23. The Shop Around the Corner (1940), dir. Ernst Lubitsch

[strange_complex]

It now looks like I will be going down to Birmingham tomorrow morning to take over primary duties on the parent front, but since I was still in Leeds last night I seized my chance to go along and see this at the Cottage Road cinema, along with ms_siobhan and big_dazIt is basically a typical romance story of the Hollywood Golden Era, in which the primary plot-line

Comments

[ms_siobhan]

Aside from the nudity at the end I really enjoyed it and I understand your disquiet at James Stewart character having more knowledge than Maragaret Sullavans but he is also rather disquieted at having aggrandised himself in the letters and so having to readjust things.

Plus the gigolo character was screaming - I'm sure he was only playing along with Mrs Matuschek so he could take those diamond trifles home to his chap ;-)

I especially enjoyed the banter and the characters of the errand boys and the man with a poorly wife.

Hope it goes as okay as possible in Birmingham.

[strange_complex]

The 'nudity' (if such we can call a brief glimpse of James Stewart's calves) was a positive bonus as far as I'm concerned! I like your theory about the gigolo character, too. Makes a lot more sense than the idea that he might actually have been straight. ;-)

[kernowgirl]

I remember watching this on television about twenty years ago or whenever You Got Mail came out, because I'd seen You Got Mail at the cinema (or was planning to).

As I recall, You Got Mail suffers in the same way, with Tom Hanks' character finding out before Meg Ryan's, and so gaining the advantage in their (potential) relationship. I think having the revelation staggered like that helps prolong the concept over a feature length running time... but of *course* it's the man finding out before the woman, isn't it?

I'm pretty sure I didn't pick up on that kind of thing as an overly romantic teenager, but it would definitely bug me now! Oh, and don't get me started on the Pina Colada song.

I do remember enjoying the film, though at the time I wasn't used to films of the period. Nice to hear that it would hold up even now that I'm older!

[strange_complex]

Actually, I quite like The Piña Colada Song! Partly because some of my friends used to call me Piña Colada at school (because of the minor aural resemblance between 'Penny' and 'Piña', I believe), so I thought of it as 'my song' from the first time I heard it, in the same way as I do with 'Penny Lane'.

Anyway, thanks for the low-down on You've Got Mail, and yes, I can definitely confirm that The Shop Around the Corner is still very much worth watching. :-)