432. Obchod na korze/The Shop on Main Street (1965)

Running Time: 128 minutes
Directed By: Jan Kadar, Elmar Klos
Written By: Ladislav Grosman, Jan Kadar, Elmar Klos
Main Cast: Jozef Kroner, Ida Kaminska, Hana Slivkova, Martin Holly Sr., Frantisek Zvarik

GOOD FRIENDSHIP, EVIL SURROUNDINGS

Continuing our trek through the 1960s, we come to "The Shop on Main Street", yet another Holocaust movie from the "1001..." book and another fantastic one, at that. Lets jump right into it, shall we.

Tony Brtko (Kroner) is an easy going, Slovak carpenter living in Czechoslovakia right around the time of the Nazi occupation. He lives with his nagging wife Evelina (Slivkova) and his loyal dog Essenc. His wife is constantly trying to persuade him to get a real job and earn more money, so that they're not so poor, a task that would be relatively easy for him, seeing as how his brother-in-law, Markus (Zvarik) is a Nazi. However, Tony holds a grudge against Markus and it isn't until Markus and his wife come to Tony's for dinner one night, that Tony finally decides to take Markus' help. Markus hands over to Tony control of Lautmann's sewing shop, owned by the very elderly and very deaf Mrs. Lautmann (Kaminska). Basically, Tony is named Aryan controller of Lautmann's shop and will basically take control of all her assets and profits. Tony sees this as an opportunity to shut up his wife and make a few bucks and he graciously takes the gig. However, when he first confronts Mrs. Lautmann, she is very confused and can't understand what her intentions are. A Jewish sympathizer, Mr. Kuchar (Holly Sr.), intervenes and cuts a deal with Tony: If he takes care of Mrs. Lautmann and leaves her to her shop, then the Jewish community will, in turn, take care of him monetarily, providing him with a weekly payment, simply for leaving Mrs. Lautmann be. Tony agrees, but doesn't breathe a word of the deal and instead, trots off everyday to the store to be a companion to Mrs. Lautmann and fix things around her place.

SPOILER ALERT!

There's really a lot more I could put into that plot description, without giving anything away, but that's plenty to inform someone who has never seen the film. In a word, I thought the film lived up to the title of the book and is certainly a must see. It may not be the best film I've watched, but I'd still call it a must see, just because it was so powerful. There really isn't any bad to talk about, so we'll skip right into the good and I'll gush a bit. The cast did a fine job and I especially liked Jozef Kroner. If anything, this book can certainly take credit for really opening my eyes when it comes to the Holocaust and making me even more aware of the horrors that went on during that time period. Every film I've watched from the book that has dealt with the subject of the Holocaust, has been a fine one and I look forward to seeing more. One of the small details that was a really heavy line for me, was when Mrs. Lautmann, in her confused state, as she watched her friends and neighbors loaded on to trucks and taken to the camps, she compared what was happening to the "end of the world". It really makes you think what these people must have been going through and how scary everything must have been and how most of them must have been thinking that this was it for them.

The final half or quarter of the film is so well done, so dramatic and so powerful that it really draws you in and doesn't let go until the credits roll. Tony begging and pleading with Mrs. Lautmann to hide and to not let the Aryan's see her, Tony then realizing that is he's caught, they'll both be punished and telling her that "it's you or me", trying to shove her out the door and into the menacing hands of the enemy. In the end, Tony accidentally kills Mrs. Lautmann when he tries to hide her in a closet and then hangs himself. The final scene is Mrs. Lautmann and Tony, dressed in their best duds, skipping down the main street as happy as ever. I think, maybe, it hints at the fact that this was really the closest relationship that Tony had ever experienced - the day's he'd spend with Mrs. Lautmann, shouting in an effort to try and get her to hear him. I think the final scene may also be trying to say that, at this time, death may have been a better option than living. That, at least, in death you may find a piece of happiness and that in the world at that time, there was absolutely no happiness or joy to be found.

RATING: 8/10 Again, one where quibbling over numbers is so irrelevant. It's a great film and that's that and it's one that I wouldn't be surprised to see make the next TOP 20 list.

MOVIES WATCHED: 333
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 668

October 18, 2011 7:02pm