Rent Ninotchka (1939)
3.9 of 5 from 124 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
- Producers:
- Ernst Lubitsch
- Writers:
- Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Walter Reisch, Melchior Lengyel
- Others:
- Walter Reisch, Melchior Lengyel
- Aka:
- Ninočka
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Comedy, Romance
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Reviews (3) of Ninotchka
Garbo Flirts. - Ninotchka review by Steve
Pure Hollywood magic from Ernst Lubitsch, set in his beloved Paris in the '20s. And it's a late career success for Greta Garbo. Apparently, MGM had the tagline 'Garbo Laughs' before they had anything else. But it is also a political satire which conveys quite a lot of sadness.
It is an intuitive film, because it acknowledges that the screwball era was about over, with the world at war again. There are serious themes about Russia after the revolution. And it's a proto-cold war comedy. The script is by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett so there's plenty of characteristic cynicism.
Three bumbling Bolshevik ambassadors arrive in Paris to sell some jewels. 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 a rich capitalist (Melvyn Douglas), she thaws, seduced by luxury and romance.
Douglas lacks the charm to make him sympathetic. Garbo is fabulous, but her character is too schematic. Utterly humourless and logical when under the Soviet influence, totally frivolous when seduced by the capitalists. It's the genius of the Lubitsch touch which ensures all this doesn't get lost in darkness.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Garbo Walks In, Everything Clicks - Ninotchka review by griggs
For the first act, I thought I was in for polite amusement: clever people being arch in nice rooms, me nodding along and wondering what I’m missing. Then Greta Garbo turns up, and suddenly the film has a pulse.
That first street-side meet-cute with Melvyn Douglas is where it clicks. She’s a Soviet envoy made of rules and steel; he’s capitalist charm with an easy grin. Watching her try to stay ideologically frozen while romance keeps nudging the thermostat is properly good fun. Ernst Lubitsch keeps it light on its feet — jokes that land softly, then hang around.
Ninotchka is a satire of ideology, sure, but it’s also a love letter to little human pleasures: nice food, pretty things, laughing when you weren’t planning to. It doesn’t sparkle from the off, but once Garbo’s in play, I was completely on board.
1 out of 1 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 2 members found this review helpful.