Part of Holiday Classics

Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) are employees at Matuschek and Company, a leather goods shop in Budapest. They’re constantly at odds with each other, butting heads and disagreeing on almost everything. But both are enamored of their respective pen pals, who serve as welcome distractions in their lives. What they don’t know is that they’re actually each other’s correspondent — and they’ve fallen in love through their letters.

“Lubitsch demonstrates that romantic comedies, like popcorn, can be enjoyed salty as well as sweet. This is a sharp, elegant, unsentimental picture….” —Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“The real surprise is in how earnestly the director of some of the finest, spikiest romantic comedies ever made is willing to step off the gas and let heartfelt romance win the day. And it is so very winning.” —Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle

“This 1940 film is one of Ernst Lubitsch's finest and most enduring works, a romantic comedy of dazzling range that takes place almost entirely within the four walls of a leather goods store in pre-war Budapest.” —Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

to person.

Beyond the synopses, trailers and review links on our website, other sources of information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media and IMDb, as well as through general internet searches.