User Reviews

NINOTCHKA tells the story of a female special envoy from Russia (Greta Garbo), sent to Paris to investigate the rather unorthodox and generally inefficient way in which three Russian ambassadors (Iranoff, Buljanoff and Kopalski--the trio serve as an excuse for much slapstick hilarity in the film) are carrying out their job. They're supposed to be selling jewels belonging to the former Grand Duchess, Swana (Ina Claire), but instead get distracted by the luxuries of capitalist society as gleefully pressed onto them by the Count d'Algout, Leon (Melvyn Douglas). It doesn't take long for the dour, humourless Ninotchka to fall hard for the charming Leon, and their love story begins atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris. We gather, however, that Leon and the ex-Duchess share a casual on-off relationship and Swana handily uses Nina's deep love for her mother Russia to blackmail the latter into returning to Russia without a word to Leon. So what happens when the Russian customs official refuses to give Leon a visa into Russia? You'll have to watch for yourself to discover the whimsical, delightful ending.

All in all, NINOTCHKA is a fine, funny film, with romance spilling out of its seams. From the first dry, crisp conversation between Leon and his Ninotchka while they wait for a whistle-break in Parisian traffic, you become involved with the characters and their love as he tries to break down her icy defenses, as he keeps trying in the face of her many rebuffs. One standout scene would be that of the drunken interlude in Nina's Royal Suite, as the couple look quizzically at the necklace that would bring them together and separate them, and Leon crowns his girlfriend before laying her gently on the bed, kissing her goodnight and taking his gentlemanly leave. It's also hard to beat the scene in which, as the tagline proudly declares, 'Garbo Laughs!', as Leon tries to coax a laugh out of Nina, and only succeeds by falling over backwards in his chair. The romantic comedy is certainly strong and sweet, but there's plenty of other comedy available as well, largely thanks to the three Russian sidekick ambassadors charmed by the benefits of capitalism. It's great fun watching them flounder helplessly when they first meet their stern, unforgiving Comrade Yakushova, but warm up to her when they return to Russia and have an omelette dinner together.

There is no doubt that Greta Garbo turns in a great performance as the title character. She plays the ice queen very convincingly, with the appropriate suggestion that her lips haven't seen a smile in a decade or so. (If you're worried, her Russian accent is also perfectly credible, though at times she lapses into something somewhat less than Russian.) When she finally breaks into laughter, the transition is believable, as is the sunny change that thereafter infuses Nina as she becomes Leon's Ninotchka. It's an especially nice touch to have her unable to suppress a wave of laughter in the first official meeting--it's also hilarious when she suddenly generously gives her three colleagues fifty francs because they're out of money... only to qualify that by asking them to bring her back 45 francs! I think it is to Garbo's credit that she can pull off both the dour, passionless Comrade Yakushova and the almost shy, giggling Ninotchka with equal aplomb. (Her frequent question, "Can I make a speech?", when drunk on champagne is--I think the only word for it is--adorable.) That face of hers, so famous around the world, really *is* made for the cameras, and I think Lubitsch captured it beautifully. (Lubitsch also directs with the lightest of touches, allowing his cast full rein.) Melvyn Douglas looks absolutely no different from his role a decade later in MR BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE, but there is no doubting that this is Garbo's film.

This is a sweet, happy film about love overcoming ideology, nationality, and geography, and one that doesn't feel the need to beat us over the head with it. The relationship is well-developed, the characters interesting, and the execution top-notch. For me personally, the film lacks something that would render it a 10/10 classic, but that certainly isn't indicative of its quality as a romantic comedy. A great way to spend an evening. 8/10.

If any film is chosen by most people as the typical Ernst Lubtisch comedy, it is NINOTCHKA. TROUBLE IN PARADISE is usually pointed at as his best comedy, and his best musical comedy is THE MERRY WIDOW with Chevalier and MacDonald, but NINOTCHKA is the elegant comedy of some point that people recall. I think the real reason is that it is, for most people, the best known of Greta Garbo's movies (after all, she laughed in it), and it does dismiss Communism with such sweet aplomb.

Actually it does not do so that well. It shows that given an opportunity to relax and speak one's mind, and not worry about informers and gulags, people will be happier. That is true, but one could also say (as Lubitsch would show in TO BE OR NOT TO BE, that a form of extreme capitalism mixed with racist ideals called Nazism could be just as deadly. Moreover, Leon (Melvin Douglas) does read up a bit on Marx and his theories, and has an interesting conversation with his elderly valet (Richard Carle). Douglas feels that Carle has been oppressed over the years as a servant. Carle, though, reminds him that while he does not mind that Douglas has not paid him in quite a while, the thought that in a Communist world he (Carle) would have to share his money with Douglas, frightens the hell out of him.

Douglas is the lover of Grand Duchess Swanna (Ina Claire) whose property was appropriated by the Soviet Government in the Revolution. Her jewelry is now in Paris, in the hands of a trade mission led by Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, and Alexander Granach. They plan to use it to get needed farm equipment for the Soviet Union. Douglas goes to work to corrupt the three men, which is not too difficult, so he can try to get his hands on the jewels for Swanna. But the Russians send an additional member to head the mission: Garbo as Ninotchka. She is quite hard nosed and business like. Ruman and company try to get her to understand what is going on is a good thing, but she keeps reminding what they are there for. She is not impressed that she is in the "City of Lights". Instead, on her first afternoon in Paris, she is determined to see the city's power plant! Douglas sees her and is instantly charmed, but she keeps resisting his efforts. Her background is quite different from what he is used to - we learn, for instance, that she actually distinguished herself in the Russo - Polish war of 1920 - 21, getting wounded, but killing the Polish soldier who wounded her (and comforting him as he died). She is not without a heart, but she is determined to do her duty. What finally breaks her down is not Douglas' attempts at romance, but his making a fool of himself trying to tell her a joke.

She does break down, but she never loses sight of the reason for her mission. And she and Swanna finally reveal their willingness to sacrifice in a showdown scene, where the Grand Duchess gives up the jewels for Leon, while Ninotchka gives up Leon for the needs of her country.

Leon too grows, determined to try to bring her back. The scene between Douglas and George Tobias is one of the funniest in the movie, as Douglas desperately offers to return to Soviet Russia, and Tobias (knowing what people like Douglas think of the Soviet regime) refuses to give him a visa (he might try to blow up a dam!).

How he succeeds in the end I will leave to the viewer to find out. My only other comment is that this film is also recalled as the only time Greta Garbo shared a scene with Bela Lugosi, as her supervisor Commissar Razinin. It is only a three minute scene, and has only one funny line for Bela (describing the antics of Ninotchka's old mission buddies). He seemed stern and properly in control of his job, but he was far more funny in INTERNATIONAL HOUSE.

Please also note Sig Ruman's comment to Garbo, asking her if she wanted to be alone. It is an interesting little reference to her most famous line of dialog from GRAND HOTEL, six years before.