Ninotchka (1939)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Melchior Lengyel (story)
Charles Brackett (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 February 1940 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

M-G-M's Laugh Riot !

Plot:

A stern Russian woman sent to Paris on official business finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she is supposed to detest.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Playboy | Hotel | Jewelry | Moscow Russia

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

Greta Garbo	...	Nina Yakushova 'Ninotchka' Ivanoff
Melvyn Douglas	...	Léon - Count d'Algout
Ina Claire	...	Grand Duchess Swana
Bela Lugosi	...	Kommissar Razinin
Sig Ruman	...	Iranoff (as Sig Rumann)
Felix Bressart	...	Buljanoff
Alexander Granach	...	Kopalski
Gregory Gaye	...	Rakonin
Rolfe Sedan	...	Hotel Manager
Edwin Maxwell	...	Mercier
Richard Carle	...	Gaston

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed | Finland:(Banned) (1940) | Finland:(Banned) (1964) | Finland:K-15 (DVD) (2006) | Finland:K-16 (1941) | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (2006) | Finland:S (cut) (1981) | Germany:12 (DVD, 2006) | USA:Approved (PCA #5494) | New Zealand:PG | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:13 | West Germany:6 | Portugal:M/6 | UK:U (video rating) | UK:A (original rating)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Ernst Lubitsch only signed on as director after George Cukor decamped for Gone with the Wind (1939). As part of his deal for directing, MGM agreed to make The Shop Around the Corner (1940) for Lubitsch afterwards.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): During the telegram/kissing scene, Iranoff refers to Bela Lugosi's Russian Commissar Razinin's name as Razin while Leon and Kopalski refer to it as Razinni, a distinctly Italian name. When it is mentioned again at the train station by Ninotchka, she again mistakenly pronounces it as Razinni. It isn't until later in the film that the correct pronunciation is used.

Quotes:

Leon: Ninotchka, it's midnight. One half of Paris is making love to the other half.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Works Much Better Than You Might Expect

For having a rather odd combination of elements, "Ninotchka" works better than you would expect. It would be well worth seeing solely for the chance to see Greta Garbo in a comedy, and she herself comes off very well. The story is light but entertaining, and it is mostly enjoyable in itself, while also providing an interesting look at contemporary attitudes towards the USSR.

Garbo shows that she can handle the light comedy well, and although her character's transformation is somewhat stylized, this seems to be deliberate, rendering moot the otherwise obvious questions of believability. Melvyn Douglas makes an unusual pairing for Garbo, and he only partially works. His style can often become overly ingratiating, and while there are movies where that style fits in well, it is less than ideal here. A different choice for the role might have changed the feel of the movie for the better.

Garbo's three Soviet comrades are possibly the best part of the picture. Felix Bressart and Sig Rumann, in particular, are impossible to forget. The roles are well-written and are used well in the story. Bela Lugosi is also in the supporting cast, but unfortunately he does not get a lot to do. The implied commentary on the nature of the (then) fairly young USSR is of some interest in itself, in comparison with the later attitudes of the post-war era.

Overall, while "Ninotchka" has some uneven stretches, it is quite an enjoyable and interesting film that generally succeeds with its offbeat mix of cast and material.