The Shop Around the Corner

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Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Infobox film The Shop Around the Corner is a 1940 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, and Joseph Schildkraut. The screenplay by Samson Raphaelson is based on the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László.<ref name="THR">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>László, Miklós (1957). Parfumerie: a comedy in three acts. M. Liebman Productions, New York. Template:OCLC</ref> The film is about two employees at a leather goods shop in pre-war Budapest who can barely stand each other, not realizing they are falling in love as anonymous correspondents through their letters. It follows social themes associated with the lives of the middle class. Though the film did not do well in the box office, it was met with generally positive reviews from film critics. It has since been adapted into three productions. In 1999 The Shop Around the Corner was selected with 24 other films to be included in the National Film Registry. It is also included in the top 100 movies selected by Time magazine.

Plot

Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan in The Shop Around the Corner

File:The Shop Around the Corner trailer (1940).webm During the Great Depression, Alfred Kralik is the top salesman at Matuschek and Company, a leathergoods shop in Budapest owned by the high-strung Mr. Hugo Matuschek. Kralik's co-workers include his friend, Pirovitch, a kindly family man; Ferencz Vadas, a two-faced womanizer; saleswoman Ilona Novotny; clerk Flora Kaczek; and Pepi Katona, an ambitious, precocious delivery boy. One morning, Kralik reveals to Pirovitch that he has been corresponding anonymously with an intelligent and cultured woman whose ad he came across in the newspaper. Kralik responded to the ad, wanting to increase his knowledge about culture. As they correspond, they agree to withhold details about their personal lives.

Kralik is Mr. Matuschek's oldest and most trusted employee, but tension starts arising between the two. They get into an argument over Mr. Matuschek's idea to sell a cigarette box that plays "Ochi Chërnye" when opened. After their exchange, Klara Novak enters the gift shop looking for a job. Kralik and Mr. Matuschek tell her there are no openings, but when she is able to sell one of the cigarette boxes as a candy box, Mr. Matuschek hires her. However, she and Kralik do not get along. Mr. Matuschek is becoming irritable because he suspects his wife is having an affair, as she stays out late and requests money from him.

Six months later, as Christmas approaches, Kralik is preparing to meet his mystery correspondent (Novak) for a dinner date. On that day, Mr. Matuschek suddenly demands that everyone stay after work to decorate the shop. Kralik asks to speak with Matuschek in his office and requests the night off. Mr. Matuschek becomes angry, and Kralik implies that he is willing to leave his job. Novak also asks to have the night off, which further infuriates Matuschek. Now, Mr. Matuschek calls Kralik to his office and fires him, giving him one month's pay and a letter of recommendation. Matuschek obviously carefully thought out firing Kralik. No one in the shop understands Mr. Matuschek's actions are related to his suspicions that Kralik is having an affair with his wife. Later, Mr. Matuschek meets with a private investigator who informs him that his wife is having an affair with Vadas, not Kralik. Shocked, Matuschek says, almost to himself, that he was married for 22 years to his wife and proud of her, but "I guess she didn't want to grow old with me." Later, Pepi returns to the shop just in time to prevent Mr. Matuschek from committing suicide by shooting himself.

Meanwhile, Kralik arrives at the Cafe Nizza, where he discovers that his mystery woman is Novak. Despite his disappointment, Kralik goes in and talks with her, pretending he is there to meet Pirovitch. In his mind, Kralik tries to reconcile the cultured woman of his letters with his annoying co-worker, secretly hoping that things might work out with her. Concerned that Kralik's presence will spoil her first meeting with her mystery correspondent, she conducts a continuously abrasive conversation with Kralik, finally calling him a "little insignificant clerk." Deeply insulted, Kralik leaves.

