boy upstairs.
I want to be quite sure that nothing
will happen to him.
Come on, Joel.
Hey, what are you doing up there?
All right, come on.
No?
Okay.
Well, you are hungry, huh?
Here.
Nice to have met you, my friend.
Hey, come here.
Come back here.
Don't run so fast.
I got you.
Hey, hold still.
Now, get it.
Get it.
You're a pretty sight, aren't you?
Boy, you sure got blisters.
Where do you belong, huh?
Obviously not.
All right.
Over there.
Move!
Hold still.
Hold still!
All right, you first.
No games now.
Go on.
Wait a minute.
A walk.
This is where I live.
Come.
That's entrance number one.
Come here.
Come here.
I used to breed rabbits.
You can be grateful I don't pick you
up by the ears.
That's number two.
Hey, present for you.
Number three.
That's...
That's for sure.
He may seem a little wild right now,
but he'll tame down.
Look.
Holy mackerel, my gold!
There he is.
Water.
He's going to get away.
Look, you.
Don't let's run any more races, you and
I.
Let's just quietly get...
Look out for your bet.
Come back here!
Look, lad.
You're cornered.
Give up.
A little wild right now.
Great.
When does he tame down?
Ouch!
Relax, will you?
Will you leave those goldfish alone for a
minute?
Come here.
Here you go, huh?
Yeah.
Come on.
Look at that.
Holy Moses.
What's the kid been up to?
Beats me.
What should we do?
Stick him in the bathtub.
I better take care of that foot first.
I can disinfect the rest of him later.
You think he's got lice?
Yeah, he's crawling with them.
Hey, hey, hold on to him.
Listen, that's a character who's got hold of
you.
He's a very important man in military government,
so don't struggle.
Hey!
You want me to use this hypo to
keep you quiet?
Now cut it out!
That's better.
Get the iodine.
No, alcohol.
Hold on to him.
He's going to yell.
I'm surprised.
You're doing all right.
He's got guts, not a sound.
Good boy.
What's his name?
What's his name?
I don't know.
I can't get a word out of him.
Who picked who up?
I was sitting minding my own business, and
this joker comes and eats my lunch.
Hey, we got to feed him.
The kid's starving.
Oh, by the way, did you talk to
Colonel?
Yeah, I talked to him.
He thinks he can get me out in
maybe the next couple of weeks.
Getting your passage home?
Trying to.
Steve.
What?
Concentration camp.
What's A?
A for Auschwitz.
Were you an Auschwitz kid?
Yeah, that's what he...
He thinks we're SS men or something.
No wonder he's scared to death.
He's trying to cover it up.
Yeah, and I go and lock him up.
Show him a hypodermic.
You know how they treat those kids in
concentration camps.
Well, what do we do now?
What do we do?
Show him he's with people he can trust.
It's not going to be so easy.
Look.
See this door?
It's not locked.
See?
You can come, go, whatever you want.
Go on.
Hello.
See?
You can go out if you want.
He doesn't believe you.
Shut up.
Come here.
You're going to run away, I'm telling you.
Maybe he will.
It's a gamble.
Come on.
Oh, yes, we know the case.
This Joel Makowski was brought to us just
a few weeks ago.
We put him with a group of children
who are waiting to go to Palestine.
You see, we have only Jewish children in
this camp at present.
That's why I'm so positive your son isn't
with us now.
He may have been here before, of course,
when this was still a transit camp.
I see.
I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait just
a bit longer.
New Zionist letters, ma'am.
Tonight?
Yes, in just a moment.
Will you leave them, please?
And, Miss Thompson, will you look in our
records and see whether a Karel Malik has
ever been entered with us?
Malik, M-A-L-I-K.
Yes, born in 1936, please.
All right.
Have you checked with our central tracing bureau?
Yes, several times.
Do they have a full description of your
son?
Well, I did give them a description once.
I had no picture.
Oh, you mustn't give up hope, you know.
My children are being found every day.
Only last week a father came here for
his two little girls right here to this
camp.
And there are amazing coincidences.
