One of director Ernst Lubitsch's personal favorites, this 1940 romantic comedy stars James Stewart as Alfred Kralik and Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak, two feuding clerks in a Budapest shop who--unbeknownst to one another--have been having an anonymous romance through the mail after Klara placed a personal ad. If the plot sounds familiar, it should: the film was remade in 1949 as the musical In the Good Old Summertime, starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson, and again in 1998 as You've Got Mail, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. While both remakes have their particular charms, neither eclipses the feel-good original with its wonderful onscreen chemistry between Stewart and Sullavan, nutty but endearing supporting characters, and warm and witty script (Stewart to Sullavan: "you certainly know how to put a man in his planet"). Sporting a handsome, crisp transfer, the DVD also includes the Romance of Celluloid short "The Miracle of Sound," text production notes, and trailers for all three film versions. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)
The Shop Around the Corner
Warner, 99 min., not rated, DVD: $19.98 Volume 18, Issue 1
The Shop Around the Corner
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