Later that night, Kralik goes to the hospital to visit Mr. Matuschek, who apologizes for suspecting him of having an affair with his wife before offering him a job as manager of Matuschek and Company. Grateful to Pepi for saving his life, Mr. Matuschek promotes him to clerk. The next day, Novak calls in sick after her mystery man failed to show, and at Mr. Matuschek's behest, Kralik fires Vadas. That night, when Kralik visits Novak at her apartment, she receives a letter from her correspondent and reads it in front of Kralik, who wrote the letter.

Two weeks later, on Christmas Eve, Matuschek and Company achieves record sales. Kralik and Novak, alone in the shop as they close up, discuss their planned dates for the evening. Novak reveals that she had a crush on Kralik when they first met. She explains that she was initially irritable with him in an effort to pique his interest in her. After pretending to have met Novak's mystery man, Kralik describes him in unflattering terms. When Novak expresses her disappointment, Kralik quotes one of her letters and places a red carnation in his lapel, revealing to her that he is her mystery correspondent. They embrace and kiss.

Cast

James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan

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Production

Colonial Theater advertisement

Development

Ernst Lubitsch purchased the rights to Miklós László's play Parfumerie in 1938.Template:Sfn According to Variety, Lubitsch initially planned to create a film adaptation of the play working with Myron Selznick.<ref name=":0" /> After Steffie Trondle translated the play into English, Lubitsch worked with screenwriter Samson Raphaelson to write the script from 1938 to 1939.Template:Sfn Lubitsch considered it “the best script I have had in a long time in my hands”.Template:Sfn Selznick proved unable to fund the production, so the filmmakers turned to other methods.Template:Sfn Lubitsch and Selznick pitched the film to Paramount, among other studios, but none were interested in producing it.Template:Sfn At the time Hollywood was still hesitant to produce films about the middle class.Template:Sfn Studios were also not interested in working with Lubitsch.Template:Sfn When Lubitsch's plan did not come to fruition, he decided to work on it after joining MGM.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> Before he joined MGM, the studio had purchased the rights to the film from him for $62,500.Template:Sfn MGM wanted him to produce and direct Ninotchka, to which he agreed on the condition that he also produce and direct The Shop Around the Corner.Template:Sfn The studio agreed on the condition that Ninotchka be produced firstTemplate:Sfn and assigned a low production budget to The Shop Around the Corner, which meant that the film's screenwriter Samson Raphaelson received a lower salary than usual.Template:Sfn In an interview Raphaelson commented that the story was substantially dialogue-based but felt that it did not threaten the film's overall quality.Template:Sfn He also claimed that, while the film was based on the play, it was vastly different.Template:Sfn In his own words, Lubitsch felt that none of his preceding films had "atmosphere and...characters [that] were truer than in this picture".Template:Sfn

Casting and production

Dolly Haas and Janet Gaynor were each at one point attached to the film before Margaret Sullavan was cast in the lead role alongside James Stewart; neither was available at the time that production was originally set to begin, so Lubitsch decided to postpone the start date.<ref name="AFI" /> Sullavan and Stewart had worked together before in leading roles.Template:Sfn Lubitsch chose to cast Sullavan because he decided the plotline was too risky to use an actress who was less-known.Template:Sfn His worries stemmed from thinking audiences might not find the plot interesting enough to watch it.Template:Sfn Years later Lubitsch remarked that Sullavan and Stewart worked well together and did not try to out-do each other in their acting.Template:Sfn Lubitsch called Sullavan "a tonic for the cast" because of her playfulness between scenes.Template:Sfn Raphaelson commented that Stewart's portrayal of Kralik "is one of the great performances in film history".Template:Sfn Stewart remarked, "It was wonderful to work with [Lubitsch]. He had such great style and an inspiring sort of comic touch."Template:Sfn

Several weeks before filming began, Henry Nordlinger researched leather goods shops so the one in the film could be an accurate portrayal.Template:Sfn Lubitsch decided the studio should use "real snow" for the Christmas Eve scenes instead of using fake snow. As a result, thirty tons of ice were shaved to create the effect.Template:Sfn Filming began on November 2, 1939, the day after James Stewart completed work on Destry Rides Again.Template:Sfn The scenes were shot in the order as they appear.<ref name="AFI">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn In total, filming took about a month.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The final cost was $474,000.Template:Sfn

