The Shop Around The Corner (1940)

A fun little movie!

And by the way, it served as the basic story for the later, modernized remake which was "You've Got Mail", with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan!

The Shop Around the Corner was set in 1940's Budapest, in a gift shop where the two main characters were co-workers who could barely tolerate each other!  What they didn't realize, was that they were corresponding with each other by mail, and had fallen in love with each other through their letters! 

The "pen pals", Klara and Alfred, are played by James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan.  James Stewart is soooo handsome and looks soooo young in this movie.  He was only 32 year old in this!  The supporting cast are wonderful characters too! From the lovable and funny "Pirovitch" to the adorable "Pepi", this was a very entertaining ensemble and a great movie!  Yes, it probably is as predictable as "You've Got Mail", but in this genre, predictable is ok!

Vertigo (1958)

The plot was quite intriguing, but the main character's vertigo seemed to be a very inconsequential part of the story! In that regard, it sort of threw me off. I was waiting for it to be a major factor, and it never was.

James Stewart plays John "Scotty" Ferguson, a police officer who's had to retire because a traumatic event has triggered a severe fear of heights in him. An old friend of his, Gavin, wants his wife, Madeline, investigated. She's been acting odd lately. Shes goes places, and can't remember where she's been; or she drifts off in the middle of conversations. Scotty reluctantly agrees, and he begins to follow her. She goes to a museum, and sits and stares at a painting of a woman. Then she goes to a grave and stares at the headstone of that woman. Then she goes to a hotel room and sits. After some investigating, Scotty discovers that the woman in the painting, the woman who's grave Madeline visits, has also lived in the hotel room to which she goes. Finally, Gavin tells Scotty that unbeknownst to Madeline, the woman in the painting is actually Madeline's great grandmother, who went "mad" and committed suicide at 26. Madeline is now 26 years old. Oh, and there's another complication: Scotty and Madeline met and have fallen in love.

I read that Hitchcock blamed James Stewart for the commercial failure of this movie. He felt that Stewart looked "too old to attract audiences". But I felt the complete opposite. I thought James Stewart was very appealing. I've only seen him in this film, and in Rear Window. He has a good chemistry with his leading ladies, and he's also charming and charismatic!

This is a story of doomed love. There are twists and turns in the story, but alas, they would just be spoilers. Vertigo was good - there were even a few times that I gasped aloud while watching it! I'd recommend it if you like the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller!

Rear Window

I was biting my nails the whole time I was watching this movie!!

Rear Window is an Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Stewart plays Jeff, a photographer who is temporarily wheelchair-bound after breaking his leg. Not being able to do much else, he spends his time looking out his window, at his neighbors who live in apartments surrounding a small courtyard. He looks into the windows of their apartments, and in essence, into their lives. His nurse Stella, played by Thelma Ritter, comes in every day to check in on him and take care of him. His girlfriend, Lisa (Kelly), also visits him regularly.

I knew the premise of the movie was that he witnesses a murder as he looks out his window. So the whole time I was watching, I was waiting for it to take place. But, wow - Hitchcock really strung out the suspense. Jeff looked from window to window, and the whole time I was watching wide -eyed, not wanting to miss a thing. Who would it be? Would it be "Miss Torso", the beautiful dancer with no shortage of gentlemen callers? Or the couple that is always fighting? Or perhaps the frustrated musician at the piano? The lonely woman? Or wait, how shocking it would be if it turned out to be the newlyweds? Or what about the sculptor? Jeff just watches to pass the time, and out of curiosity, but WE are waiting to see who will be the ill-fated neighbor! I was on the edge of my seat. And even when I found out who it was....there was a point where I began to wonder...did he really see it? Or has he made a mistake?


Grace Kelly plays his girlfriend Lisa, and they are a beautifully matched pair in this. I watched Grace Kelly in High Noon, and mentioned in my review that there was absolutely no chemistry between her and Gary Cooper. In this film, there was chemistry abounding between her and James Stewart!


Hitchcock usually makes a cameo in his movies, and this one is no exception. I recognized him instantly when I saw him - casually winding a clock in one of the apartments!

If you love suspense thrillers - this movie is a definite must-see!