Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

The Shop on Main Street

Released Jan 24, 1966 2h 8m Drama List
100% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In a small town in Nazi-occupied Slovakia during World War II, decent but timid carpenter Tono (Jozef Kroner) is named "Aryan comptroller" of a button store owned by an old Jewish widow, Rozalie (Ida Kaminska). Since the post comes with a salary and standing in the town's corrupt hierarchy, Tono wrestles with greed and guilt as he and Rozalie gradually befriend each other. When the authorities order all Jews in town to be rounded up, Tono faces a moral dilemma unlike any he's known before.
Watch on Max Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Shop on Main Street

Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine The Shop on High Street has modest but solid virtues. It treats seriously -- that is, with a quiet realism that doesn't exclude humor -- a theme I can't recall having been attempted before except in documentaries. Aug 13, 2019 Full Review Wendy Michener Maclean's Magazine Paul Newman makes an altogether likable person out of the central character, and I soon became so engrossed in watching him track down the daddy-nappers... Jun 27, 2019 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews One of the more memorable films about the Holocaust. Rated: A Feb 9, 2007 Full Review Mark Athitakis Filmcritic.com Rated: 3/5 Mar 11, 2006 Full Review Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion Rated: 4/5 Jul 13, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com The noted Polish actress Ida Kaminska was deservedly nominated for an Oscar for this serio-comic fable, set in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Rated: B+ Jun 17, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (118) audience reviews
Pulec T Dog, a carpenter, and his wife with rich needs. The "ariazation" gets the unlucky carpenter a shop on the main street, which still stands today. Then the nazi craziness quickly escalates from worrying to holy **** and things go bad. Very bad. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/20/23 Full Review dave s Would you sacrifice your own life in order to save the life of another? This is one of several moral dilemmas faced by the protagonist of The Shop on Main Street. In 1942 Slovakia, an impoverished carpenter is given the opportunity to take over a haberdashery run by an elderly Jewish woman as part of an effort to reduce Jewish influence and make the town strictly Aryan, consistent with the views of their German allies. While the first third of the film sometimes seems unfocused and meandering, the remainder of the film is a powerful testament to the instinct to survive and the untenable temptation to side with the forces of evil in order to protect your own best interests, at least in the short term. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member In advance of a weekend in Slovakia I thought I'd view their most critically acclaimed film. It lived up to its reputation. Traverses multiple emotions but ultimately this tragic movie was brilliantly filmed and acted. Has aged well and remains tantalising viewing. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review William L "Had I been there, I wouldn't have returned the salute. I know I would've been a fighter in the Resistance. I'm sure I would've socked Hitler in the jaw." Well, the power of social expectations and simply being carried with the current of opinion would like to have a word with you. The Shop on Main Street is a brilliant portrayal of one of the most uncomfortable realities in the rise of fascism - the balance between simply adhering to majority rule and compromising one's own moral code. Kroner's Tóno is patently unremarkable - not particularly intelligent or ambitious - but is instilled at a position of minor influence as the Aryan agent of a local haberdashery owned by a doddering Jewish widow, Kamińska's Rozália. Tóno is timid and less than malicious, settling into a role more akin to an assistant than a supervisor, but maintaining the facade of authority even as the caring relationship between the two oddly deepens with time. However, the state's tolerance of Jews gradually deteriorates to the point at which any individual displaying an ounce of kindness to them is ostracized. At the final deportation of the town's Jewish population, Tóno's mounting unease is forced to reckon with momentous change, as he must quickly decide between sheltering the innocent and ignorant Rozália or risk his own safety. It's a very human conflict, balancing practicality against supposedly certain moral benchmarks that many prize as inviolable, with nary a swastika shown on screen (only domestic collaborators). The quality of the visuals is stunning, the definition makes it look like a film produced in the modern day. Carefully designed by the writer-director team of Kadár, Klos, and Grosman, littered with premonition, and crafted with the intent to cause viewers to question themselves, The Shop on Main Street deserves a position as one of the most nuanced, painful, and controlled depictions of the Holocaust in any language, and a landmark in Czech cinema. (4/5) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/01/21 Full Review robert m A beautiful movie. It deserves a much large audience. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. A cyclical tale of fascism in Slovakia that took a dark turn to the holocaust. It was well made and a surprising victory for film under communism. It was on YouTube. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Shop on Main Street

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Marketa Lazarová 100% 85% Marketa Lazarová The Pawnbroker 87% 87% The Pawnbroker The Fixer 56% 62% The Fixer The Two of Us 94% 91% The Two of Us Zorba the Greek 80% 86% Zorba the Greek Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis In a small town in Nazi-occupied Slovakia during World War II, decent but timid carpenter Tono (Jozef Kroner) is named "Aryan comptroller" of a button store owned by an old Jewish widow, Rozalie (Ida Kaminska). Since the post comes with a salary and standing in the town's corrupt hierarchy, Tono wrestles with greed and guilt as he and Rozalie gradually befriend each other. When the authorities order all Jews in town to be rounded up, Tono faces a moral dilemma unlike any he's known before.
Director
Jan Kadar, Elmar Klos
Producer
Ladislav Hanus, Jaromir Lukas
Screenwriter
Ladislav Grosman, Ladislav Grosman
Distributor
Criterion Collection, Prominent Films
Production Co
Filmové studio Barrandov
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 24, 1966, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 4, 2017
Runtime
2h 8m
Most Popular at Home Now