The Shop Around the Corner Lobby Card

Release and box office

The release trailer features Morgan as Matuschek introducing the other characters and who plays them. At the end he introduces Lubitsch.Template:Sfn Film historian Joseph McBride suggests that this connects the film to Lubitsch's early roots as an actor who appeared in films as a shop assistant.Template:Sfn The Shop Around the Corner was released on January 12, 1940Template:Sfn and premiered in the Radio City Musical Hall on January 25.Template:Sfn Upon its release it performed poorly and consequently box office rates were low.Template:Sfn At the same time, it received more box office success than Lubitsch's previous film Ninotschka.Template:Sfn The Shop Around the Corner earned a profit of $380,000 and has grossed $1.3 million worldwide.Template:Sfn

Reception

Contemporary

The Shop Around the Corner received generally positive reviews when it was released. Critics praised the actors for their performance. Photoplay remarked that "Morgan…offers a truly sterling performance, as do Joseph Schildkraut and all the others”.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Newsweek also praised Morgan for his performance as Matuschek, commenting that he "handles deftly one of his rare opportunities to play a straight dramatic role”. It also wrote that "James Stewart and Maragaret Sullavan are perfectly cast as the youngsters”.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The Hollywood Reporter claimed it would "win new audiences for pictures and return many of the old customers who have deserted”. It also called William Daniels' camera work "top class".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Variety praised the film's "vivaciousness and piquant humor" and remarked that the "production background and settings—although unpretentious—are excellent, with photography…of top calibre".<ref name=":0" /> William R. Weaver of Motion Picture Herald wrote that it "succeeds in being pleasantly entertaining" and that it "seemed to satisfy generally" at a preview showing.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> According to film historian Thomas Doherty, some critics praised the film for not having as many sexual undertones as Lubitsch's other films.Template:Sfn Other audience members were hesitant about its European setting because of World War II,Template:Sfn while others felt that Stewart's portrayal of his character was not European enough.Template:Sfn

Alternate theatrical release poster

Recent

The Shop Around the Corner continues to receive critical attention. Template:Rotten Tomatoes prose Template:Metacritic film prose It ranked as #202 in the British Film Institute's 2012 Sight & Sound critics' poll of the greatest films ever made, having garnered eight critics' votes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The work was also 58th in BBC's 2015 poll of the best American films.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to author Scott Eyman, the film was shown in Paris for a span of 66 weeks in 1986-1987, “making it the most successful reissue ever in France”.Template:Sfn In June 2017, The Shop Around the Corner was featured in the film series The Lubitsch Touch hosted by Film Forum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Dave Kehr argues Lubitsch makes "brilliant deployment of point of view, allowing the audience to enter the perceptions of each character at exactly the right moment to develop maximum sympathy and suspense."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Film historian David Thomson considers it to be "Among the greatest of all films...[The movie] is a treasury of hopes and anxieties...It is a comedy so good it frightens us for them. The café conversation may be the best meeting in American film."<ref>Thomson, David, A Biographical Dictionary of Film (3rd Edition), Alfred A. Knopf, 1994, pg. 456</ref> David Mermelstein of The Wall Street Journal says the film "remains irresistible thanks to an outstanding cast and Lubitsch’s gossamer touch”.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Kevin Bahr adds, "By returning to a simple European shop around the corner, Lubitsch was finally able to express on film what was most important to him in life: Friendship, work, and love.”Template:Sfn Ty Burr feels that "what makes Shop timeless…is the specificity of its setting".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Adaptations and remakes

