Rating: 
Summary: YOU'VE GOT MAIL...
Review: This is a delightful vintage movie that has had several remakes, the most recent being "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Having seen both versions, this 1940 film has got it beat. Beautifully directed by Ernst Lubitsch, this is a charming, romantic comedy that sets the standard for this genre of film.The premise of the film is simple. In Budapest, Hungary, a young woman advertises for a pen pal, with the proviso that each are to remain anonymous. A young man responds to her ad, and they begin corresponding and fall in love through the mail. Unbeknownst to them, these two amorous correspondents, Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) are co-workers in a leather goods shop owned by Hugo Matuschek (Frank Morgan of Wizard of Oz fame). Unfortunately, they do not appear to get along, and the words fly fast and furious between them at times. There is also a strong sub-plot in this film, involving the cuckolding of Mr. Matuschek by his wife of twenty two years. It is a sub-plot that causes a greatly anguished Mr. Matuschek to turn on an employee whom he holds most dear. This sets in to motion a sequence of interconnecting events and revelations that work beautifully, setting the film for its final resolution between the two main protagonists, Kralik and Novak. James Stewart gives a terrific performance as Kralik, the working stiff who is just looking for the right girl and finds her where he least expected. Stewart always shines when playing the classic Everyman. Margaret Sullavan, as Novak, gives a pert and sassy performance that belies her longing for romance in her life and for her knight in shining armor. Her sharp tongued banter with Kralik disguises an attraction that even she does not fully understand. As they say, there is a fine line between love and hate. Frank Morgan gives a well-nuanced, scene stealing performance as Matuschek, the shopkeeper whose heart is initially broken on a number of fronts. In the end, he rights what went wrong and finds some surcease for his psychic pain by bringing some happiness to another person. Felix Bressart, as the kindly Pirovitch, Kralik's friend and co-worker, and Joseph Schildkraut, as the unctuous Ferenc Vadas, a co-worker whom Kralik detests, are also to be lauded for their performances. William Tracy, as the indefatigable Pepi Katona, the store messenger on the make, is absolutely delightful. This is a masterfully directed film, with wonderful performances by the entire cast. It is a film to be remembered and added to one's personal collection. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie You Never Saw!
Review: You will fall in love with this movie! This is a perfect romantic comedy. It was remade as You've Got Mail and In the Good Old Summertime, but Shop Around the Corner is far superior in every way and rather different. This movie is full of charm and humor. It makes a great Christmas movie and is highly repeatable. It is one of Jimmy Stewart's best movies.
Rating:
Summary: The Lubitsch touch, in full bloom
Review: In the 1930s and '40s, Ernst Lubitsch made some of the most charming romantic comedies ever made, including "The Love Parade" with Maurice Chevalier and "Ninotchka" with Greta Garbo, not to mention "To Be or Not To Be," one of the greatest comedies of all time. His films had what was called "The Lubitsch touch," a mixture of romance, comedy and social commentary that just plain sparkled. In the midst of this streak he made "The Shop Around the Corner," which has been overshadowed over the years by its remakes "In the Good Old Summertime" and "You've Got Mail." It is far superior to either. Jimmy Stewart is Alfred Kralik, a clerk in Matuschek's leather goods store (nothing kinky, just luggage) in Budapest. Into his store walks Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan), who he thinks is a customer but really just wants a job. She gets hired, and quickly they get on each other's nerves. By sheer coincidence, they've been exchanging letters anonymously and have fallen in love without knowing each other's identity. Around this main story is a tragic-comic subplot about Mr. Matuschek (Frank Morgan, of "Wizard of Oz" fame) suspecting his wife of being unfaithful with Mr. Kralik. The resolution of this plot is surprisingly somber, and in lesser hands than Lubitsch might have come off as melodramatic (just as the lovers' plot might have come off as far-fetched). But Lubitsch could mix the serious with the silly, and not shortchange either. But what makes this movie interesting to me is the real-life story of Stewart and Sullavan. She met best friends Stewart and Henry Fonda when all three were members of the Cape Cod-based University Players. She would marry Fonda, but they would only stay together for two months. She and Stewart were in love for a time, and he reportedly carried a torch for her until his 1949 marriage. She married three more times and battled drug addiction and mental illness before committing suicide in 1960. But all that lay in the future when this film was made, and I take some consolation in the fact the sparks that fly between Stewart and Sullavan were based on real emotion. As for this DVD edition, it would have been enough to have a "bare bones" edition of the movie. Instead, we have a feature (the 1940 MGM short "The Romance of Sound" -- not two features as the Amazon description might lead you to believe), and a great old-fashioned trailer (with Morgan in character). The only downside: If the trailers for "In the Good Old Summertime" and "You've Got Mail" are on the disc, as it says on the box, they are too well-hidden for me. Methinks someone goofed. For lovers of classic movies, this one's a no-brainer.
