The Shop Around The Corner -- 1940

I saw You've Got Mail when it came out in the theatres several years ago, and I knew it was based on an earlier film called The Shop Around The Corner (which is the name of the store in You've Got Mail). So I've been wanting to see the source material for awhile now, and having finally seen it, I was definitely not disappointed.

It falls under the romantic comedy genre in feel and construction, without a doubt, but it's a really well constructed film, despite its clear stage-play roots. It involves a guy who is a head clerk at a store, named Alfred who is played by Jimmy Stewart, and he runs into a woman, Klara, he does not get along with who eventually gets a job at the store. They enjoy a firm love-hate relationship from then on. At the same time, Alfred has this pen pal he has been exchanging letters with and he is falling for, even though they'd made a firm pact not to reveal any characteristics of each other. Come to find out (and this is no spoiler as it's in the film's own synopsis), that Alfred's pen pal is actually Klara, allowing usas the audience to enjoy their relationship in the store while knowing they secretly are in love with each other -- that being a secret to themselves.

The characters are very well drawn as can be expected in a play since the story was very dialogue driven. Not only do we get a sense of our two leads, but we get a firm understanding of the slew of supporting characters surrounding them. Sometimes, we get little more than a visual trait, but it's enough to make them amusing and endearing, even. The boss (who we remember from his role as the Wizard of Oz) "just wants an opinon" causing one of his clerks to immediately run off and hide. We have a enterprising young delivery boy, who wants to "move up to being a clerk," but who we learn can't handle the sheer power that being a clerk provides (yes, that's a joke, but it's how it is portrayed in his character).

The developing relationship between Alfred and Klara is the real centerpiece of the film, though, as we are placed in a superior position to let them both gush about their pen pals and then berate each other to no end at work (can you feel the sexual tension?). This relationship development is the film's primary plot and everything else that occurs serves to play into this little game of theirs.

This is one of the better films I've seen, especially of this genre. The tension provided by knowing something the characters don't really enhances the experience and makes it a lot more fun than it would be otherwise, so this would be one to recommend if you want a decent romcom that isn't run-of-the-mill.