Parents and children find each other right in
the middle of the street.
It happens all the time.
I know.
I'm not giving up hope.
The supply officer is here about that consignment
of shoes.
Can you see him now, Mrs. Murray?
Did you find anything under Malik?
Not yet.
Well, ask Mr. Barclay to wait just a
moment.
Will you, please?
All right.
I see how busy you are, Mrs. Murray.
There are other people waiting for you, too.
No, no, no.
Why not wait?
Let's send in another inquiry.
The whole organization is so terribly overworked.
Sometimes it's better to be a pest and
ask them again.
Now, let's make this just as exact as
we can.
Do you happen to know if he had
a number tattooed on him in any of
the camps?
No, not as long as I was with
him.
Can you remember what he had on?
Of course I can remember.
In the end, he only had one suit.
The trousers were English stuff.
Cotton was a faint check in it.
And he had a jacket on with little
flaps to the pockets here and here.
And he always wore a wool cap, dark
gray, with white stripe and round tassel.
The white stripe?
Yes, it was machined.
It couldn't possibly be your son's, but...
Wait a minute.
There's nothing under Malik at all, Mrs. Murray.
Thank you.
Will you just close that door, please?
It was here, I'm quite sure.
There, is that it?
Mrs. Korofskaya.
Oh, are you quite sure?
I'm positive.
Look, look, it is done.
I made it myself in the...
Mrs. Murray.
What is it?
Mrs. Malik, your son was here with a
lot of other children.
But he ran away and...
He was drowned.
Yes?
No, no, I can't talk to him now.
Your son had a friend.
They ran away together.
The other boy's body was recovered.
These are his clothes.
All we ever found of Karel was this
cap.
We searched for days, but we couldn't find
a trace of him.
Could I see where it happened?
Well, yes.
It's quite near the main bridge.
There's a strong current there, and the water
spills over.
I know the place.
I passed it on the way.
I'm so sorry, Mrs. Murray, but Mr. Barton
said he can't possibly wait any longer.
Will you wait here a moment?
I'll be right back.
What more do I know?
Nothing.
Just a number.
That ain't particulars.
What good is a number to a tracing
girl?
Can't you say anything except, I don't know?
Weissnich.
Can't you say yes?
No.
Anything.
You must have taught you yes or no
in some language.
Parle-vous franais?
No, no parle pas franais.
Italian.
Italiano, huh?
You wouldn't be holding out on me, would
you?
I gotta find out something about you.
Where's an envelope?
Wait here.
Wait.
No, come on.
And this.
What am I gonna do with you?
What am I gonna do?
Well, one last chance.
Pretty soon I'll be 4,000 miles away.
Then what's gonna happen to you, huh?
Now then, look.
I'm gonna try this way.
When I don't want something, I say no.
See?
See?
I mean, uh...
No, no.
Like that.
Now then, say no.
Just no, that's not so hard.
I'll give you lots of time to think
it over.
30 seconds.
Now then, would you be good enough to
say the word no?
No.
Just no.
No.
No.
No, no, no, no!
No?
Okay, forget it.
Thank you for your patience.
You've been most kind.
I think I'll get drunk.
Here, have a drink.
No.
That's what I thought you said.
Hey, man, that's fine.
That's just fine.
Now I ask you, am I a genius
or am I not?
No.
Okay, okay.
But look, lad, the answer should have been
yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Chocolate, chocolate.
Here, now.
Have some.
But first you have to say yes.
Now then.
Yes?
Yes.
Yes!
Take the whole thing.
You've earned it.
Here's to you.
Hey, you haven't even got a name.
What am I going to call you?
Michael.
Hmm.
Uh, James.
Kevin.
James.
Jim.
Jim.
That's you.
Look, your name is Jim.
My name is Steve.
You, Jim.
I, Steve.
Never mind.
Never mind.
Yes or no is enough for one day.
We're friends, huh?
I'm going out to mail this letter.
You want to come?
Coming?
Yes, Steve?
Yes, Steve!
Thank you, James.
Slowly now.
Well, after all that long time in bed,
we wouldn't want you to relapse on us,
now would we?
