Ninotchka (1939)

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

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Charles Brackett (screen play), Billy Wilder (screen play)

Stars:

Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Greta Garbo	...	Nina Ivanovna Yakushova aka Ninotchka
Melvyn Douglas	...	Count Leon d'Algout
Ina Claire	...	Grand Duchess Swana
Bela Lugosi	...	Commissar Razinin
Sig Ruman	...	Comrade Iranoff (as Sig Rumann)
Felix Bressart	...	Comrade Buljanoff
Alexander Granach	...	Comrade Kopalski
Gregory Gaye	...	Count Alexis Rakonin
Rolfe Sedan	...	Hotel Manager
Edwin Maxwell	...	Mercier
Richard Carle	...	Gaston

Storyline

Only the royal suite at the grandest hotel in Paris has a safe large enough for the jewels of the Grand Duchess Swana. So the three Russians who have come to sell the jewels settle into the suite until a higher ranking official is dispatched to find out what is delaying the sale. She is Ninotchka, a no nonsense woman who fascinates Count Leon who had been the faithful retainer of the Grand Duchess. The Grand Duchess will give up all claim to the jewels if Ninotchka will fly away from the count.

---

Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | playboy | envoy | defector | communism | 

---

Taglines:

Garbo Laughs

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Billy Wilder, Lubitsch contributed so much to the script that he and co-writers Charles Brackett and Walter Reisch took the most unusual step of petitioning the WGA to add Lubitsch to the screenplay credit. They were turned down.

---

Goofs

When the Russians are trying to kiss Leon, Felix Bressart's pince-nez falls off, but in the next shot it's back on his nose.

---

Quotes

Leon: Ninotchka, it's midnight. One half of Paris is making love to the other half.
Ninotchka: You merely feel you must put yourself in a romantic mood to add to your exhilaration.
Leon: I can't possibly think of any better reason.

---

Alternate Versions

In June 1963, the film was re-released in Spain, with a new dubbing and a completely new score with classic music added in scenes that didn't have any kind of music in the original version.

---

Connections

Referenced in Affectionately Yours (1941)

---

Soundtracks

Ça c'est Paris
(uncredited)
Music by José Padilla
Lyrics by Lucien Boyer and Jacques Charles

User Reviews

Why Didn't Garbo Make More Comedies?

I see that Billy Wilder collaborated on this. Was it a studio decision that Garbo wasn't cast as a comedienne? From the evidence in this film, she should have been. Her timing is excellent, her delivery very special. This is a gem I'd never seen that deserves its National Registry status. In 1939 the Soviet Union had sympathizers in the US, and during the coming World War it was an ally. This gentle spoof of Soviet seriousness and self-conscious worker ethics foreshadows the arguments that were later trotted out after the War to begin the Cold War, but here the humor and satire are soft, more Noel Coward than propaganda.

My lament is not seeing more comedy from Garbo. She made such serious and tragic films, when she could have been making us laugh. The film is dated, yes, but Garbo herself shines through along with her three Russian accomplices. I think that Billy Wilder and Garbo would have been a great team

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

23 November 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ninotchka

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,365,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1