This is a lovely little film. It will make you smile, it will make you laugh a bit and it will leave you in a happier mood than you were before. It's got everything you could ask for in a rom-com plus James Stewart doing what he does best. As these types of film go, this is definitely one of the best.
For an MGM film, showcasing their latest star acquisition, Ernst Lubitsch, this quite small scale but that gives this picture a real sense of intimacy. You feel at home there, you're part of the family in Mr Matuschek's shop. It's set in 1930s Budapest, in that quaint Hansel and Gretel world before the Nazis and before the Soviets and this atmosphere adds the the overall charm. Lubitsch engages you in this story as he often did by leaving some gaps in the narrative. It's down to you therefore to fill the gaps in yourself. That great technique embeds you into story - you'll want to see if you're right!
I'm not a usually fan of Ernst Lubitsch - mushy sentimentality is not really my thing but this is an exception - it's just so 'nice' it's impossible not to like it. James Stewart is perfect for this - again just so 'nice.' He was very much the Tom Hanks of the 30s and 40s epitomising the ordinary guy we'd all like to be.
For an MGM film, showcasing their latest star acquisition, Ernst Lubitsch, this quite small scale but that gives this picture a real sense of intimacy. You feel at home there, you're part of the family in Mr Matuschek's shop. It's set in 1930s Budapest, in that quaint Hansel and Gretel world before the Nazis and before the Soviets and this atmosphere adds the the overall charm. Lubitsch engages you in this story as he often did by leaving some gaps in the narrative. It's down to you therefore to fill the gaps in yourself. That great technique embeds you into story - you'll want to see if you're right!
I'm not a usually fan of Ernst Lubitsch - mushy sentimentality is not really my thing but this is an exception - it's just so 'nice' it's impossible not to like it. James Stewart is perfect for this - again just so 'nice.' He was very much the Tom Hanks of the 30s and 40s epitomising the ordinary guy we'd all like to be.