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Ninotchka
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Ninotchka (1939) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   6,119 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ernst Lubitsch
Writers:
Melchior Lengyel (story)
Charles Brackett (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Ninotchka on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 February 1940 (Australia) more
Genre:
Comedy | Romance more
Tagline:
M-G-M's Laugh Riot ! more
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Shadows of Russia: Communism on TCM
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 3 November 2009, 11:28 PM, PST)
Oscar Nominees To Number 10 Next Year
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 25 June 2009, 1:12 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Works Much Better Than You Might Expect more (60 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Adams ... Jacqueline - Swana's Maid (uncredited)
Monya Andre ... Gossip (uncredited)
Nino Bellini ... Swana's Restaurant Guest (uncredited)
Wilda Bennett ... Swana's Restaurant Guest (uncredited)
Symona Boniface ... Gossip (uncredited)
Emilie Cabanne ... Gossip (uncredited)
George Davis ... Porter at Railroad Station (uncredited)
Paul Ellis ... Bit Part (uncredited)
Frank Fletcher ... Bit Part (uncredited)
Bess Flowers ... Gossip (uncredited)
Mary Forbes ... Lady Lavenham, Indignant Woman in Doorway (uncredited)
Jody Gilbert ... Streetcar Conductress, Moscow Roommate (uncredited)
Lawrence Grant ... General Savitsky, Duchess' Consort (uncredited)
Jennifer Gray ... Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
Winifred Harris ... English Lady Getting Visa (uncredited)
Ray Hendricks ... Waiter (uncredited)
William Irving ... Bartender (uncredited)
Hans Joby ... Man at Railroad Station (uncredited)
Charles Judels ... Pere Mathieu, Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Armand Kaliz ... Louis, the Headwaiter (uncredited)
Peggy Moran ... First Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
Sandra Morgan ... Gossip (uncredited)
Lucille Pinson ... German Woman at Railroad Station (uncredited)
Albert Pollet ... Waiter (uncredited)
Frank Reicher ... Soviet Lawyer (uncredited)
Constantine Romanoff ... Man in Restaurant (uncredited)
Alexander Schoenberg ... Bearded Man, Eiffel Tower Tourist (uncredited)
Harry Semels ... Gurganov, Neighbor Spy (uncredited)
Tamara Shayne ... Anna, Moscow Roommate (uncredited)
Florence Shirley ... Marianne, Swana's Phone Friend (uncredited)
George Sorel ... Swana's Restaurant Guest (uncredited)
Edwin Stanley ... Soviet Lawyer (uncredited)
Kay Stewart ... Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
George Tobias ... Russian Visa Official (uncredited)
Jacques Vanaire ... Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Ellinor Vanderveer ... Gossip (uncredited)
Paul Weigel ... Vladimir, With Letter from Leon (uncredited)
Elizabeth Williams ... Indignant Woman (uncredited)
Marek Windheim ... Manager (uncredited)
Wolfgang Zilzer ... Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Directed by
Ernst Lubitsch 
 
Writing credits
Melchior Lengyel (story)

Charles Brackett (screenplay) &
Billy Wilder (screenplay) and
Walter Reisch (screenplay)

Produced by
Sidney Franklin .... associate producer (uncredited)
Ernst Lubitsch .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Werner R. Heymann (musical score)
 
Cinematography by
William H. Daniels  (director of photography) (as William Daniels)
 
Film Editing by
Gene Ruggiero 
 
Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons 
 
Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis 
 
Costume Design by
Adrian (gowns)
 
Makeup Department
Jack Dawn .... makeup designer
Sydney Guilaroff .... hair stylist: Miss Claire
Beth Langston .... hair stylist (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Horace Hough .... assistant director (uncredited)
John Waters .... second unit director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Randall Duell .... associate art director
George Elder .... props (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Douglas Shearer .... recording director
Conrad Kahn .... sound engineer (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Milton Brown .... still photographer (uncredited)
Al Lane .... second camera operator (uncredited)
Floyd Porter .... chief electrician (uncredited)
William Riley .... assistant camera (uncredited)
Arnold Webster .... grip (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jack Rohan .... wardrobe (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Eric Locke .... production assistant (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Although Greta Garbo's famous hat in the film was made by her regular costumier Adrian, it was actually based on a sketch by Garbo herself. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: The Soviet censorship stamps on Ninotchka's letter are in the Latin alphabet, in English. more
Quotes:
Ninotchka: Let's form our own party.
Leon: Right. Lovers of the world, unite!
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Domicile conjugal (1970) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
13 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
Works Much Better Than You Might Expect, 13 December 2004
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio

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.

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