There you are, Mrs. Malik.
The sun will be nice and warm for
you here.
And I'll fetch you in half an hour.
Thank you.
Go away!
We don't want you!
Boys!
Get out of here!
You're doing well.
He's alone and there are so many of
you.
Just push him.
It'll be urgent.
Good.
However did you manage it, Mrs. Malik?
I told them to go ahead and hit
him.
I said there are so many of them,
it should be easy.
The boy has a real problem.
He's new here and the other children haven't
accepted him yet.
These groups going to Palestine are very closely
knit, like a family, you might say.
All they have in the world is each
other.
You've seen yourself how they sit around here
for weeks and months.
They're waiting for just one thing.
They want to get away.
They want to get out of this country.
Mrs. Malik, would you consider, well, when you're
better, of course, but would you consider taking
a job with us here?
A job?
We need people who are good with children.
That's very kind of you, Mrs. Murray, but
I can't.
Why not?
I don't know how to tell you.
You see, you proved that Kara was dead.
But excuse me, I can't believe it.
You really never found him.
And as long as there is even the
faintest hope, I will have to go on
looking for him.
But you won't be well enough for that
for a long time.
Stay with us here.
You won't be so lonely.
Let these other children try to take your
Kara's place.
Now, the main thing is to get well
first.
Then you can decide.
Yes, I will.
The chair.
The house.
The blouse.
The flower.
The iguana.
The car.
The Indians.
The bird.
The tree.
Go ahead.
The bell.
No.
You miss that one every time.
That is an umbrella.
The umbrella?
Yeah.
The violin.
The bed.
You see any other beds?
Fine.
What's that?
The window.
The table.
The book.
The razor.
What's that?
The bridge.
Who built it?
You.
The bell.
No, no.
You're right, it looks like a bell.
That's a lamp.
A bell goes...
Ding, dong, ding.
You kids here say, bim-bam.
Uh, bim-bam.
Bim-bam.
That's it.
Bim-bam, bim-bam.
Bambi.
Bambi?
Where did you get that?
That's Bambi.
Attaboy.
Up on the wall.
Give me a thumbtack.
Thumbtack.
What's that?
What's what, lad?
That's an ostrich.
An ostrich in a zoo.
In a zoo, that's right.
And that?
That's a fence.
A fence.
Why the fence?
So the ostrich can't run away.
Fence.
You have no idea how useful it's going
to be for you to know English.
You can go wherever you like, everybody knows
what okay means.
You can use English all over the world.
Not...
Not just America.
Canada, Africa, Australia, India.
Even in England they understand English.
Well, sort of.
Hey.
What's this?
The bell.
No.
You have to know what an umbrella is.
Yeah, that you must know.
Look, that's Abraham Lincoln.
He was a great man.
He was President of the United States.
Lincoln.
My name is Steve.
Your name is?
Jim.
Jim.
His name, Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln.
Hi.
Hi.
Mail?
Three for you.
Good.
How's he coming?
Should we show him?
The bat.
The violin.
The bird.
The house.
Hey.
What did he tell you for that?
The tomato.
Oh, brother, you better stick to building bridges.
What's this?
The bell.
No, he hasn't had that yet.
Umbrella.
The kid's a mind reader.
Hey.
What's that?
I don't know.
The pretty girl.
Pretty girl.
You pass 100%.
Hey, Fisher.
Yeah.
Wait a minute.
Come here.
Something unwrought, people.
There is no record of anyone so far
having inquired at any of our offices for
a boy with the number A24328.
We were able, however, to conclude from the
number that he was one of a group
of children who were all separated from their
mother.
Only very few of these women have since
been discovered.
There is no case in which the data
of a child still missing corresponds to the
description of your boy.
We know definitely that all the other mothers
are dead.
They were gassed.
May I see the letter?
Steve.
Yeah.
That's a tower, lad.
The tower.
The tower, that's right.
Well, they've certainly gone into it thoroughly.
The tough part of it is they don't
even know the nationality of these people.
You'll never know who he is now.
