A classic romance from Ernest Lubitsch, James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan are employees at a shop in Budapest. They can't stand each other at work but unbeknownst to them they are secret pen pals carrying on a romance by mail. That's pretty much the plot of this incredibly charming film.
If you are interested in the famous "Lubitsch Touch" it's usually in reference to his sly way of conveying sex on screen during the 1940's. However Lubitsch was equally good at coaxing fine performances out of his cast. In this case he managed to keep James Stewart's shtick under control and actually got a warm and affecting performance out of him. The rest of the cast is equally good, Frank Morgan usually remembered as the Wizard from the Wizard of Oz film gives a very touching performance as the owner of the shop.
The film was made at MGM studios but many critics have pointed out that it has a real European flavor to it.
Lubitsch always closely supervised his writers, in this case his long time collaborator Samson Raphaelson. The film runs 99 minutes. A real winner of a film.
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