La tienda en la calle mayor

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.

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.

In 1942, in a small town in Czechoslovakia, the poor carpenter Tony Brtko is assigned "Aryanizator" of a small shop on the main street by his fascist brother-in-law Mark Kolkotsky. His greedy wife Evelyn is seduced with the promise of fortune, but Tony finds that the store owned by the deaf and senile seventy eight year-old widow Rozalie Lautmann is bankrupted and the old lady is financially supported by the Jewish community that promises a salary to him to help her.

I have come to feel that the Czech film of the 1960s may be one of the best places and best decades in the history of film. The "new wave" there is far more interesting than anything that came out of France or Italy, and was a decade ahead of the United States.

This film manages to be a serious examination of an ethical conflict but still has a hint of humor and gaiety. Not enough to be offensive or dismissive of the subject matter, but just enough to remind us of the glorious Czech new wave.

This is one of the most elegantly crafted and powerful movies relating to the Holocaust that I have ever seen.

As the editor and publisher of the memoir of a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Slovakia, I can aver that this movie is achingly true to life. The film's setting could be this woman's hometown. Like Mrs. Lautmann in the movie, this woman had lived behind one of the family's shops on her hometown's Main Street and her family's properties were seized during the Aryanization depicted in this movie.

How the writer, director, and actors of this seemingly small film were able to condense and convey so much of the socio-economic and political tenor of that time and place, with such acumen, dark humor, and pathos is astounding.

It seamlessly moves toward an inexorable conclusion, with each successive scene leading the viewer deeper into the world of the two protagonists and reeling from the truths that the filmmakers expertly offer up.

It is days after viewing it, and still, I cannot shake this movie.

I'll skip over the story and the themes. Other commenters have said wonderful things about that.

Let's talk visuals.

I just have to say I was blown away by almost every single shot of the movie. The black and white color looks gorgeous, and the indoor shots have lots of shadows and texture. The outdoor shots seem overexposed, brilliant, artificial and almost unbearable. The criterion version just looks superlative.

Watch the dinner scene at the start where the man's brother in law is getting drunk with Tony. They are yelling, and having a time, and the camera dives/sweeps/rapidly turns around and falls. It conveys the dizzying nature of the conversation. The outdoor scenes in the first half of the movie have lots of bustle and activity, with lots of turns and shifts of perspective. People will remember the historical themes, but please don't overlook the amazing cinematography (which rightfully doesn't call attention to itself but enhances the emotional impact of every scene). In one scene (where Person X hits Person Y), camera conveys the claustrophobic, almost paranoiac perspective of Person X and sets the rest of the action up. We just knew what was going to happen next here.

The dream sequences/surreal effects were modest and didn't seem too fantastic; they were small enough for a small man overtaken with fear.