The Shop On Main Street - A Czech-Slovak Film: Events in Hyderabad

Another week, another Oscar winner. The Hyderabad Film Club is doing its AWOL members no favors.

As part of its monthly screenings of multi-lingual films for its members, the Hyderabad Film Club is screening a Czech-Slovak film, The Shop On Main Street, directed by Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos, this Friday evening.

The film was written by Ladislav Grosman and produced by Kadar and Klos with Jordan Balurov, M Broz, Karel Feix, Jaromir Lukas and Frank Daniel. It stars Jozef Kroner as Tono Brtko and Ida Kaminska as the Jewish widow Rozalie Lautmann.

During World War II, a poor Slovak man named Tono Brtko is offered the chance to take over the sewing store of an old Jewish woman named Rozalie Lautmann. The business itself proves to be less than profitable, and Lautmann herself relies on the generosity of the local Jewish community.

However, Brtko is given the opportunity to look after her in exchange for a weekly payment. She believes that he has come to work for her, and their relationship grows, until the authorities demand that all of the Jews leave the town of Sabinov, and Brtko realises that he is intended to be Lautmann's replacement, not her helper. The realization devastates him, and he hangs himself.

The film won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Kaminska was nominated in 1966 for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

For further details, please contact Bh S S Prakash Reddy of the Hyderabad Film Club at 2373-0841/93910-20243.