The Shop on Main Street (1965)
2h 8m | PG-13
In a small town in Nazi-occupied Slovakia during World War II, decent but timid carpenter Tono is named "Aryan comptroller" of a button store owned by an old Jewish widow, Rozalie. 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: Ján Kadár
Studio: Filmové studio Barrandov
Genre: Drama, War
Video: 720p
Cast
Ida Kamińska
as Rozalia Lautmannová
Jozef Kroner
as Antonin 'Tono' Brtko
František Zvarík
as Markus Kolkocký
Hana Slivková
as Evelyna Brtková
Martin Hollý
as Imro Kuchár
Elena Zvaríková-Pappová
as Ruzena Kolkocká
Reviews
Catastrophe sprouts from tiny choices in Slovak New Wave gem _The Shop on Main Street_. In 1942 a mild carpenter becomes “Aryan controller” of a Jewish widow’s button shop. He tries to stay decent; the regime leans harder. Ida Kaminska lends the widow wary warmth, every twitch caught by the lens. Directors Kadár and Klos favour steady shots, dry wit and the odd dream flicker. No gore, only rising moral torque, ending with a thud that keeps echoing.