Alfred Kralik (James Stewart), a clerk at Matuschek's, is in love with his pen pal, a woman he's never met. As he arrives at their scheduled meeting, he discovers her to be Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan), the fellow clerk he bickers with all day. Rather than reveal himself, he works to get her to fall for him naturally while making small inroads to undermine her ideal man[1].
The Shop Around the Corner marks the second entry in the 100 films series from director Ernst Lubitsch[2], a German immigrant who spoke in a halting English but whose films were usually marked by layers of witty rapport. He possessed a great comic touch, but rarely went into slapstick. As a result, his films are enjoyable to no end.
Sure you know that in the end the two leads will realize they are in love with each other, but you're having so much fun watching the proceedings, that you really don't care. Early in the film, Lubitsch inserts a running gag where every time the shop owner asks for an honest opinion, Felix Bressart's Pirovitch immediately leaves the room. He does this maybe five times in the first 20 minutes, and while it may appear to be a simple throwaway gag, he uses it to set a comedic tone for the entire film and give a little bit more depth to Bressart's character.
Bressart, for his part, is one of those quirky character actors who populated the films of the 30s and 40s. He's the type of guy you expect to see in a black and white comedy. In fact, you have to wonder if the film might feel a little empty without him. Lubitsch must have thought so, as he employed him often in supporting roles.
James Stewart gives a fine performance here, but it's essentially the same performance he gives in most of his comedic films. In many ways he's the straight man, the somewhat injured party, if you will, and he plays the part accordingly. Stewart is aware of the duality of his relationship with Margaret Sullavan's character, so is able to play him as a man biding his time, waiting for the tides to turn in his favor.
Article comments
1 - Steve C.
Saw this for the first time last year and thought it was amazing. Nora Ephron, of course, is the devil.
2 - Jules Alder
Nobody really knows why Ephron remade this film, except for the usual reasons of contemporary translations, meaning it was made for an audience that couldn't necessarily appreciate the original or (I'd like to think) would appreciate it better after seeing the remake.
She didn't lose Woody Allen's respect by making this, though, and that's something to consider.
3 - Brent
The film was actually first remade in 1949 as a musical called "In The Good Old Summertime" with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. If Nora Ephron has to apologize, so does Robert Z. Leonard.
4 - Lucas McNelly
I went to IMDB, hoping to find proof that Ephron is capable of good work, but all I found was "Sleepless in Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally..."
5 - -E
Great review, it was a pleasure to read. And now I am off to netflix to add it to my list!
6 - -E
Congrats, this article was picked for one of this week's Ed Picks. Keep up the good work.
7 - Lucas McNelly
cool. thanks