---
title: "The Shop Around the Corner"
year: 1940
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-shop-around-the-corner"
fi1m_id: "the-shop-around-the-corner"
imdb_id: "tt0033045"
tmdb_id: 20334
wikidata_id: "Q782751"
fi1m_score: 88
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-10-02T22:13:48.569777+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-02T22:13:49.140136+00:00"
region: "MY"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch · 1h 39m · Comedy, Drama, Romance

## Identity

The Shop Around the Corner

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-shop-around-the-corner
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-shop-around-the-corner
- **IMDb ID:** tt0033045
- **TMDB ID:** 20334
- **Wikidata ID:** Q782751
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033045/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/20334, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q782751

**Fi1m score: 88** · Critics 85 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Two clerks who loathe each other across a Budapest counter, a boss going quietly to pieces, and a cigarette box nobody wants

> Lubitsch’s comedy of two quarrelling Budapest clerks is as light as its reputation says and sadder than it lets on. Sullavan and Stewart are a pleasure; Frank Morgan, as their boss, is the one who stays with you.

## Synopsis

Budapest, with Christmas on the way. Matuschek and Company, a leather goods shop, is run by Hugo Matuschek (Frank Morgan), a bluff owner who likes to be agreed with. His head clerk, Alfred Kralik (James Stewart), is exchanging letters with a woman he found through a newspaper advertisement and has never met. Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) arrives looking for work and gets it by selling a musical cigarette box Kralik had argued against stocking. The two of them disagree about everything across the counter. Meanwhile Matuschek turns suddenly cold towards Kralik, and the rest of the staff, Vadas (Joseph Schildkraut) and the errand boy Pepi (William Tracy) among them, watch the door and count their wages.

## Review

Ernst Lubitsch made his name on films about rich people in evening dress lying to each other, and here he gives all that up for a leather goods shop in Budapest. Matuschek and Company sells wallets, suitcases and, against the advice of its head clerk, a cigarette box that plays a tune when you open it. Alfred Kralik (James Stewart), the head clerk, is writing to a woman he found through a newspaper advertisement and has never met. Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) talks her way into a job by selling one of the boxes, and the two of them take against each other within the hour. *The Shop Around the Corner* is as good as its reputation and sadder than the reputation allows. We recommend it with hardly any reservation.

Nearly everything happens in the shop, which is one set: a front room with the counter, a back office, a stockroom, and a snowy street outside. William H. Daniels shoots it plainly, in soft grey light at eye level, and the camera waits in doorways rather than following anyone. The point of the place is the staff. Pirovitch (Felix Bressart) makes himself scarce whenever the boss asks for an honest opinion. Vadas (Joseph Schildkraut) agrees with whoever is nearest. Pepi (William Tracy) runs errands and resents it. Samson Raphaelson’s script cares as much about who gets a raise as who gets the girl, and that is why it still works.

Stewart and Sullavan quarrel well. He is tall, awkward and sure he is right; she is quick and husky-voiced and sure he is not; and their rows over how to display a handbag are the best comedy here because each of them is partly right. The letters are another matter. Raphaelson has the correspondents write in a high-minded style, about books and souls, and the joke is that two people who are sharp in person are solemn bores on paper. There is a long café scene, when Kralik goes to meet his correspondent, that we will not describe, except that Gene Ruggiero barely cuts and Stewart does more with his face than most actors manage with a speech.

Then there is Frank Morgan. Hugo Matuschek is bluff, vain and fond of being agreed with, and at first Morgan plays him for easy laughs. Then the man goes cold towards his favourite clerk, for reasons the film keeps back, and the laughs stop. There is a scene in the back office that upset us more than a comedy has any business doing, because Morgan did so little: he sat down, his voice went small, and the shop went on selling wallets outside the door. It was Morgan we were still thinking about afterwards.

The flaws are small. Vadas is a villain in a film that did not need one, and Schildkraut plays him a shade broader than everyone else. The second half is a long delay, with one party knowing more than the other and the film enjoying the gap longer than we did; a sickbed scene in Klara’s flat is the one stretch where 99 minutes feels like more. Werner R. Heymann’s score is mostly the tune in the cigarette box and a few bars at the start and finish, which suits the film but leaves the ending to do its work on dialogue alone. And nobody on screen sounds Hungarian; the film does not pretend otherwise.

Among Lubitsch’s films, this is the one with the least champagne in it. [*Trouble in Paradise*](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise) is cleverer and [*Ninotchka*](https://film.one/film/ninotchka) is funnier line for line. This is kinder than either, and the only one in which we worried whether anyone could pay the rent. It was remade as *You’ve Got Mail*, which kept the letters and lost the shop, and the shop was the point.

It ends on Christmas Eve, and December is the right month for it, with the radiators on. Britain first saw it on 1 May 1940 and it does not need snow outside to work. It only needs the two of you to disagree about something small, which it will arrange.

*Fi1m score 88, published 2 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Nearly all the reviews are warm, and the praise clusters where you would expect: on Ernst Lubitsch’s direction, his handling of the small quarrels and loyalties of the shop floor, and the irony of two lovers whose grand letters keep them from recognising each other across the counter. Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart are singled out repeatedly, Sullavan for her warmth and Stewart for the ease of his comic playing. Several critics treat the film as seasonal viewing and find it more affecting than the later films made in its image.