What should I do?
It says here at the end of the
letter, I guess.
Didn't you read it?
And therefore request you to hand over your
charge to UNRRA as soon as possible.
What can you do?
You're planning on going home soon, aren't you?
Certainly.
Well, then turn him over to UNRRA.
Is that the only idea you've got?
What else can you do with him?
I could take him to America.
Are you kidding?
Why not?
Why not?
Sure, reconstruct a kid's life for a change
instead of a bridge.
Not a bad idea.
Listen, have you any idea what you've got
to go through to take a kid to
America?
What?
In the first place, you have to prove
he was in the American zone before September
1945, which you can't do.
You have to prove his nationality, which you
can't do.
And if you can't prove his nationality, his
own government has priority over him anyway.
Then you've got...
Hey, quit pointing at him.
You've got to prove he's in good health.
You've got to prove you can take care
of him.
Well, that's not so difficult.
Then you've got to have the okay of
a half a dozen committees, a dozen bureaus.
Can't you fix it with AMG so we
can cut through all that?
No.
No, my pal.
There's a reason for all that procedure, don't
you understand?
We'd have all of Europe and America if
we didn't have those rules.
So what?
You're the one that used to make cracks
about those filthy DPs, remember?
Yes, you did, not so long ago either.
Well, now I've learned something.
You, you, go on with your red tape.
You're so official you have to go through
channels to open a door.
Maybe.
But I haven't just got one case to
look after like you've got.
I've got hundreds of thousands of cases.
If I'm going to do anything for these
people, anything at all, I've got to keep
my own feelings out of it.
It's the only way.
Sentimental sucker, the first kid that comes along
and looks at you with his big blue
eyes.
All right!
I'm a sucker.
Well, suppose we can't swing it as soon
as you think we can.
You've got to leave by the 14th.
What if we can't fix it by then?
I'll smuggle him out.
Don't talk like a fool.
I'll cancel my ticket and wait for the
next ship.
That's a spoon.
Steve, I don't like to mention this, but
if you are staying on, you'll know the
family's arrived from the States soon.
Yeah, you'll be needing their room.
Well, I don't like to ask that.
Oh, Jim and I can move into the
attic.
Oh, I don't want you to.
No, no, no, that's fine.
I've had worse billets, so has a kid.
Good.
Hey, that's what we want.
Take it easy, kid, it's okay.
That is New York.
New York.
Right.
Steve is just lying around out there.
I thought you might be able to use
him in his lessons.
Thanks.
You know, we're a couple of fools behaving
like that in front of the kid.
We're trying to raise him right, aren't we?
You want a drink?
The consumption of liquor by teachers during school
hours is strictly prohibited.
AMG regulation 93X247.
I'll get the bottle.
New York, James.
The largest city in the United States of
America.
United States of America.
Hello.
Oh, this is it, Tommy.
Here we are, honey.
Home sweet home.
Is that your Jeep?
No.
It isn't yours.
Why are you cleaning it?
I didn't understand you.
Whose is it?
It's my friend's.
It's Steve's Jeep.
Jeeps come from America.
I come from America, too.
Like Steve.
Do you?
No, I don't.
But I will go to America one day.
Here.
Thanks.
Let's have a look.
Tommy.
We've got a Ford at home.
And the people next door have two cars.
Steve's Jeep is fine.
I can drive it.
Tommy.
Somebody calls you?
Yes, that's my mother.
I'll come back.
Hey, Jimmy.
What?
Come on.
You've got to get cleaned up.
What's that?
Present.
Who for?
You.
For me?
Can I finish?
Upstairs.
I can finish.
Yes.
Steve.
What's in there?
Yes.
Lunch bag?
No.
Shop bag?
No.
It's an umbrella.
No.
No.
Run and wash your hands now, Tommy.
Your father's invited some people for dinner.
And they'll be here in just a few
minutes.
That's Mrs. Fisher.
Dad.
She came with the boy.
He's my son.
Go.
Well, well, well.
So you know that already.
Fast work.
Try them on.
They may not fit.
How did you get that?