Rating:
Summary: Delightfully enjoyable masterpiece
Review: This is one of the most enthralling movies I've ever seen in my life and arguably, it's the best film that starred both Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, who made three other pictures together ("Next Time We Love" (1936), "The Shopworn Angel" (1938), "The Mortal Storm" (1940)). Jimmy Stewart plays Mr. Kralik, the head clerk of the store owned by Mr. Matuschek (Frank Morgan in one of his best roles) and Maggie Sullavan is Klara Novak, who is hired by Mr. Matuschek as a salesgirl, just before Christmas....eventually, Klara and Kralik, develop a strong dislike for each other, unaware that they're pen pals..... the two leads' relationship is so sincere and real, and the events that lead to the conclusion of the movie, are so believable and expertly handled by the director, that make it stand apart from many other movies from Hollywood's classic era. Joseph Schildkraut is excellent as the unpleasant Mr. Vadas, one of the most annoying characters ever, just the opposite of Felix Bressart, who plays the good hearted and reliable Mr. Pirovitch, both co-workers of Mr. Kralik and Klara. And let's not forget William Tracy's wonderful performance, as Pepi, the delivery boy. Not only a classic, but one of the best films of all time!!...This is so true, that although I already own the videotape, I can't wait to buy the dvd!!
Rating:
Summary: Did you know....
Review: Did you know that this movie also inspired the musical"In The Good Old Summertime"? It starred Judy Garland and Van Johnson and also had a great supporting cast. I think it's a great one to watch and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great filmmaking
Review: "The Shop Around the Corner" is a wonderful movie, and lends credence to the argument that they just don't make 'em like they used to ("you've got mail" can't hold a candle)
The director, Ernst Lubitsch, uses his effortlessly witty story-telling and well placed plants for plot points to carry along the viewer. The movie constantly seems to play into your expectations and then swerve into something even better. The cast does a great job in all the roles. Essential to own for all fans of romantic comedy, Stewart, Sullivan and especially Lubitsch.
Rating:
Summary: The orginial is always the best.
Review: This movie is a treat! Long before 'You've Got Mail' , this is the original. The timing and pacing is impeccable. The whole cast is filled with zest and enthusiasm for their characters and the story. This is a treasure and I recommend it highly. It's a timeless classic.
Rating:
Summary: Something not mentioned
Review: I haven't seen this original movie, but want to mention this movie was made into a Broadway Musical; "She Loves Me", music by Jerry Bock (of "Fiddler on the Roof" fame), and starred Barbara Cook, with Jack Cassidy. It's a very charming, unique Musical but supposedly never had great box office suscess because it's release date was too close to Kennedy's assasination and the public was not receptive to something of this caliber. The music is so much more interesting than "Fiddler" (I actually conducted 40+ performances of this show and still find it fresh)
So now, I'll have to buy the movie the musical was based on. I'm sure I'll love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Mistaken Identity
Review: I believe some folks may be mistaken about the premise of "You've Got Mail." It was my impression that it was not a remake of "Shop Around the Corner" but more of a continuation. Meg Ryan was the daughter of the woman who owned the shop in the original and Tom Hanks' grandfather used to date her. Perhaps they were the original characters. These two movies shouldn't so much be compared for inconsistencies as rated on their own individual merits. My only complaint about the original is why was it set in Budapest?
Rating:
Summary: Loved the movie, but.........
Review: The back of the DVD case said that there would be trailers from this movie, 1949's "In the Good Old Summertime" and the more recent "You've Got Mail". The DVD only had the trailer to this movie. Not a tragedy, but a disappointment.
| 
