Der Laden auf dem Korso

I gave this one a 10 because it is one of the most moving and engaging films about the Holocaust I have ever seen. The film is masterful in its depiction of the duplicitous nature of average citizens in Central Europe during the rise of Nazism. During World War II, the region was pulled between fascism and communism. This film is very revealing in its ability to show the true nature of totalitarianism and how it can effect the common person. The acting is brilliant, especially in the case of the old lady who is the owner of the shop. This is one of the best Czech films from the 60s, even better than Closely Watched Trains, which is also very good. This is the type of film that stays with you in that it is both haunting and thought provoking.

One of the finest movies ever made. Ignore revues if they don't praise this film for it's sophistication and emotional power. No other movie portraying the pogroms that initiated the holocaust come close to the depth and cinematic verite that Shop on Main Street depicts. I first saw this movie in the 1960's and it has remained in my psyche ever since in a haunting unnerving memory. Every subsequent viewing I gave it reinforced it's depth and artistic strength. The directing is on a par with Ingmar Bergman, but more direct and devoid of artistic devices. The cinematography is breathtaking (Black and White). Note the scene when the protagonist's confusion is exaggerated by the camera circling around and around, enveloping the viewer in his emotional madness and guilt. This is a must see for anyone seriously interested in the very best movies of all time.

Words can hardly do justice to this gem. Understated cinematic grandeur, ultimate moral subtlety, acting without pair in the annals of movie history, philosophical and ethical depth without sententiousness . . . should I invent new superlatives to describe this indescribably touching movie?

Yes, the movie has to do with the tragedy of Jewish people in the poisoned and poisonous Europe of the WWII period, but the emotional implications go much farther than that. They address human condition in general. It is one of those egregiously few movies which make a "philosopher" out of each of us. . . even if for a minute only. . . even if we only philosophize with our unstoppable tears. I am not one to weep easily at movies, but I defy you to watch this fabulous work of cinema without being touched to the deepest fiber of your soul.

Yes, it is that good. One of the very few movies which are better than GREAT MUSIC. Watch it - preferably on the Criterion DVD, the VHS edition leaves a lot to be desired. Unless you are an unfeeling freak, no offense intended, it is very unlikely that you will ever regret it.

The last half hour of this film may well be the most emotionally intense examination of a personal moral crisis ever put on film.

The movie achieves that rarest feat of being able to portray one of the most horrendous experiences in human history without resorting to sensationalism or sentimentality.

The acting of Josef Kroner and Ida Kaminska is without peer and the musical score is quite simply haunting and adds immeasureably to the film's overall effectiveness.

Make every effort to see this true cinematic masterpiece.

This movie is one of my all-time favorites. It depicts a lazy, self-interested "everyman" caught up in a personal struggle of good and evil. The directors/writers question the moral responsibility of genocide, as smalltown Czechs under Nazi domination respond to their Jewish neighbors. Jews are no longer allowed to own shops, so their businesses' control and ultimate ownership is turned over to Christians -- namely, Nazi sympathizers. One such Christian, brother-in-law of a high-ranking official, is given a button shop, owned by a deaf, elderly Jewish woman, who is not even aware that there is a war going on. Due to her deafness, she has the innocence of a child. The Christian overseer finds that the shop makes no money whatsover, but also learns that the Jewish community supports the old woman and will pay him a salary to watch over her. What develops is a platonic love story between the two, hilariously funny due to the old woman's inability to comprehend the impending doom around her, and her assistant's struggle to shield her from harm while concerned with self-preservation. The movie works on numerous levels -- as a love story, including dreamlike fantasy elements of a bygone world where Nazi horrors don't exist; and as a tale of ultimate moral responsibility. It is a story of basically good people, who say nothing, see nothing, hear nothing, and do nothing when genocide threatens their neighbors, and who thus enable genocide to occur. The brilliant combination of hysterically funny scenes set against a background of impending mass murder brings this film to a life that is lacking in most humorless holocaust-oriented films. The laughter through tears produces an ultimate impact that is emotionally devastating. This film justly received an Oscar for Best Foreign Film when it was released. It was produced during a brief high point of the Czech film industry, prior to Russia's reconquering of the country and squelching any artistic freedom. All the performers are exceptional, particularly the two leads. (After the Russian takeover, actress Ida Kaminski emigrated to New York and attempted to revive the Yiddish Theatre.)