Never mind.
I got it.
The man said you'll be wearing those shoes
ten years from now.
They are nice shoes.
Thank you, Steve.
You're welcome.
Hurry up.
We've got company for dinner tonight.
We'll go downstairs and knock them dead.
Oh, oh.
There's the gongs.
They're here.
Can you tie them all right?
Yes, yes.
Steve.
What does that mean?
Mother.
Hmm?
Mother.
Well, a mother is a mother.
Stand up.
I want to see if they're big enough
for you.
Tom called her mother.
He did, eh?
They don't pinch, huh?
They're okay?
Well, they're okay.
What's a mother, Steve?
Well, uh.
What am I going to tell you?
Here.
Look.
That's the mother.
That's the child.
The child?
Mm-hmm.
And that's the mother.
Yeah.
Come on, now.
We're late.
Come.
Wait a minute.
Steve.
What?
Mrs. Fisher is Tom's mother.
Yes.
That's right.
That's exactly it.
Now, go on.
I want to see how your shoes fit.
Steve.
Where's your mother?
Where's my mother?
She's in America.
She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Baltimore.
Cleanest, finest city in the United States.
Hello, everybody.
Hello, Steve.
Hi, Ellen.
I know.
Hi, dear.
Hi.
Well, Ellen, here he is.
Jim himself.
Hello, Jim.
Happy to meet you.
What do you say, lad?
How do you do?
Tommy's been telling me all about you.
You must be pretty smart.
I hear you're Steve's right-hand man.
Can he understand what I'm saying, Steve?
Every word.
Well, almost every word.
One word in ten.
We'll make the rounds with PX and commissary
in the morning.
That isn't unless you're too tired.
No.
No, I'd enjoy going with you very much.
Mighty fine-looking pair of shoes you got
on there, Jim.
I noticed them the minute you came in.
Dad.
Yes?
Jim says he can drive the Jeep.
Can I go for a ride with him?
OK.
It's all right with Steve.
Sure.
We'll all go off tomorrow.
Jim will drive us around.
I thought he'd look more haggard or something.
Not the way Steve's been fattening him up.
He's been stuffing him full of food and
education.
And there's been no word at all of
his family.
Don't dream, Tommy.
Eat your supper.
How are you making out on that permit
to take him to the States, Steve?
Fine.
Just fine.
I've seen all the brass in the zone.
I'm surprised they're very understanding.
Oh, so they swung it for you.
Nope.
Something wrong?
No.
Eat.
Hurry up.
This office is emotional.
What are you planning to do, Steve?
I don't really know.
I can't postpone going home again.
I got a job waiting for me.
Well, if you do go, what'll happen to
the boy?
I'll take him to an unruh camp about
40 miles from here.
I can't even start working on a case
till the kid is there.
And I'll see if I can't work on
it from the States.
Does he know he has to leave you?
Oh, sure.
I've told him all about it.
He knows we'll see each other later.
What's the matter?
You not hungry?
When are you leaving, Steve?
Three days.
Soon as that.
Uh-huh.
Oh, Tommy.
Oh, it's all right.
It's not as bad as all that.
Maybe.
He's more frightened than he is hurt.
Good for you, Popo.
It's all right, Tommy, dear.
It's not that bad.
Oh, darling.
Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Crying like that in front of Jim.
Jim's a big boy.
He doesn't cry.
He drives a Jeep.
Jim.
What's the matter?
Where's my mother?
Where's my mother?
Where is she?
Look, I can't.
It's difficult to...
Why don't you tell me?
You know where she is.
I'm sure you know.
That's just it.
I don't know.
You and I will have to find out
what's happened to her.
You don't know?
I can't finish your dinner.
I don't want to.
I'm not hungry.
Listen, Jimmy.
As soon as dinner's over, we'll go upstairs
and talk.
I want to go to my mother.
You have to help me.
If we go together, we'll find her.
Jimmy, we don't even know where we would
look for her.
I do.
I do.
It's very close to here.
There were friends and people, a whole lot
of people.
They took my mother away.
And then they did that to me.
You have to help me.
