You've Got Mail's most direct, telling influencer, this charming 1940s rom-com tells the story of Matuschek's shop in Budapest, in which two employees unwittingly fall in love.
It remains entirely satisfying to discover that the humour and intrinsic playfulness of The Shop Around the Corner has not dated one bit, even if simultaneously the performances and setting clearly evoke another, distant time and style of acting. Stationary angles and set-piece scenes characterise this wonderful film, but it's really sold on the central protagonists' believable, enjoyable portrayals of Alfred Kralik (Stewart at his drawling best) and Klara Novak (Sullivan, all bite and bright eyes). Kralik is lead salesman in Matuschek's, butting heads in a well-judged father-son conflict with his bumbling boss (Morgan). Meanwhile, Klara arrives on the scene and bullies her way into a position. Kralik and Klara do not see eye-to-eye. More than that, they intensely dislike each other.
Of course, it emerges fairly swiftly that their respective pen-pals, of whom they both speak so highly, are in fact each other. There commences a delicious discrepancy of understanding as Kralik first faces his true feelings for Klara, and then begins to machinate to ensure that when he reveals his true identity, she won't turn him down. It's well paced, engaging and all a bit soppy in the nicest possible way. Laughs come regularly, while the other characters in Matuschek's provide perfect foils for Stewart and Sullivan to spring from. William Tracy as Pepi Katona is particularly enjoyable to watch.
I'm not saying anything new; but they got romantic comedy down to a fine art, and this is a beautiful example of it. Tight writing, excellent execution, and heart-warming and Christmassy to boot.
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1940
Margaret Sullivan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, William Tracy
dir. Ernst Lubitsch
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