Das Geschäft in der Hauptstraße

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)

It's great to work with so many levels and ambivalence of "I'm a good person, after all, I even arise basically against my will, moreover when something comes out of it, but quietly, no one needs to know, especially when I'm calm", and the portrayal of all the characters who walk in front of, in or behind the shop. It's playful in form (hiding from the viewer/camera is exactly what one would expect Herz to have come up with) and it works in multiple ways. It can be unabashedly emotional, everyone acts with gusto, and it's the actions of the characters that are the defining factor, not the declamatory speeches that many other filmmakers would be tempted to make. It is not a probe into the soul of the Slovak nation through addressing the historical skeletons in the closet, but a probe into the soul of an ordinary man under the pressure of the times. Period. That's what makes it timeless. But the whole thing is marred by the ending, where of all the possible outcomes, the one used is by far (but far) the least interesting, and consequently the least compelling. If "it" had at least been done knowingly… Considering the way the central dilemma is handled all along, this is an undignified, cheap "how to get out of it" from Grossman. (12.02.2021)

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. (16.11.2014)

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. (08.01.2013)

If there is a reason for Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos to roast in hell for their film endeavors from the 1950s (and there are a few reasons), then this film more than redeems their transgressions. An excellent, chilling drama from the wartime period that shows how dictatorship and dark times can distort human characters. By the way, when we compare Hřebejk's acclaimed film Divided We Fall with The Shop on Main Street, we understand the difference between a very good film and an excellent one, and the difference between playing it safe and filmmaking bravery. Overall impression: 100%. One of the best films ever produced by the Czechoslovak film school. (24.06.2006)