edwagreen Stanley Kramer always made successful films dealing with social issues and this 1953 film is no exception to that rule.As a Holocaust survivor who lost his wife and children, Hans Muller (Douglas) comes to Israel in 1949.He reminded me somewhat of Rod Steiger in "The Pawnbroker," as he is unable to come to grips with what has occurred in his life and he constantly confuses his current life with what has happened to him in the past. A routine encounter with an Israeli policeman leads to near tragedy and Douglas runs away to a Kibbutz where he finds love and understanding with a woman and a young sabra who he meets along the way.The final scene where Douglas is trapped in a one- room area is similar to that of his captivity in a concentration camp. The torture expressed on his face was reminiscent of what he would exhibit in "Lust for Life" years later.

wes-connors The year is 1949 as Jewish refuges arrive in the newly formed country called Israel. Among them is Holocaust survivor Kirk Douglas (as Hans Muller). Once a popular entertainer and expert juggler, Mr. Douglas was used by the Nazis to test drugs. Born in Munich, Germany, he was also tortured in a concentration camp. Less lucky, his wife and children were murdered. Understandably, Douglas is suffering from the horrors he experienced. At one point, he mistakes an Israeli policeman for a Nazi and sends the lawman to the hospital. While the officer wavers between life and death, Douglas goes on the run, believing he will be accused of murder...Along the way, Douglas befriends teenager Joseph "Joey" Walsh (as Yehoshua "Josh" Bresler). The apparently orphaned boy begins as a guide - but he and Douglas quickly develop a "father-son" relationship. In keeping with the familial theme, Douglas later meets young blonde Milly Vitale (as Ya'El). The beautifully-figured widow lost her husband in the recent Arab-Israeli War - and you'd be safe in predicting a romance between Douglas and Ms. Vitale is in the script. It's brought to you by writer Michael Blankfort, producer Stanley Kramer and director Edward Dmytryk. They've got a good lead with Douglas and nice-looking film, shot party on location...Douglas makes a very believable juggler, if not a German. The performance by young Walsh is also quite appealing. The subject matter is excellent, but we don't see much beneath the surface; everything is left to Douglas' anguish. We wonder why he is not returned to his home and given back his career and wealth - after all, we won the war. Watch for a startling scene in which adorably cute Beverly Washburn (as Susy) refuses to give her autographed picture of "The Juggler" to the policeman (Paul Stewart) hunting Douglas. Her father tells the girl, "Sometimes, for the sake of the law, we have to give up our friends." That line stands out like a sore thumb.****** The Juggler (5/5/53) Edward Dmytryk ~ Kirk Douglas, Joseph Walsh, Milly Vitale, Paul Stewart

LeonLouisRicci Not Without Historical Interest, Hollywood and the Jewish "Survivors" Post-War Situation, it is Nonetheless a Less than Engaging Melodrama that doesn't Quite Know how to Handle the Whole Thing. Like Some Excellent Film-Noirs, this is Not that Gripping in its Display of Post War Trauma and the Psychological Impairments that Resulted.This Film does Try Very Hard but is Ultimately Stagy and Flat and Barely Interesting. Although the First Hollywood Movie to Go to the Newly Formed Country Israel, it is Rather Unremarkable the Way it Portrays the Location. Ironically it's just Bland and Not Very Compelling.There are Some Fine Moments, Like when a Little Girl is Prodded into Giving Up a Photo of "The Juggler", Kirk Douglas as Hans Muller, She is Told..."Sometime we must give up our friends for the sake of the law."...Yikes...Isn't that what the Nazi's Demanded? Isn't that what the Mccarthy Commie Hunt Demanded?Overall, the Broad Subject Matter of Concentration Camp Survivors was Rare in the Movies, and for that this One is Special. But it isn't an Especially Good Movie. A Fair Attempt at a Difficult Subject, but the Results are Inconsistent and the Film as a Whole is Less than the Talent In Front of and Behind the Camera in this Noble Mediocrity.

Robert J. Maxwell I don't know why this isn't a better know film because it's generally well acted and thoroughly absorbing.Kirk Douglas is a famous German juggler who has survived a concentration camp where he lost his wife and children. He winds up a refugee in Haifa but his experiences have left him deranged, mistaking strange women for his wife, claustrophobic, bitterly mistrustful of authority. He runs away from the refugee camp, battering a curious policeman almost to death, and hikes across much of Israel with a boy, Joseph Walsh, that he's picked up along the way. When he reaches a remote kibbutz, they welcome him, and he and one of the staff, Milly Vitale, fall in love. But the police are on his trail because of the assault on the cop. They capture him and take him away for trial and psychiatric treatment.Describing the tale in a precis like this drains it of all blood. Along with "Champion", it's certainly one of Kirk Douglas' finest performances. The climactic scene in which he's locked all the doors to a tiny cabin and threatens to kill any policeman who tries to break in is indescribable. Milly Vitale, at the door, makes the point that he hasn't locked others out, he's locked himself in. And when Douglas realizes that she's speaking the truth, his eyes roll back and his face is distorted with anguish.Of course it's overdone. This is Hollywood speaking. And they want to make sure you get each particular point, even if they have to hit you over the head with a crowbar to do it. Thus, when Douglas' shirt sleeve is accidentally rolled back, uncovering his tattoo, someone must remark, "That's a concentration camp number. You must have been in a concentration camp!" The last shot is a disappointment, with Douglas on his knees, begging for help.At the kibbutz we get the happy peasant cliché. Everyone is kindly and unpretentious. They take pleasure in simple things, like the arrival of two cows, which they decorate with flowers. And after that, there must be a folk dance to George Antheil's frenzied music and Edward Dmytryk's gigantic close ups of wildly happy faces.The cast look genuine enough in dusty work clothes. Douglas appears only briefly with his hair carefully trimmed, combed, and moussed. But Milly Vitale is always made up and wears a stylish 1953 do. That's a mistake, because Milly Vitale is radiant and doesn't need her face plastered with goo.But there are moments, sometimes brief, just a line or two of dialog, that stand out as if accompanied by barely perceived fanfares. On a hilltop, Douglas is explaining how he lost his family -- thank God, no flashbacks -- and then he answers all her questions with old jokes or tricks. As for how he was swept up, "The juggler is juggled." Why can't he accept the kibbutz as his home? Douglas is juggling four oranges (he's pretty good) and he repeats, in time with the rotation of the fruit, "Home . . is a place . . you lose." Like "The Pawn Broker," the film deals not with the suffering of the concentration camps but with the suffering that lives on within us after the horror is "over." It's a difficult movie to forget.