Come.
Come.
Please.
Jimmy.
You won't help me.
You aren't my friend.
You don't know me.
Listen, Jimmy.
Go upstairs to your room.
I'll be up in a minute.
You aren't my friend.
What's the trouble, Steve?
He's all upset.
I don't know why.
He...
I'm going to have to talk to him.
Will you forgive me if I don't stay?
It's our being here, isn't it, Steve?
Well, partly.
He talks about his mother.
He thinks...
He seems to remember the camp.
Auschwitz.
He thinks it's somewhere quite close.
He wants to go and try and find
her.
You mean you haven't told him his mother's
dead?
Will you excuse me?
Jimmy?
Jimmy?
Jim?
Where are you?
Jimmy?
Jimmy?
You've been
here before.
This road leads us back to town.
Give up.
Must have been Jim.
That factory woman said the boy she saw
had on new American shoes.
Look, we're just wasting time this way.
Let's go back to town and organize a
search.
There he is.
Listen, Steve.
You promised me you'd take him to an
on-ride camp.
It's the only way.
Look, I've got to go easy with him
now.
Have you left Lola?
Yeah, will you take the jeep back?
I'll walk with him and give us some
time.
Good luck.
Hello.
Hey, don't run.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Don't.
Don't cry.
It's all right, lad.
All right, cry.
I won't.
No, don't say anything.
I know.
Come.
No handkerchief.
It was a big mistake.
When you run away, take a handkerchief.
That's a rule.
Why did you stay away?
Didn't you think I wanted to know where
you went?
Where you were?
Why don't you feel like talking to me?
Yes, I do.
When you left
the house last night, where were you headed?
Where were you going?
Where did you want to go?
I was looking for the fence.
There were a lot of people there.
They took my mother away.
Was it at that fence you last saw
her?
Yes.
Jimmy, maybe you can remember where you were
just before that.
No.
Try and remember.
You must have lived somewhere.
Was it in the city?
Was it someplace with fields and trees?
Try and remember how it was.
I don't know.
There's a fence there.
You don't remember anything else?
No.
Well, never mind.
We won't worry anymore about what's happened.
Jimmy, you know what I think the best
thing now would be?
That you and I go to the UNRRA
camp tomorrow, okay?
I'll do all I can to get you
as soon as possible to America.
I'm not going to America.
The people in charge of the camp will
take care of you until I send for
you.
As soon as I get home, I'll go
to Washington, D.C. That's where they decide
such things.
I don't want to go to America, Steve.
I want to look for my mother.
Jimmy, I'll tell you.
It's best if you know.
Your mother is dead.
Dead?
Yes.
Terrible that it should be so.
There isn't anything you can do about it.
Then I can't find my mother ever.
No.
And my mother won't ever come back.
No, dear, she won't.
See, I tell you, because if you look
for her, you won't find her.
If she were alive, she wouldn't want you
to torture yourself.
Your heart is part of hers.
She's with you.
You're a part of her always.
You must know that.
Let's go, huh?
Steve, if I can come to America, my
mother will be there too, like you said.
Sure.
Okay, Steve.
Then I will come to you in America.
Children, we want to tell you how wonderful
it has been to work with you here.
Good luck on the trip to Palestine.
Shalom.
Shalom.
The first group to the pilgrims.
Shalom.
Shalom.
Shalom.
Bring the children to the pilgrims.
To the pilgrims.
Listen, two good songs.
Alleluia, Alleluia Shalom.
Alleluia.
Every time the children leave, there's this awful
silence.
It is very lovely, isn't it?
Oh, I thought I'd look forward to a
few days' rest.
But somehow I'm glad the new children are
coming today.
Not that they'll be noisy, poor things.
I hear this new group is in very
bad shape.
Mrs. Murray.
You're not leaving?
Yes, I am.
I promised to stay until the children left.
They're gone now and I've stayed too long
already.
But you know that it's hopeless.
Oh, it won't do.
You'll never stand the strain.
You'll go about from camp to camp.
You'll find nothing.
It'll only break your heart.
