Rating: Summary: Don't loan it out!!!! Review: This is one of the great love stories and I have found that if you loan it out you will have a very hard time getting it back as people TRY to keep it. You've Got Mail was based upon this film and it is wonderful too, but they are two different movies in many ways. If you like Jimmy Stewart you will love this movie.
Rating: Summary: CLOSE TO PERFECTION. Review: This is one of the most beautifully acted and paced movies ever made in America. The special chemistry of Margaret Sullavan and Jimmy Stewart plus a charming story set in a Budapest gift and leather goods store make this little 1940 movie a gem. As co-workers in the department store Klara and Mr. Kralik don't see eye to eye at all; it just so happens that they're also pen pals who are corresponding to each unknowingly and devotedly! Their performances are full of grace notes; when you watch later Stewart films, you may wonder what became of this other deft, sensitive, pre - drawling Stewart. As for Sullavan, this is a peerless performance: she makes the shopgirl's pretenses believable, lyrical and funny. The script by Samson Raphaelson is a free adaptation of a play by Nikolaus Laszlo, and although it's definitely a Hollywood Budapest we see, director Lubitsch sustains a fairly European tone. Frank Morgan shines in his interpretation of Mr. Matuschek. Granted, the story holds no real surprises, but it's presented with great style; no other movie of the love-hate genre has been made so convincingly. What's special in the experience of this comedy is how the jokes, reflecting on the characters' absurdity, keep shifting into something else, plus the story has the famed Lubitsch touch and few can deny the sincere heartfelt messages it conveys.
Rating: Summary: Wonderfully understated Lubitsch Review: Other than wanting to kick Margaret Sullavan in the teeth now and then for her arrogance and presumption (a reaction I think much-intended), I thought this softly played romance was excellent. Jimmy Stewart is perfect as the store employee craving love and intellectual depth, Margaret Sullavan is the lovelorn shrew with a beautiful soul, and most of all, Frank Morgan puts in the performance of his life as the belligerent but sensitive store owner suddenly confronted by betrayal and his own tragic mistakes. The real magic is that Lubitsch has told a bittersweet story with a light touch and such tender humor that no one can come away brutalized by scenes of jilted love and attempted suicide. It's a movie meant for rejoicing.
Rating: Summary: If You Liked "You've Got Mail", You'll LOVE This One!!! Review: So much better than You've Got Mail. You won't have to fast-forward through even one scene of foul language. Jimmy Stewart is excellent! This one proves that the old movies are called "classics" for a very good reason!
Rating: Summary: Classic Romantic Comedy Review: This old fashioned romantic comedy made in 1940 by Ernst Lubitsch ("To Be Or Not To Be") and written by Samson Raphaelson is like one of the many kinds of movies I remember growing up watching. It's perfect on all levels, the acting is great, Lubitsch's directing is always wonderful, the screenplay is heartfelt, funny, and charming. Klara Novak (Margeret Sullavan) and Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) are both co-workers in "Matuschek's" gift shop in Budapest, Hungry. All they do is argue with each! Whether it's about getting out a little earlier, how to stock things, or even about the clothes they wear! But what they don't know is they are both pen-pals who correspond pseudonymous with each other. They each write to each other about cultural subjects, such as literature. After a while, they each start to write about love. And soon, even though they never met, they start falling in love with each other. But Lubitsch does just stop there with the story. There are many more sub-plots that take place that give the movie even more heart and sentiment. They're wonderful supporting characters to watch also, like Pirovitch (Felix Bressart), who always runs away and hides whenever the boss ask for someone's honest opinion lol, and there's Hugo Matschek (Frank Morgan). With the hoilday season coming up, this is a wonderful christmas movie the entire family can sit down and watch. If you really want to make a "family event", buy this movie and "It's A Wonderful Life". You won't be disappointed. p.s- As stated by other reviewers a remake quickly followed this film ( well not exactly quickly, it took 58 years) "You've Got Mail".
Rating: Summary: Perfect Romantic Comedy Review: I just saw "In the Good Old Summertime" again, and I cringed. The plot twists weren't as clever and the end was awful. It can't hold a candle to the original, the wonder, "The Shop Around the Corner". As much as I like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, "You've Got Mail" is a pale shadow of "Shop". The chemistry between Margaret Sullavan and Jimmy Stewart is marvelous to see. The dialogue is so clever, and even the supporting characters are memorable. This movie should be on everyones' list of holiday must-see classics.
Rating: Summary: Simply Great Review: 'The Shop Around The Corner' is one of my favorite films of all time. James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan were brilliant, the story was clever, and the dialogs were witty; it is a film that one shall not miss. If you cherish the charm of 'You've Got Mail,' and the magic of 'Sleepless in Seattle,' you will love 'The Shop Around The Corner.' If you think that Meg Ryan is sweet and full of emotions and expressions, watch 'The Shop Around The Corner' and Margaret Sullavan will blow you away. 'The Shop Around The Corner' is marvelous, it is what a romantic comady ought to be. Try it, and 'The Shop Around The Corner,' will hold a special spot in your heart as it did mine.
Rating: Summary: the shop around the corner Review: While I was watching the movie You've got mail, I saw that it was adapted from it and fell in love with it! I recomend this book to anyone who loves You've got mail!
Rating: Summary: Original "Shop Around the Corner" better than ...MAIL Review: I saw the original Shop Around the Corner with Jimmy Stewart and it was great! It had the romance of the 1940's, was simple and straightforward, yet held my attention for the entire movie. It also had great subplots, unlike the modern version with Tom Hanks. I like old fashion movies, and this is one of them. It was romantic, without being Shmaltzy. For the price Amazon is charging, its a bargain!
Rating: Summary: Better than You've Got Mail! Review: Well, being a fan of Jimmy Stewart and also absolutely adoring You've Got Mail were what drew me to this film. And believe me, I wasn't disappointed. The supporting characters like Pirovitch and Pepi really helped shape the movie. Well, and Stewart and Sullivan did a great job too. I've lately gotten into watching the old versions of new movies and found that I like some of them better. My reccomendations: If you liked... Runaway Bride, watch It Happened One Night; Sabrina (w/Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond) watch Sabrina (w/Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn); Love Affair, watch An Affair to Remember (which by the way is much, much better); Titanic, watch A Night to Remember; The Preacher's Wife, watch the Bishop's Wife.
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