amandasestak-77808 James Stewart is well known for his Christmas film, 'It's A Wonderful Life'; however, he has another lesser known Christmas film that is equally delightful and heartwarming that has a message to be known. 'The Shop Around the Corner' is a wonderfully made film about two co-workers that don't get along and unbeknownst to them, they are actually pen pals. They are both lonely and desperate - looking for someone to love. Stewart and Sullavan are the pen pals - the main characters, but around them, the other characters are dealing with loneliness and affairs as well. Through the wonderful acting of everyone in the cast and the witty dialogue, the themes (loneliness, love, secrecy, and affairs) come to be known. No one wants to be alone, and no one should be. That is what this film is all about. There is a lot of heart and sentiment in this film - definitely a heartwarming film with a Hollywood ending.

richard-1787 The plot of this movie is charming, yes, though of course you know from the very beginning how it will end and just wait to see how the two main characters get there.But to me the real magic of this movie is in the small, perfect moments of acting, primarily by Stewart and Morgan.Stewart can convey with just the slightest change of his face, or a hushed, half-breathed voice more deep feeling than others try to express with endless yelling and flailing of arms. There are moments in the movie, such as when Clara insults him during their meeting in the café, or when he visits Matachek in the hospital - the most moving scene in the movie for me - when I just marvel at the understated quality of his acting.The same is true of Morgan. We think of him as the Wizard of Oz, and he was great in that movie. But he was not all big gestures and exaggeration. When he faces the infidelity of his wife, and then has to apologize to Stewart for suspecting him of having an affair with his wife, or at the end when he is desperate to find someone to spend Christmas Eve with, now that he finds himself without a family to go home to, the understated perfection of his acting is really very impressive. If you have ever seen him in *Port of Seven Seas*, based on Marcel Pagnol's *Marcel* and *Fanny* plays, this won't come as any surprise to you.In 1940, when this movie was made and released, Hungary was still an independent nation, though moving closer to Germany and Italy and passing several anti-Semitic laws. (Felix Bressart, who plays Pirovitch here, would play the Jewish actor Greenberg two years later in *To Be or Not to Be* and, in his riff on Shylock's speech, enter into cinematic history.) The next year Hungary would enter World War II on the German side against Russia. But in this movie, Budapest is still a charming Eastern European city where people care about each other and everything looks warm and wonderful under the falling snowflakes.If you ever feel a need to watch great actors make miracles out of small moments, watch this. You will be amazed.

JohnHowardReid This most agreeable Lubitsch-Raphaelson comedy has a great deal of charm. In fact it has more charm than humor, but don't let that worry you. Some of the running jokes and gags are really quite amusing. I particularly warmed to Felix Bressart's idea of giving his uncle an Old Tchoina music box. "It costs $2.95!" Bressart's character informs us. "But it's worth twice as much to ruin my uncle's Christmas!" I also delighted in Frank Morgan's "I don't know how Matuschek and Company can afford it!" and the wonderfully tart reply: "Well, if YOU don't know, Mr. Matuschek, your book-keeper must be keeping a lousy set of account books!"Yes, the super-lovely Margaret Sullavan and Jimmy Stewart make a great starring team, but it's the support cast, led by Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut, Felix Bressart, Sara Haden, William Tracy, Inez Courtney and Charles Halton, that really make "The Shop Around the Corner" the outstanding entertainment that it is. True, Morgan does seem a little unsure how to say his lines, occasionally, but don't let that worry you. It's always appropriate for the character.Also on top of their respective forms: William Daniels for the delightfully crisp but moody photography, and Werner Heymann for his brilliant music score.

elvircorhodzic Festive atmosphere flavored family drama, spontaneous love, heartfelt comedy and healthy humor. Director Lubitsch's film spice with warm and everyday human subjects. „THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER" is a pleasant place with a lot of respect and charm. The film is a bit slow. I think that this approach is intentional, because this looks more realistic. The story is more or less everyday. The love affair or the love of the main character are strange spices in the story. Both changes in the daily routine of the protagonists and their views on life. Lonely hearts connected a piece of paper. True. It is fascinating to watch how the director deftly mixes comedy, drama and romance. In this film does not lose the thread, the atmosphere remains the same and only the changing characters. Characterization of the characters is very interesting. Frank Morgan as Hugo Matuschek owns the shop and he is benevolent dictator. James Stewart as Alfred Kralik is a workaholic and a perfectionist and very lonely character who is difficult to adapt. Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak is safe but lonely. The woman in which the conflict her own and outer world. Felix Bressart as Pirovitch, the man who in life has two stations. Work and family. Two of the greatest love and the two biggest fear. A friend in need. The voice of reason and peace.The film that appeals to the Christmas atmosphere.