Obchod na korze
Cinematography:
Vladimír NovotnýComposer:
Zdeněk LiškaCast:
Ida Kamińska, Jozef Kroner, František Zvarík, Hana Slivková, Martin Hollý st., Elena Zvaríková-Pappová, Martin Gregor, Adam Matejka, Mikuláš Ladižinský (more)Plots(1)
‘Tóno’ Brtko, a poor carpenter, is appointed by his despised Nazi brother-in-law to be 'Aryan controller' of an old Jewish widow’s sewing shop in a Nazi-occupied Slovakia in 1942. The widow, Rozalia (Yiddish theatre legend Ida Kamińska, nominated here for a Best Actress Oscar® for her performance) is near deaf, isolated and partially sighted, barely even aware of the war or able to comprehend the danger in which she lives. Believing Tóno is simply her new assistant, the two develop a friendship that sees him maintaining that fiction as he attempts to protect her from the encroaching Nazi horror. The Shop on the High Street is a complex tale of common lives disturbed and destroyed by war. Wonderfully written and performed, and with an extraordinary Zdenek Liška score, the film becomes a devastating examination of how minor compromises can finally lead to complicity in the horrors of tyranny. Winner of the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Feature in 1965, Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos’ The Shop on the High Street (aka The Shop on Main Street) is one of the cornerstones of World Cinema, and perhaps the most internationally renowned film in all Czechoslovak cinema. (Second Run)
(more)Reviews (10)
A Czechoslovak cinematic gem that deservedly won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. This superbly constructed story imbued with an atmosphere of fear and emotionally built to the max, is a chillingly accurate portrayal of the time period it is about. The film is adorned with literally fascinating performances by Jozef Kroner and Ida Kamińska. I dare say they both presented themselves here in the best roles of their lives. The last half hour blew my mind. In fact, I can't remember if I've ever had a similarly strong emotional experience with any other film.
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A film so brilliant and so masterfully orchestrated and built up in the second half that it brings me to tears. One of the distinctive cornerstones of the mosaic called "The Golden Era of Czechoslovak cinema of the 1960s", and clear proof (one of many) that it was at that time when the greatest works of cinema in this country were made. The performances of Kroner and Kaminska are superb, the film was a well-deserved worldwide success at the time of its release (as evidenced by the Oscar and the unique Oscar nomination for Kaminska, which was a year too late in the history of this award); it's a pity that it’s almost unknown to today's young generation.
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If there is a reason for Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos to roast in hell for their film endeavors from the 1950s (and there are a few reasons), then this film more than redeems their transgressions. An excellent, chilling drama from the wartime period that shows how dictatorship and dark times can distort human characters. By the way, when we compare Hřebejk's acclaimed film Divided We Fall with The Shop on Main Street, we understand the difference between a very good film and an excellent one, and the difference between playing it safe and filmmaking bravery. Overall impression: 100%. One of the best films ever produced by the Czechoslovak film school.
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Yes, it is true that The Shop on Main Street is about, in essence, a pretty important topic in our history. In any case, it must be acknowledged that this film is from Slovakia rather than Czechoslovakia. This is not to say that it is more about Slovak history than Czech one, as it is clear to me things were exactly the same in Czechia. But the Slovaks contributed more to this film’s creation. Anyway, what didn’t sit well with me was the affected Slovak language, where I kept missing every second line and I had hard time getting into the story. Another problem, however, was the cumbersome filmmaking, where one had to pay a lot of attention in order to perceive every detail and nuance of the story.
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Of the three Czech/Czechoslovak winners of the prestigious Oscar so far, I think The Shop on Main Street is the film that deserves the golden statue the most. The initially slow story with a few humorous moments turns into a psychological drama with an inevitable ending. The film realistically depicts the atmosphere during the Second World War in one Slovak village. The natural and convincing acting of Jozef Kroner and Ida Kaminska adds to the film's quality. Of course, the most impressive sequence is the last scenes with the deportation of the Jews and the sad ending, which suddenly turns into a conclusion full of optimism, hope and redemption (I don't want to spoil it). In short, a very nice, authentic and well acted film that made me laugh, touched and amazed me - and that says it all.
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