Reservations are mild and few. Slant Magazine thinks the second half loses dramatic weight once the central crises resolve, and Radio Times calls the plot thin, though charm carries it. Empire finds the clerks’ money worries as touching as the romance. The spread is narrow, from good to glowing, with no negative notice; the one contemporaneous New York Times review could not be read in full, so its verdict stands unverified.

## Straight answers

**Is The Shop Around the Corner worth watching?**

*The Shop Around the Corner* is worth watching for almost anyone, and we scored it 88. Lubitsch's comedy of two quarrelling Budapest shop clerks is as light as its reputation says and sadder than it lets on, with Frank Morgan's shop owner the performance that stays with you. Our only reservation is a slow stretch in the second half, where one character knows more than the other for longer than we needed.

**How long is The Shop Around the Corner, and what is it rated?**

*The Shop Around the Corner* runs 1h 39m. It is a comedy and drama film.

**Where can I watch The Shop Around the Corner in Malaysia?**

*The Shop Around the Corner* is not on any streaming or rental service in Malaysia at the moment. It is available in 1 other country; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**What should I watch after The Shop Around the Corner?**

After *The Shop Around the Corner*, try [*Trouble in Paradise*](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise) (1932, Fi1m 84): Lubitsch with the champagne left in: two thieves in Venice, lying to each other with style. Then [*The Apartment*](https://film.one/film/the-apartment) (1960, Fi1m 91): Another office romance where the real subject is who can afford to keep their job; and [*Letter from an Unknown Woman*](https://film.one/film/letter-from-an-unknown-woman) (1948, Fi1m 86): Letters again, in old Vienna, and this time nobody is laughing; bring a handkerchief.

### Reviews we read (9)

- **Slant Magazine**, Jaime N. Christley (4/4): The critic finds the film charming and structurally engaging, though its second half loses dramatic weight after the central crises are resolved. The review especially praises Lubitsch’s delicate portrayal of the shop’s workplace dynamics and the subtle ironies in its characters’ misunderstandings. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-shop-around-the-corner/)
- **Time Out**, David Jenkins (5/5): The review presents the film as a delicately rendered story of struggling shop clerks. It praises the film’s grace and delicacy. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-shop-around-the-corner)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, THR Staff (95/100, inferred): The review calls the film grand entertainment and a triumph for Lubitsch. It especially praises Lubitsch’s distinctive direction, alongside the writing and performances. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/shop-around-the-corner-1940-review-1235067096/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (85/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film an eccentric Christmas delight, praising its ingenious construction. He particularly singles out how the lovers’ grand, impersonal letters keep them from recognizing each other. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/02/the-shop-around-the-corner-review-1940-lubitsch-romcom-still-a-christmas-delight)
- **Radio Times**, Tony Sloman (4/5): Sloman praises the film’s abundant charm despite its thin plot. He singles out Margaret Sullavan’s warmth and James Stewart’s performance as especially delightful. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ga3fnb/the-shop-around-the-corner/)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (80/100, inferred): The review is strongly positive, praising Lubitsch’s humor and human interest. It especially singles out the performances of Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart. [Read](https://variety.com/1939/film/reviews/the-shop-around-the-corner-1200412964/)
- **Empire**, David Parkinson (78/100, inferred): Parkinson finds the film nostalgic, charming, and more affecting than its later descendants. He singles out its vivid sense of community and the clerks’ economic uncertainty as especially charming. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shop-around-corner-review/)
- **The New York Times** (65/100, inferred): The URL identifies this as a contemporaneous screen review of the named film, but the page text is inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and specific praise or criticism therefore cannot be verified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1940/01/26/archives/the-screen-in-review-ernst-lubitsch-offers-james-stewart-and.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Owen Van Spall (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film to be ideal seasonal fare and a showcase for Lubitsch’s distinctive comic touch. They single out James Stewart’s effortless comedic performance as helping hold together its sweetly sentimental romance. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-shop-around-the-corner-film-review-by-owen-van-spall)

## Details

- **Director:** Ernst Lubitsch
- **Director:** Ernst Lubitsch
- **Screenplay:** Samson Raphaelson
- **Cinematography:** William H. Daniels
- **Editor:** Gene Ruggiero
- **Music:** Werner R. Heymann
- **Producer:** Ernst Lubitsch
- **Cast:** Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak; James Stewart as Alfred Kralik; Frank Morgan as Hugo Matuschek; Joseph Schildkraut as Ferencz Vadas; Sara Haden as Flora; Felix Bressart as Pirovitch; William Tracy as Pepi Katona; Inez Courtney as Ilona
- **Runtime:** 1h 39m
- **First release (the US):** 10 January 1940
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Romance
- **Budget:** $500,000
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khWff98Q24k

## Where to watch in Malaysia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Malaysia at the last check.

Also available in: US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Trouble in Paradise* (1932), Fi1m 84: Lubitsch with the champagne left in: two thieves in Venice, lying to each other with style. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise.md)
- *The Apartment* (1960), Fi1m 91: Another office romance where the real subject is who can afford to keep their job. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-apartment.md)
- *Il Posto* (1961): A Milan clerk’s first job, filmed with the same patience for small humiliations and small hopes.
- *Letter from an Unknown Woman* (1948), Fi1m 86: Letters again, in old Vienna, and this time nobody is laughing; bring a handkerchief. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/letter-from-an-unknown-woman.md)
- *In the Mood for Love* (2000), Fi1m 91: Two neighbours in sixties Hong Kong who never quite say it, shot in corridors and rain. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-shop-around-the-corner