A military train drove across the field, and the soldiers at the back were playing the harmonica leisurely. Then we saw Tony the carpenter, his wife and his dog. Many people have been sent to the front to fight. Tony is talking about the battle ahead, and his wife only cares whether he has got the money to repair the sink.
In this town in this country, fascists sneaked in in this trivial and peaceful way: the prison is adjacent to the downtown area, and the Nazi officers may be your friends, relatives, or neighbors, such as Tony's brother-in-law. Threats and fears permeate daily life, and there are no big dangerous ideas, violent groups or dictatorships. When his wife asked Tony to build the Babylonian wooden tower (a Nazi monument) on the square to earn more money, he somehow opposed her, and the Nazi brother-in-law handed over a piece of government document. With this document, he could not pay a penny. Hua owns the ownership of a Jewish shop on the street.
Tony found this shop with the official document, and the owner was an old Jewish lady who had sold buttons for a lifetime. Everything is so subtle, so not worth mentioning. For Tony, the division of political positions is too vague. Anti-Nazi? What he rebelled against was his wife's vanity and his brother-in-law; support the Nazis? He just bullied a 78-year-old woman. To make matters worse, Tony has a sense of morality and justice, but his cowardly personality makes all his ideas less reliable.
Riding on the fence became the only option. In order to send his wife away, he pretended to run the shop; in order to protect the shopkeeper Mrs. Lauterman (who was dizzy and deaf), he lied to her that he came to help her. With such deception, life can be quickly passed away. With the help of Tony, who was not very determined and weak, the monument on the square rose day by day.
Up to this point, the film is still in a sunny tone, mixed with a few unpleasant shadows, countless interesting details and intricate human touches dominate the screen: the jingling bells at the door of the store, how to use a little trick to stick people The dog was kept at home, the child asked at the window, "Is shellac really secreted by birds?", while fishing, they discussed the countermeasures to seize the store. The family's guardian bird, the stork, always hovered over the city...fill a few glasses at the bar Huang Tang, I can’t remember the unpleasant things. Doomsday judgment? What's the matter. All the details rushed over like a flood, covering and sweeping people's lives. Those small citizens. It's not bad, and it's not good. This is the reason. They cannot become firmer and stronger, and it seems absolutely unnecessary. They just want to buy a bottle of perfume to please their wives, and they can sleep in the lobby at night.
The Babylonian Wooden Tower is so tall day by day, the sun is so bright, but there is a lot of fright in the air. Those who are struggling, weak, and hesitant are vulnerable to a strong, firm, and cruel opponent.
A friend of Tony helped the fascists print flyers to the Jews. He also helped them install loudspeakers in the square before. "But I won't report on you. What good is there to report on you?" He grumbled when he witnessed a discussion about the protection of Jews in the barbershop.
The tower was built by them, and then it will destroy them. Jews were arrested one after another, their shops and businesses were closed, and people in military uniforms and trucks gathered in the square. Someone suddenly realized: "I don't know anything, but if the law convicts innocent people, then it is over, everything is over!" But his reaction was to flee here quickly-what else can he do now?
But there is something Tony can do, such as protecting Mrs. Lauterman. The shop was facing the square, and he shut the old Jewish lady in a small room at the back of the shop. "Fear is the root of all evil." said Mrs. Lauterman. She didn't really know what was going on and cursed Tony for being a lunatic alcoholic. Tony was really terrified. Outside the glass showcase, Jews were transported away by truck in batches. He suddenly discovered that he had become a "Jewish protector"! When a small action is characterized as a concept, the action suddenly appears huge and heavy. Open the door and he is still a safe and good citizen; close the door and he may be executed as a traitor. A weird and funny melody sounded in his mind. This small and huge struggle made him crazy, his conscience, will and judgment seemed so vulnerable... He drank and beat his wife, but he could not protect anyone, and The condemnation of conscience could not even keep him alive.
Isn't Tony Czechoslovakia? A weak, hesitant, ignorant, slightly conscientious but greedy country for life and death, was ravaged by World War II and acted as an accomplice. It tore from the inside and murdered itself. Dream became the only salvation to reality: At the end, Tony and the costumed Mrs. Lauterman ran across the sunny square together, and the band waved to them...
View more about The Shop on Main Street reviews
