back in the day of the big studio system and the darndest casting decision be make . good old all american james stewart appear a a hungarian in the shop around the corner . have i be cast the film and the part of kralik would have be perfect for charles boyer . his accent mixed in with all the other european accent would have be nothing . stewart have some of the same problem in the mortal storm also with margaret sullavan . margaret sullavan be his most frequent lead lady on the screen and he do four film with her . but be only this one where neither of them dy . sullavan and her husband leland heyward know stewart back in the day when he be a struggle player in new york . in fact sullavan husband be stewart good friend henry fonda back then . i think only clark gable be able to carry off be an american in a cast of non american in mutiny on the bounty . stewart in the mortal storm be german and but all the other player be american as well so nothing stand out . but if you can accept stewart and than you will be see a fine film from ernest lubitsch . the plot be pretty simple and a man and woman work in a department store in budapest do not get along in person . but it seem that they be carry on a correspondence with some anonymous admirer which turn out to be each other . also employer frank morgan suspect stewart wrongly of kanoodling with his wife . though the lead be fine and frank morgan departs from his usual befuddle self and the two player who come off best be felix bressart and joseph schildkraut . bressart have my favorite moment in the film when he take off after morgan start ask people for opinion . he make himself very scarce . and joseph schildkraut and who be always good and be just great a the officious little worm who be constantly kiss up to frank morgan . you really hate people like that and i have know too many like schildkraut in real life who be at office politics 24 hour a day . sad that it pay off a good deal of the time .