Edward Dymtryk was already an "A" list director having previously churned out the film noir masterpiece Murder, my Sweet when The Juggler was released in 1953. Of the many films he directed during his career, this one was not a film he could or should have been proud of. But given his stature in cinematic history, a clunker here and there can easily be forgiven.
The Juggler has the unusual distinction of being the first American movie filmed in Israel. It's set in 1949 right after Israeli independence and the best part of the film is the solid on-location cinematography.
Kirk Douglas is miscast as Hans Muller, a Holocaust survivor who just gets off the boat and is settled in a refugee camp. Hans was formerly an entertainer in Germany before the war but like anyone of Jewish heritage in that country he was stripped of his rights and sent to a concentration camp.
Later on it's revealed that Hans regretted not listening to his friends back in Germany who warned him of what was happening to the Jews but he ignored them because like many German Jews at the time, he considered himself more German than Jewish. Douglas doesn't attempt a German accent here and using his American accent just doesn't cut it.
When he arrives the refugee camp, Hans immediately mistakes a woman and her two children for his wife and children who were murdered during the Holocaust. He is obviously suffering from what is now called PTSD (Post traumatic Stress Disorder) and often is unable to control his temper. A camp psychologist concludes he's in need of treatment and refers him to a psychiatrist outside the camp for a more formal evaluation.
Hans flees the camp and ends up in the city of Haifa where he assaults a police officer (knocking him out) after mistaking him for a Nazi. He then befriends a 12 year old orphan by the name of Yehoshua (Joseph Walsh) and they end up on a Kibbutz where the boy injures his leg by stepping on a landmine.
Well known character actor Paul Stewart plays Detective Kami who is assigned to track Hans down and either bring him to justice or deliver him to the proper psychiatric authorities. There is a trifle bit of romance when Hans falls for a kind and sympathetic Kibbutz resident Ya'el (Milly Vitale) who convinces Hans to surrender to Detective Kami at the climax.
With good intentions, the narrative highlights the plight of Holocaust survivors who were emotionally damaged due to their experiences at the hands of the Nazis. Nonetheless the character of Hans-with his one note downbeat and troubled demeanor-is difficult to watch for the length of an entire feature film. Sad sacks never make for good drama and perhaps a documentary featuring the true history of German Jewish refugees settling in Israel would have been more appropriate.
If one still wanted to do a feature film, perhaps flashbacks substantially fleshing out what happened to Hans back in Germany would have been much more effective. All that we're left with is a tepid manhunt leading to the forgone conclusion of Han's apprehension.
Douglas appears to have studied assiduously how to perform as a juggler and that's the most impressive aspect of his performance here-otherwise he's saddled with a script that calls for one scene of histrionics after another. The rest of the cast, particularly Vitale as Ya'el does quite well. The Juggler does little to illuminate what the Holocaust was all about and emphasizes the effect on survivors in a superficial way.
The Juggler has the unusual distinction of being the first American movie filmed in Israel. It's set in 1949 right after Israeli independence and the best part of the film is the solid on-location cinematography.
Kirk Douglas is miscast as Hans Muller, a Holocaust survivor who just gets off the boat and is settled in a refugee camp. Hans was formerly an entertainer in Germany before the war but like anyone of Jewish heritage in that country he was stripped of his rights and sent to a concentration camp.
Later on it's revealed that Hans regretted not listening to his friends back in Germany who warned him of what was happening to the Jews but he ignored them because like many German Jews at the time, he considered himself more German than Jewish. Douglas doesn't attempt a German accent here and using his American accent just doesn't cut it.
When he arrives the refugee camp, Hans immediately mistakes a woman and her two children for his wife and children who were murdered during the Holocaust. He is obviously suffering from what is now called PTSD (Post traumatic Stress Disorder) and often is unable to control his temper. A camp psychologist concludes he's in need of treatment and refers him to a psychiatrist outside the camp for a more formal evaluation.
Hans flees the camp and ends up in the city of Haifa where he assaults a police officer (knocking him out) after mistaking him for a Nazi. He then befriends a 12 year old orphan by the name of Yehoshua (Joseph Walsh) and they end up on a Kibbutz where the boy injures his leg by stepping on a landmine.
Well known character actor Paul Stewart plays Detective Kami who is assigned to track Hans down and either bring him to justice or deliver him to the proper psychiatric authorities. There is a trifle bit of romance when Hans falls for a kind and sympathetic Kibbutz resident Ya'el (Milly Vitale) who convinces Hans to surrender to Detective Kami at the climax.
With good intentions, the narrative highlights the plight of Holocaust survivors who were emotionally damaged due to their experiences at the hands of the Nazis. Nonetheless the character of Hans-with his one note downbeat and troubled demeanor-is difficult to watch for the length of an entire feature film. Sad sacks never make for good drama and perhaps a documentary featuring the true history of German Jewish refugees settling in Israel would have been more appropriate.
If one still wanted to do a feature film, perhaps flashbacks substantially fleshing out what happened to Hans back in Germany would have been much more effective. All that we're left with is a tepid manhunt leading to the forgone conclusion of Han's apprehension.
Douglas appears to have studied assiduously how to perform as a juggler and that's the most impressive aspect of his performance here-otherwise he's saddled with a script that calls for one scene of histrionics after another. The rest of the cast, particularly Vitale as Ya'el does quite well. The Juggler does little to illuminate what the Holocaust was all about and emphasizes the effect on survivors in a superficial way.