I think I will find Carole.
Well, you've become a new person since you
started working with the children.
You've come out of yourself.
You're facing life again.
You're going to throw all that over now
for what?
I know.
I must seem very foolish to you, Mrs.
Murray.
The new children will be here any minute.
They need you.
And I think you need them.
I can't help myself.
I have to go.
Well, I think you're making a mistake.
But if you're so determined, I can't hold
you back, can I?
I knew you would understand, Mrs. Murray.
Where will you go?
There is an afternoon train.
I will go as far as it goes.
Then I will get off and start looking.
Is there some place where we can reach
you?
I don't think so.
Will you write to us sometime?
Anytime?
Yes, I will.
Goodbye, Mrs. Mallick.
Goodbye.
This is it.
Come on.
Out.
Let's drive on.
Let's not go away.
You're not scared, are you?
I don't want to.
Come on now, Jimmy.
Get out.
Hurry up.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
I'm not going to leave you any place
that's bad.
No.
Look, Jimmy.
Are you really scared?
You shouldn't be.
These are the people who can help you
get to America.
Now, come.
I'm leaving for the States tomorrow.
I can't go away feeling the boy is
just going to stay here.
Couldn't you at least promise he'd follow me
by a certain date?
I can't.
With the best will in the world, I
can't.
That just isn't in my power.
All I can promise is that we'll take
good care of him here.
And when you do get permission, we'll try
to send him to you immediately.
Can you help me get that permission?
I've been to everybody.
Yes, I have a very good idea now,
Mr. Stevenson, of what you've been trying to
do for the child.
What I need now are some facts about
the boy himself.
Is that really your name?
Jim.
Tell Mrs. Murray your name.
My name's Jim.
He speaks English.
I've been teaching him.
When I first picked him up, I couldn't
get a word out of him.
No clue to his mother tongue at all?
Well, he must have said something when you
met him.
Not a word.
That's the whole point.
Well, it's not uncommon.
I've known of several such cases.
Once or twice, at the beginning, he said,
That's all.
Mr. Stevenson.
No, that isn't possible.
What isn't possible?
That's a wild notion of mine.
You know, I still have the feeling that
I've seen him somewhere.
Is it possible he's been here before?
I don't know.
Jim, come here.
Jim, you heard what Mrs. Murray said.
Have you ever been here before?
With other children, several months ago.
What's the matter?
Why don't you answer?
What are you scared of?
I noticed even downstairs he was afraid of
something.
He didn't want to come in.
Why didn't you tell me?
He does remember something.
Listen, Jim.
I'm very fond of children.
You can tell me anything and it won't
matter.
It's happened before that a child has run
away.
Escaped.
Do you understand that word?
But there's no great harm in that.
And you can't be punished for it.
I was afraid.
You were here.
Oh, wait.
This is terribly important.
Now, listen, Jim.
How did you get away that day?
Were you alone when you ran away?
There was another boy with me.
I knew it.
And I know now why he was frightened.
Now, tell me.
Where did you go?
Can you remember?
We...
we went...
I know!
We went to a lake.
Wasn't it a river?
Try and remember.
Maybe it was a river.
We couldn't get across.
There were two men behind us.
We were afraid.
We jumped into the water.
Miss Thompson, the afternoon train.
Yes, that one.
When does it leave?
I must know exactly what time does that
train leave.
Malik, I saw the train leave.
Yes, but I decided to stay after all.
How I've run!
I wanted to fetch you back.
Do you want to know why I'm here?
For them.
I'm proud of you for changing your mind.
It would have been wrong to go.
You've no idea how wrong it would have
been.
Oh, yes, I know.
I know now.
You can't know.
Everything's all right now.
I'm sorry I gave you so much trouble.
I was so sure of myself.
But when I saw these children, all the
misery, you know, I had to go back.
There is so much to do here and
everywhere.
You're on the beam, as we say.
Nothing can happen to you now.
I hope so.
I'm sure of it.
Mr. Stevenson!
Come.
Sit here.
Stunted!
Stunted!
Go over there with the other kids.
Okay.