8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A Budapest store clerk finds himself feuding with his pretty co-worker, who, unbeknownst to him, is the secret pen pal with whom he is falling in love.
Starring: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan (I), Joseph Schildkraut, Sara HadenRomance | 100% |
Holiday | 7% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Although it's doomed to lay forever in the shadow of that other Christmas movie starring Jimmy Stewart, The Shop Around the Corner is an entertaining and well-acted little gem that's held up perfectly well during the last 80 years. Famously remade as 1998's capable but inferior You've Got Mail, this charming production pits two co-workers against each other as the holiday shopping season approaches... but despite the personality clash, Alfred Kralik (Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) have actually been anonymous pen pals for several months. As the drama unfolds at Matuschek and Co. in Budapest, The Shop Around the Corner effortlessly works its magic from start to finish.
It's admirable how The Shop Around the Corner manages to hide an unfolding love story within the crevices of its primary plot, but it does so in a natural and organic way. There are almost no wasted moments here -- and only the bare minimum of window dressing, somewhat ironically -- even though its setup and fallout never feel rushed for time. Very few elements feel anything close to out of place and, most importantly, the film ends almost exactly when it needs to -- eight decades' worth of romantic comedies could still learn a thing or two in The Shop Around the Corner's wake. It almost goes without saying that Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan play wonderfully off each other, just as they did in The Mortal Storm (released later in 1940, and also featuring Frank Morgan) and their earlier pairings, with almost every supporting actor following suit. All things considered, it's a "total package" picture elevated just beyond the sum of its parts and, factoring in a bonus point for its understated but fitting holiday backdrop, The Shop Around the Corner still plays extremely well this time of year. (Or even the middle of January, when it debuted in theaters.)
Warner Archive Collection has once again come to the rescue
of a beloved catalog title, although this one at least enjoyed
many spins on Warner
Bros.' dated but respectable "snapper case" DVD edition, which
was released all the way back in 2002 and has since gone long
out-of-print. Not
surprisingly, it comes equipped with a nicely remastered
1080p transfer and lossless audio, as well as most of the old
extras and a couple of new
ones. The Shop Around the Corner just might be my
most-anticipated Warner Archive title of the year, and it's
certainly been worth the
wait.
Although Warner Archive was not specific as to the source material(s) used for this new 1080p transfer of The Shop Around the Corner, all signs point to a fresh 2K scan of the film's interpositive. Overall this is a very clean and stable image that easily surpasses the old "snapper case" DVD; one that features a rich amount of grain, much stronger fine detail, and more refined contrast levels. There are times when the brightness levels almost seem too high, mostly in scenes shot outdoors, as some of the brightest whites almost buckle under the spotlight. But this is likely more due to the original photography than incorrect gamma levels or boosted contrast, as a full range of silvery grays and a handful of deep black items (hats, winter coats, etc.) could easily be spotted during those moving scenes and static shots. Not surprisingly, the most obvious improvements are fine detail and texture, from the shop's trinkets to clothing material and, of course, even in soft-focus close-ups. Interior shots look fantastic, as do stray nighttime scenes like the snowy Christmas Eve sequence during the film's final stretch. As usual, Warner Archive's Blu- ray is perfectly authored and runs at a very high bit rate, displaying no obvious compression artifacts or defects along the way.
Bottom line: I've played the DVD of this film every year for the better part of two decades, and this handsome Blu-ray presentation felt, in some ways, like I was seeing The Shop Around the Corner for the first time.
The film's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, which preserves its one-channel roots, likewise shows improvement but the differences are not as drastic or immediately noticeable. Since The Shop Around the Corner is much lighter on music cues than most films of its era, dialogue does most of the heavy lifting; for the most part, it comes through very clearly with no audible distortion or clipping. There are some brief exceptions, such as Werner Heymann's opening theme and a few exchanges along the way, but those barely-distracting defects are likely source-related and thankfully left intact rather than artificially sweetened. Although not much depth or weight is achieved, what's here is certainly good enough for a film that basically boils down to 90% interior dialogue, and most of it one-on-one at that.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film; they're formatted nicely and contain no obvious sync issues. As usual, I'm not crazy about their bright yellow hue but that's hardly worth complaining about.
This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover art that's more or less identical to the older DVD. Those as familiar with that disc as I am will notice some changes to the bonus features: one featurette seems to be missing in action*, although we get two vintage radio adaptations to make up for it.
* - The DVD featurette A Great Story is Worth Retelling has not been ported over -- presumably due to rights issues, as it mostly concerned the film's 1998 remake, You've Got Mail. Not a huge loss, but unfortunate.
Charming, well-acted, and perfectly paced, Ernst Lubistch's career highlight The Shop Around the Corner is a perennial Christmas favorite around these parts and it's wonderful to finally have the film on Blu-ray... let alone from the one of the best labels in the business. Warner Archive's disc, as usual, supports the film very strongly with an outstanding new 1080p transfer and carries over most of the DVD-era bonus features while adding a few new ones too. Even if you don't get it in time for the holidays, this one's absolutely recommended for die-hard fans and first-timers alike.
1993
Warner Archive Collection
1949
10th Anniversary Edition
2006
2019
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1969
2004
1988
1986
2010
2010
1936
Collector's Edition
1998
1935
1931
1945
1937
1927
1941
1943
1937