Adaptations and awards

The Shop Around the Corner was dramatized in two half-hour broadcasts of The Screen Guild Theater. The first aired on September 29, 1940, and starred Sullavan, Stewart,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and Morgan in their respective roles; in this version the adultery aspect was removed.Template:Sfn The performance was held to benefit the Motion Picture Relief Fund.Template:Sfn The second broadcast aired on February 26, 1945, with Van Johnson and Phyllis Thaxter.Template:Sfn It was also dramatized as a one-hour program on Lux Radio TheaterTemplate:'s June 23, 1941, broadcast with Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche as Novak and Kralik, along with Cecil B. DeMille as narrator.Template:Sfn Both radio adaptations were included with the Warner Archive Blu-ray edition of the film.Template:Sfn

The Shop Around the Corner is ranked number 28 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is listed in TimeTemplate:'s All-Time 100 Movies.<ref name="time">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="loc">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sullavan, Stewart, and Morgan were awarded "Best Performances of the Month" in Photoplay magazine.<ref name=":1" /> It was also named one of the "Best Pictures of the Month".<ref name=":1" />

Remakes

The film has spawned numerous remakes, among which include:

• 2025 Prime Video film "Maintenance Required" is the most recent modern retelling of the classic 1940 movie The Shop Around the Corner

Themes

The Shop Around the Corner has different social themes than Lubitsch's previous films. According to David Sanjek, The Shop Around the Corner differs from Lubitsch's other films because it focuses on community rather than the individual.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite web</ref> Lubitsch was beginning to focus more on the middle class in his films.Template:Sfn In 1939 he remarked, “We must show people living in the real world. No one used to care how characters made their living if the picture was amusing. Now they do care. They want their stories tied up to life.”<ref name=":12">Template:Cite news</ref> The Shop Around the Corner steps away from "sophisticated comedy", which focuses on people belonging to the upper class.Template:Sfn William Paul, professor of Film and Media Studies, claims that because it instead focuses on the middle class, it is "more thoroughly political than any of Lubitsch's historical dramas".Template:Sfn

Author Scott Eyman describes it as "a film…about men and women who are happy to be middle class and trying to stay that way".Template:Sfn He further argues that the film highlights "the extraordinary qualities" of average middle-class people.Template:Sfn Of the characters, Vadas lives beyond his social class, as manifest by his affair with Mrs. Matuschek.Template:Sfn Paul explains that the difference between Vadas, Kralik, and Novak, is that Vadas attempts to live his desire for a higher-class life, while Kralik and Novak keep their desires more private.Template:Sfn Author Leland Poague sees Vadas as being symbolic of less desirable qualities in the middle class and his being fired as symbolic of the other characters getting rid of those qualities.Template:Sfn He also views the film as highlighting the emotions of middle class people.Template:Sfn In her analysis of the film, film critic and author Ivana Novak calls Kralik and Klara Novak "two awkward and shallow phonys" because they are two average people pretending to be cultured.Template:Sfn They seek to appear cultured in their letters because they are afraid of being perceived as insignificant.Template:Sfn Both Kralik and Novak believe their letters are sincere and accurately reflect who they are.Template:Sfn Their in-person interactions versus their correspondence reveal a rift between their realities and what they desire.Template:Sfn Poague argues that, because Kralik and Novak are not satisfied with their lives, they do not accept that other people are as passionate as themselves.Template:Sfn Initially, Kralik hesitates to reveal his identity to Novak because he comes to recognize that his letters do not accurately reflect who he is.Template:Sfn Actor and author George Toles suggests that Kralik and Novak are spared from living outside of their realities once they accept that they are ordinary.Template:Sfn

William Paul and author Jonathan Coe point out that money concerns play a large role in the plot. Much of the dialogue is about money,Template:Sfn and Kralik will only consider marriage if he receives a pay raise.Template:Sfn There are also concerns of hierarchy.Template:Sfn The characters believe that their positions within the shop will reflect how they are seen by society, which motivates Pepi's drive to become a clerk.Template:Sfn Both Novak and Kralik have connected their identities to their positions of power within the shop, believing that it affects how they are seen by others.Template:Sfn

See also

Notes

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References

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Bibliography

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Streaming audio

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