Movie Stats:
Released 1939 (USA)
American, in English (very minor, non-translated Russian)
Director - Ernst Lubitsch
Stars - Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas
Plot Summary:
When Russian special envoy “Ninotchka” Yakushova (Garbo) is sent to Paris in order to complete an assignment, all of her ideals are challenged by the debonair Count Leon d’Algout (Douglas).
Warnings:
Very minor violence.
Bad Stuff:
Ninotchka doesn’t seem so much stern and uncompromising as she does robotic.
One of my biggest problems with romantic films is that people fall in love too quickly. I realize it’s a constraint of film making, but when two people who barely have anything in common spend one afternoon together and then start declaring feelings, I can’t help but roll my eyes.
The stereotyping of both the Russians and the French made me uncomfortable.
Good Stuff:
Garbo and Douglas had great chemistry.
If I ignore the stereotyping, I thought it did a good job of portraying with sensitivity the ideals of someone who was deeply committed to Communism. This movie is pre-Red Scare, so rather than vilifying Communism, it pokes fun at it (it pokes some fun at Capitalism too) while actually explaining the tenets of the economic system.
The witty dialogue is fantastic.
About the Performance:
As I said above, I found Garbo’s performance toward the beginning of the film off-putting. Since I’m not terribly familiar with her work, I don’t know if that’s just her style of acting, or if that was the director’s choice for that portion of the story. Once her character “loosened up,” she was a lot more likable and I felt engaged by the performance. Not my favorite bit of acting ever, but not terrible either.
Other performances of Garbo’s I’ve reviewed: Grand Hotel.
The Verdict:
This is a pretty entertaining movie. It’s light-hearted and funny. I like the idea that two people from different cultures can meet and have a positive influence on one another (Leon also changes; perhaps not as much as Ninotchka, but there is change). I really loved the dialogue, and I thought the performances from Douglas and Ina Claire (as Leon’s original love interest, Grand Duchess Swana) were excellent. There are definite flaws, as noted above, but ultimately I finished viewing it with positive feelings.
I give it 3.75 stars.
2 comments:
You've had a couple of lighthearted movies, which is probably a nice break.
I've seen nothing with Greta Garbo in it, so you are ahead of me.
It's funny that she's a pretty well-known figure, like most people know that Greta Garbo = actress. But I bet you most people couldn't name a single one of her films. I forgot she was even in Grand Hotel!
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