{"id":30959,"date":"2013-04-23T09:04:28","date_gmt":"2013-04-23T16:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30959"},"modified":"2020-12-13T09:28:15","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T16:28:15","slug":"shop-around-the-corner-the-1940","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30959","title":{"rendered":"Shop Around the Corner, The (1940)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Just a lovely average girl; that&#8217;s all I want.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Poster-189x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"189\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-30963\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Poster-189x300.jpg 189w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Poster-80x128.jpg 80w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 189px) 100vw, 189px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe top clerk (James Stewart) in a small gift store quibbles with his new colleague (Margaret Sullavan), not realizing she&#8217;s his secret romantic pen pal; meanwhile, their boss (Frank Morgan) becomes increasingly distracted and moody as he learns his wife is carrying on an affair with one of his employees.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ernst Lubitsch Films<\/li>\n<li>Frank Morgan Films<\/li>\n<li>Jimmy Stewart Films<\/li>\n<li>Margaret Sullavan Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken Identities<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;enchanting Ernst Lubitsch comedy&#8221; (like most of Lubitsch&#8217;s farces) &#8220;has to do with mistaken identity, deception, and characters masking their true selves&#8221;. He points out that &#8220;Stewart and Sullavan (a marvelous team!) conceal their idealistic, romantic visions of the world, life, and love&#8221;, &#8220;Morgan conceals the depth of of his humanity behind a gruff exterior&#8221;, and other characters eventually turn out to be more (or less) than they seem. He notes that despite the presence of a &#8220;gossipy, word-twisting, back-stabbing sneak&#8221; in the store (I won&#8217;t say more at risk of giving away mid-narrative spoilers), this remains &#8220;Lubitsch&#8217;s gentlest, most chaste &#8230; comedy, one in which he was more interested in revealing the humanity of [most of] his characters &#8230; than in sexual innuendo&#8221;. Meanwhile, as Peary writes, &#8220;we fall in love with the people at [the store], as individuals and as a family&#8221; &#8212; indeed, despite the obvious stagebound origins of the story (it&#8217;s based on a play by Hungarian <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mikl%C3%B3s_L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3\">Miklos Laszlo<\/a>), we can&#8217;t help solidly believing in these characters and their unique milieu. <\/p>\n<p>The subplot involving Morgan&#8217;s discovery of his wife&#8217;s infidelity plays an important role in the overall storyline (and it&#8217;s wonderful to see Morgan given such a meaty, nuanced part) &#8212; but at the heart of the film lies the love-hate relationship that develops between Stewart and Sullavan. We know from the beginning that they are each others&#8217; secret paramours, and Stewart finds out roughly half-way through the film &#8212; so the crux of the narrative tension revolves around how, when, or if Stewart will choose to reveal what he&#8217;s discovered. To that end, the scene in which Stewart initially learns about Sullavan&#8217;s identity is decidedly bittersweet; Sullavan&#8217;s reaction to Stewart &#8220;barging in&#8221; on her intended rendezvous shows her in a surprisingly negative light, and it took me a while to understand how Stewart could so easily forgive her and reconcile her &#8220;real life&#8221; persona with the one she&#8217;d revealed to him in letters (there&#8217;s clearly more going on in his mind than we&#8217;ve privy to). Ultimately, however, their complicated dance of gradual recognition rings true &#8212; now more so than ever, as more and more individuals (myself included) meet their beloved in virtual reality before encountering one another in person. Film fanatics should certainly check out this finely acted, expertly directed human comedy at least once. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Laszlo&#8217;s play was remade two more times &#8212; first as the Judy Garland\/Van Johnson musical <em>In the Good Old Summertime<\/em> (1949), and later as <em>You&#8217;ve Got Mail<\/em> (1993), starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan; neither is must-see viewing.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak (nominated as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in Peary&#8217;s Alternate Oscars)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Sullavan.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Sullavan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Sullavan.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Sullavan-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Sullavan-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>James Stewart as Alfred Kralik (nominated as one of the Best Actors of the Year in Alternate Oscars)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Stewart.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Stewart.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30964\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Stewart.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Stewart-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Stewart-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Frank Morgan as Mr. Matuschek<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Morgan.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Morgan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Morgan.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Morgan-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Morgan-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Felix Bressart as Pirovitch<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Bressart.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Bressart.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Bressart.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Bressart-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Shop-Around-the-Corner-Bressart-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a classic romance by a master director. Nominated as one of the Best Pictures of the Year in Alternate Oscars. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0033045\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s623shop.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/the-shop-around-the-corner\/review\/117634\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1940\/01\/26\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-ernst-lubitsch-offers-james-stewart-and.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/413\/the-shop-around-the-corner#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/the-shop-around-the-corner\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Just a lovely average girl; that&#8217;s all I want.&#8221; Synopsis: The top clerk (James Stewart) in a small gift store quibbles with his new colleague (Margaret Sullavan), not realizing she&#8217;s his secret romantic pen pal; meanwhile, their boss (Frank Morgan) becomes increasingly distracted and moody as he learns his wife is carrying on an affair with one of his employees. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Ernst Lubitsch Films Frank Morgan Films Jimmy Stewart Films Margaret Sullavan Films Mistaken Identities Play&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30959\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30959"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57507,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30959\/revisions\/57507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}