Slovak Perspective on the Nazi Era: Insights from “Shop on the Main Street” (1965)

This class offers a cinematic exploration of the conscience and banality through a powerful 1965 Holocaust drama by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos. “Shop on the Main Street” tells the story of an ordinary man caught in extraordinary moral conflict. Set in a small Slovak town during World War II, the film explores how everyday life, through subtle shifts, descends into tragic complicity. With masterful use of close-ups, light, and music, the filmmakers create intense psychological portraits, bringing the audience uncomfortably close to the characters’ inner struggles. Kadár and Klos balance a realistic narrative with moments that border on the surreal, elevating the story from historical account to universal human dilemma. Winner of the 1967 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this deeply moving film invites reflection on personal responsibility, the banality of evil, and the quiet choices that shape history.

Please watch this two-hour film before class:  https://archive.org/details/the-shop-on-main-street

Karen von Kunes holds a Ph.D. degree in literary studies and linguistics from McGill University. For over three decades, she has taught at Yale and Harvard and currently is teaching film, literature and Czech language courses at the University of Toronto. Professor von Kunes has published a number of scholarly books, critical articles and delivered lectures at conferences and professional meetings. Her specialties are Milan Kundera’s works and Milos Forman’s films, and she also taught comparative literature at Yale-NUS in Singapore and published an award-winning novel on diaspora “Among the Sinners.” In December 2024, her book “Milan Kundera Known and Unknown” was published by Bloomsbury Academic Publishers. Professor von Kunes resides in Newport, RI.