The Shop On Main Street - Criterion Collection (1966)

An inept Czech peasant is torn between greed and guilt when the Nazi-backed bosses of his town appoint him "Aryan controller" of an old Jewish widow's button shop. Humor and tragedy fuse in this scathing exploration of one cowardly man's complicity in the horrors of a totalitarian regime. Made near the height of Soviet oppression in Czechoslovakia, The Shop on Main Street features intense editing and camera work which won it the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Film in 1965.

If you're Slovak, you want to see this film!!

If your parents or grandparents emigrated to the USA from Czechoslovakia, you will want to see this movie. It gives you a good picture of life in a small slovak village. Although the theme is about treatment of the Jewish population during the Nazi Occupation, the film gives you a good picture of how our Slovak ancestors lived their lives in the 1940's. January 25, 2008

A Magnificent Film in Every Way

This film, in my opinion, is one of the finest films ever made. The acting is beyond magnificent, and the filming and sound effects are wonderful. This is one of the best examples of a film that is understated, yet so moving and powerful. It treats the tragedy of the holocaust from a real life scenario, and is touching and compassionate in its portrayal of the main characters of the film.

The review, placed on the back of the DVD leaves much to be desired. It is ridiculously simplistic and inaccurate. It portrays Tono (the Aryan supervisor of the elderly Jewish woman's shop in the film) as being merely cowardly and complicit. I found the DVD's review to be callously written and ignorant. October 23, 2007

Tour de Force ...

Antonin (the wonderful Jozef Kroner) is a willingly lazy carpenter who is leading a simple life in a small Czechoslovakia town. His wife is an ill tempered and dominating lady who is perpetually disdainful of her husband. She dreams of a better life and constantly compares Antonin to his brother-in-law who is a Nazi officer in the city.
One fine day, at a small family gathering and whilst miserably drunk, Antonin's brother-in-law hands him the "Aryan" ownership papers for a button shop on the main street that is being run by an elderly and near-deaf Jewish lady, Mrs. Lautman.
Antonin is a reluctant owner and is easily outmaneuvered and outsmarted by Mrs. Lautman. Antonin eases into his ownership position by offering to help Mrs. Lautman in her day-to-day shop chores. At home, he spins a dominating owner story and is pestered by his greedy wife to search for a hidden cache of money & gold. Days go by and an unusual bond develops between Antonin & Mrs. Lautman. She treats him to some delectable homemade food and he helps her run her shop and paint her aging furniture whilst maintaining the veneer of being an owner.
However, the holocaust looms large over the small city and the local Nazis are listing the Jews and sending them off to labor camps. Antonin dreads that Mrs. Lautman's name will be on the list of evacuees and she'll be condemned to a labor camp any day. He and a friend decide to hide Mrs. Lautman, but fear for the prospects of her being caught later. Antonin is clearly worried, but is unable to hatch a clear plan for Mrs. Lautman and is confused about keeping her in hiding or having her leave with fellow Jews. In his inept desperation and utter paranoia (seeing some Nazi officers closing in on the shop) he pushes Mrs. Lautman into a closet. The officers simply walk by the shop and the relieved Antonin rushes back to the closet to find a motionless and dead figure of Mrs. Lautamn. In his desperation he pushes her too hard and she falls to her death. Antonin is devastated and commits suicide. But, before hanging himself he lets his ever faithful dog out of the shop.
The story is simple, but very hard hitting. Antonin's character is very innocent, kind and human. He is emotionally vulnerable and unable to handle the dark circumstances that the holocaust brought upon common people. The premise behind the eviction of Jews baffles him and leads to his own death.
This is one of the best movies I've seen. I sat gazing at the credits and the blank screen long after the movie was over. Supreme acting by Jozef Króner.
August 28, 2007

amazing movie!

great movie! unbelievable acting, and cinematography! i don't understand why more people haven't heard of this movie! August 18, 2007

The Shop on Main Street

A deserving winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1965, "Shop" is a haunting tale of the holocaust. Directed by Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos with simplicity and restraint, the heart-rending story unfolds gradually, with a pitch-perfect rendering of the two central characters (by Kroner and Kaminska) keeping us glued to the screen. An unforgettable testament to the horrific ravages of the Second War. July 2, 2007

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