The Shop Around the Corner

“The Lubitsch Touch” in its purest form. Before Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks emailed each other in beautiful New York, James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan were writing long letters in Budapest, and the master of sophisticated comedy had captured it wonderfully. As a result, the eponymous shop around the corner, glistening in Christmas snow, appears as a mini-universe full of familiar objects, lovable characters, and affairs of the heart. Lubitsch, like no one else in Hollywood, was able to bring out the best and the most authentic out of his actors: Mr Kralik exudes Stewart’s tenderness and warmth, while Miss Novak is feisty and tenacious. The couple working in Mr Matuschek’s shop have great chemistry – and this is, after all, the key to the success of a romantic comedy. The Shop Around the Corner is one of the genre’s most delightful examples. With the screening of Lubitsch’s film, Timeless Festival celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of MGM, the studio where some of the most beautiful cinema spectacles were created.

Patrycja Mucha

Ernst Lubitsch (1892–1947) was an American director of German origin. He started out in Germany, directing Pola Negri in some of her earliest films. After moving to Hollywood in 1922, he established himself as a master of sophisticated comedy, perfecting a style that came to be known as “the Lubitsch touch”. Among his best-known films are Trouble in Paradise (1932), Ninotchka (1939) and To Be or Not to Be (1942).

New 4K restoration.