The Shop on Main Street

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. (05/05/2020)

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. (02/02/2013)

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. (01/07/2013)

A great example that Czech, Czechoslovak and Slovak cinematography definitely have something to say and draw from. A perspective on war through the eyes of ordinary people, a perspective on war through the development of one character, and a development that is brilliantly destructive. What the main pair of actors showcase is as incredible as the masterful experimentation of the directing duo. One of the peaks of Czechoslovak cinematography. Actually, of Czech and Slovak independent cinematography as well. (12/02/2014)

I've been struggling with accepting The Shop on Main Street for years and it's still like being at sea, once down, once up. The work of the Kadár/Klos duo will always be problematic because their joint ascension in the 1950s is one perversion after another. The Shop on Main Street has a theme comparable to the appeal of Zinnemann's The Search, which is nice, but the tragedy encapsulated in the character of Ida Kaminská is too complicated to be so easily eclipsed by Kroner's traditional citizen in moral distress. Unfortunately, today it is also difficult to understand the dialogues that sovereignly combine Slovak, German, and Yiddish. There could not be a more atypical film for Czechoslovak cinema, and yet it is the one that represented 20 years of State Film in its time and is now honored with the Academy Award as eternal and divine. (11/16/2014)