Stewart plays Alfred Kralik, the assistant manager at a Budapest apartment store who has a running feud with new employee Klara Novak. Unbeknownst to them, they are also falling in love as anonymous pen pals.
That the course of true love never did run smooth will come as no surprise, but it’s the infamous ‘Lubitsch Touch’ of director Ernst Lubitsch, with its elegant sight gags, rat-a-tat dialogue and heavy dose of innuendo that make this one of the truly great Hollywood comedies (one so influential it was eventually remade as You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, in 1998).
Filled with a cast of memorable characters and winning performances from Stewart and Sullivan, at Christmas time The Shop Around the Corner is an absolute must-see.