14 Feb 2009
One of the great romantic comedies of all time (and the inspiration for You've Got Mail), this film is still, ridiculously, not available on DVD. James Stewart is the earnest manager of a small gift store, while Margaret Sullavan is his new bright and breezy sales clerk. On the shop floor they're constantly getting on each other's nerves, unaware that actually romantically involved with one another via an anonymous letter-writing affair. Ernst Lubitsch orchestrates the action perfectly, mixing sentiment with a dash of suspense. The performances are perfect, the comedy is charming and the romance will win your heart.
Dir Ernst Lubitsch, US 1940, 97 mins, Cert U.