Rent Ninotchka (1939)
3.9 of 5 from 118 ratings
1h 50min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Garbo Talks!, proclaimed ads when silent star Greta Garbo debuted in talkies. Nine years and 12 classic screen dramas later, the gifted movie legend was ready for another change. Garbo Laughs!, cheered the publicity for her first comedy, a frothy tale of a dour Russian envoy sublimating her womanhood for Soviet brotherhood until she falls for a suave Parisian man-about-town (Melvyn Douglas). Working from a cleverly barbed script written in party by Billy Wilder, director Ernst Lubitsch knew better than anyone how to marry refinement with sublime wit. "At least twice a day the most dignified human being is ridiculous", he explained about his acclaimed Lubitsch Touch. That’s how we see Garbo’s lovestruct Ninotchka: serenely dignified yet endearingly ridiculous. Garbo laughs. So will you. - Actors:
- Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire, Bela Lugosi, Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, Alexander Granach, Gregory Gaye, Rolfe Sedan, Edwin Maxwell, Richard Carle, Dorothy Adams, Monya Andre, Nino Bellini, Wilda Bennett, Symona Boniface, Frederika Brown, Emilie Cabanne, George Davis, Paul Ellis
- Directors:
- Ernst Lubitsch
- Writers:
- Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder
- Others:
- Walter Reisch, Melchior Lengyel
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Romance
- Collections:
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Reviews (2) of Ninotchka
Garbo Flirts. - Ninotchka review by Steve
Chrome plated Lubitsch magic set in his beloved Paris in the twenties. It's a vehicle for Greta Garbo. Apparently, MGM had the tagline 'Garbo Laughs' before they had anything else. But there is a darkness in this film.
Ninotchka was an intuitive film, because it recognised that the era of screwball was about over, with the world at war. It is about Russia after the revolution, a proto-cold war comedy. The script is by Wilder and Brackett and there's a lot of characteristic cynicism.
Three bumbling Bolshevik ambassadors take some jewels to Paris to sell. The aristocrat in exile who once owned them wants them back. The chilly, practical Ninotchka (Garbo) is sent to ensure they don't fall into the hands of the former oppressors of the workers. When she is courted by an aristocratic capitalist (Melvyn Douglas), she thaws, seduced by luxury and romance.
Douglas lacks the charm necessary to make him sympathetic. Garbo is fabulous, but her character is schematic. Utterly humourless and logical when under the Soviet influence, totally frivolous when seduced by the capitalists. The genius of the Lubitsch touch ensures the whole confection doesn't get lost in bitterness. But this is a farce that isn't afraid to be intelligent.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Damaged disc - Ninotchka review by JW
We could not watch the film because the disc is damaged
We could not watch the film because the disc is damaged
We could not watch the film because the disc is damaged
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.