Happy Holidays everyone! To celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, I've decided to complete a daily review series of 12 Christmas movies leading up to the big 12/25. To qualify, the movies have to be tied to Christmas in some way and also something I've never seen before. I'll be going in chronological order. So, without further ado, if you got chestnuts, roast 'em - and enjoy my 12 Days of Christmas Movies!
The Shop Around the Corner
Dir. Ernst Lubitsch
Fans of early Hollywood will likely recognize the name Ernst Lubitsch, one of the premiere directors of "sophisticated" comedies in the 1920s-40s (pinkies up!). His films featured what critics touted as the "Lubitsch touch" - a light and intimate style that often included fully fleshed-out characters (not just those in leading roles), snappy dialogue, and more than a pinch of sentimentality. The Shop Around the Corner is a great example of this style. Although it's not an out-and-out Christmas movie per se, it's often listed on "top" holiday film lists, as it's a romantic comedy that takes place during the pre-Christmas shopping rush.
Based on a Hungarian play that took place in a perfume store, with The Shop Around the Corner Lubitsch instead modeled the story after his own experiences working in his father's leather goods shop as a boy. James Stewart stars as Alfred, a salesman at a boutique owned by Mr. Matuschek (Frank Morgan - who's probably best known for playing the wizard in The Wizard of Oz). Alfred works alongside a young lady named Klara (Margaret Sullavan) and they constantly bicker and butt heads. Meanwhile, both are enamored with a pen pal, but little do they realize that they are each other's pen pal and have unwittingly fallen in love! It's You've Got Mail with postage!
It's a cute little story, but it's that "Lubitsch touch" that makes The Shop Around the Corner work. You can tell this movie was based on a play, as it takes place almost entirely within the boutique, but it hardly matters when the writing is so fun and quick-witted. The ensemble of actors are all great, and the chemistry between Stewart and Sullavan is entertaining with all of their snarky, ironic exchanges. The cast of supporting actors are great as well, particularly Frank Morgan whose character goes to some surprisingly dark places - at one point he finds out his wife has been cheating on him with a man he possibly works with, which leads to a failed suicide attempt landing him in a psych ward. Merry Christmas!
Although it feels quaint, I think there's a deceiving amount of depth to the film. There's a kind of timeless feel to the story that's totally relatable despite being 77 years old. I could easily see this being remade today with a "social media" spin on the story - the idea of falling in love with an anonymous person not turning out to be who you expected is basically "catfishing," isn't it? Whether you're charmed by its budding Christmastime romance or feel like it's some kind of creepy mind game is up to you, but I found The Shop Around the Corner pretty fricking delightful.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Trailer:
*I wish these kinds of "address the audience" trailers were still common today; the only one I can think of recently is Deadpool's "Bob Ross" ad.
No comments:
Post a Comment