The Shop on Main Street
1965 · Movie · Not Rated · 128 min · ★ 7.1 · 95% critics
In a small town under Nazi occupation during World War II, a timid carpenter is appointed to oversee a Jewish widow’s tiny button shop as part of a corrupt takeover. As the two form an uneasy bond, pressure from neighbors and authorities grows, forcing him to confront fear, greed, and what it means to do the right thing.
Also known as The Shop on the High Street
Where to watch
Streaming on HBO Max.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Obchod na korze
- Years
- 1965
- Release date
- 1965-06-24
- Language
- SK
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (228 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a WWII drama that focuses on everyday complicity and personal choices, mixing moments of warmth with mounting dread; Not for you if you want a purely action-driven war story like Army of Shadows.
Pros: powerful moral tension; moving central relationship; dry, human humor | Cons: slow build for some; heavy subject matter; emotionally draining
Themes
- nazi
- holocaust (shoah)
- world war ii
- shopkeeper
Awards & recognition
- Targa d'Oro · 1967
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1966
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Foreign Language Film · 1966
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1966 · nominated
Show all 6 awards →
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1966 · nominated
Cast & crew
Ida Kamińska
as Rozalia Lautmannová
Jozef Kroner
as Antonin 'Tono' Brtko
František Zvarík
as Markus Kolkocký
- HS
Hana Slivková
as Evelyna Brtková
- MH
Martin Hollý
as Imro Kuchár
Elena Zvaríková-Pappová
as Ruzena Kolkocká
Martin Gregor
as Jozef Katz
Adam Matejka
as Piti Báci
- ML
Mikuláš Ladižinský
as Marian Peter
- AK
Alojz Kramár
as Balko
Directed by Ján Kadár, Elmar Klos