TheLittleSongbird If you love Greta Garbo and Ernst Lubitsch, there is no real reason why you shouldn't like Ninotchka. Both have done a little better, Garbo with Camille and Queen Christina and Lubitsch with Heaven Can Wait, The Shop Around the Corner and especially Trouble in Paradise, but Ninotchka is nowhere near either's lesser works, if anything it's up there with one of the best for both.As ever with Lubitsch, it looks fantastic, with gorgeous cinematography, lavish costumes and especially the sumptuous settings that doesn't swamp the actors at all. Lubitsch's direction is not as ground-breaking as it was in The Love Parade(an excellent film by the way and very historically important), but it is never less than masterly with the Lubitsch touch always present. Then again Lubitsch was a consistent director, who's even his lesser work like Monte Carlo has its virtues. It's well and sympathetically scored, the story while somewhat familiar is endlessly charming, heart-warming and good-humoured and the characters are surprisingly likable(even Melvyn's Douglas's). Greta Garbo is magnificent, showing a gift for comedy, and Melvyn Douglas in one of his best performances succeeds in making a not always sympathetic character likable and his comic timing is always solid to excellent. Ida Claire is wonderfully icy and Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart and Alexander Granach are very funny. The star though is the superb, always sparkling and often hilarious script, with one of the credits being none other than one of the best directors ever Billy Wilder. The café scene is just wonderful.To conclude, Ninotchka is another gem from Garbo and Lubitsch. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Sergeant_Tibbs Ernst Lubitsch has been my favourite discovery of the year. Having seen and loved To Be Or Not To Be and thoroughly liked The Shop Around The Corner, Heaven Can Wait, Trouble in Paradise and now Ninotchka, I regret to think I have little classics left from him. These five are satisfying enough. Scribed by his protégé Billy Wilder and co., Ninotchka is about as witty as you'd expect, if a little obvious at times in the characterisations and developments - but this wasn't exactly an era of subtle cinema, so it's easy to take as theatrical exaggerations. It wears the geopolitical allegories and conflicts proudly on its sleeve, knowing just how clever it is with all of its hints and comments. Although it may be perhaps too overt, it won me over with the performances and relationship between Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas - my first film of hers and first pre-1960 film from him - and they certainly deserve the acclaim that's endured a near century. Ninotchka is a great, enjoyable, and clever film that notes more things on the list of why I like Lubitsch so much.8/10

SmileysWorld I like the story.We have Greta Garbo as a no nonsense Russian woman who,it seems,has her mind made up about the world and cannot be deterred from her assessments.She simply cannot be reached.Or can she? Melvyn Douglas gives it his best shot.His efforts to raise a smile fall flat as one seemingly sure fire funny story after another falls flat.Paydirt is finally reached through comical misfortune.It becomes a love story at that point,and a reasonably good one at that,inserted with an even amount of humor,romance and dramatic moments.I would visit this film again should I come across it on television in the future.Eat your heart out,Buster Keaton!

SimonJack "Ninotchka" is one of the funniest movies ever made. But it's not a slapstick or screwball comedy. It is in the class of "It Happened One Night," "My Man Godfry," and "Holiday." The humor is in snappy dialog. The one-liners, subtle zingers, and satire poke fun mostly at Soviet Russia and communism. But it has occasional jabs at capitalism and western lifestyles – notably the idle rich. The movie is superb in all aspects, especially in the script, direction, settings and acting. All of the cast give top performances. Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas are the perfect match for some of the funniest repartee ever put on film. But, how Garbo (Ninotchka) could keep a straight face in those exchanges, one after another, is beyond me. I'll bet MGM had to do many retakes of some of her scenes. If not for her breaking down, then for the cracking up of Douglas (Leon) or others on the set and behind the camera. "Ninotchka" is one of the great comedy-romances for the ages. Young and old alike can enjoy it. But, from some of the comments I've read, it seems much of the humor is lost without a little knowledge of the time. So, I offer these tidbits to help set the stage and prepare viewers for a most enjoyable film. The time is the late 1930s. The story takes place mostly in Paris, moves to Moscow later, and ends in Istanbul. In 1939, all the world knows about Soviet Russia and many of its problems. It has been in the news since the communist takeover after the revolutions 20 years earlier. Joseph Stalin's five-year plan for recovery since 1922 was past its 15th year. So far, it had been an abysmal failure. His social programs had disrupted total populations. His collectivist farm program had failed miserably. Combined with drought and famine, the Russian people faced starvation.But that's not all. The Great Purge of 1936-38 had been in the news the past couple of years. It was Stalin's way to get rid of anyone who didn't agree with him or who might challenge his oppressive rule of Russia. The purge eradicated half a million Russian leaders. The press had covered the carefully staged mock trials in Moscow in that time. Many Russian communist and social leaders confessed to being traitors before they were sentenced to death or the gulags in Siberia. As all of that was going on and being reported from Russia, a number of former Czarist Russian royalty were living in exile around Europe, especially in Paris. Many stories and jokes circulated at that time about crown jewels and lost titles. Thus, the stage is set for "Ninotchka." With the large number of reviews posted up to this time, I wouldn't normally add my own. But, I think far too many people have missed the true depth of the satire and comedy in this great film. The IMDb Web site has a long list of witty dialog and exchanges from the film. But there are many more – and some real subtle zingers that I think many people miss. Here are a few to whet your appetite. In an early scene, Ninotchka explains why Soviet Russia is "peddling our precious possessions to the world at this time." She says, "Our next year's crop is in danger, and you know it. Unless we can get foreign currency to buy tractors, there'll not be enough bread for our people and you comrades." What a great example of skewered Soviet thinking. As if tractors could overcome a drought and famine. It's a great jab at the Soviets.Here's another one. Garbo looks over her hotel suite and says, "I'm ashamed to put a picture of Lenin in a room like this." And another, when her cohorts take her to the suite they reserved for her. "Which part of the room is mine?" Garbo asks. And a cohort replies, "You see, comrade, it's a little different here. They don't rent rooms in pieces. We had to take the whole suite." One more side-splitter was when her agents asked, "How are things in Moscow?" Garbo replied, "Very good. The last mass trial was a great success. There are going to be fewer but better Russians." A direct jab at Stalin's Great Purge. Douglas, meeting with the three agents early in the film, says that the jewels owned by the exiled duchess were confiscated by the Soviets. One of the agents quips, "I give you my word, they were confiscated legally." In a café later, a waiter seats Ninotchka and asks, "Now what shall it be?" She says, "Raw beets and carrots." He replies, "Madame, this is a restaurant, not a meadow." She next says, "Bring me something simple – I never think about food." The waiter asks, "If you don't think about food, what do you think about?" Ninotchka answers, "The future of the common people." And the waiter replies, "That's also a question of food." What a great running dialog!"Ninotchka" was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Garbo for best actress and the film as best picture. That year may have been the best year in motion picture history for the number of great films produced. But for that, "Ninotchka" likely would have won two or more Oscars. More than 40 full length movies competed for 1939 Oscar honors. Among the best of the year were "Gone With the Wind," "Stagecoach," Goodbye, Mr. Chips," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "The Wizard of Oz," "Ninotchka," "Wuthering Heights," "Dark Victory," "Beau Geste," "Of Mice and Men," "Young Mr. Lincoln," "Gunga Din," "The Four Feathers," "Only Angels Have Wings," and "Bachelor Mother." Those top 15 films have a combined average viewer rating (on September 20, 2012) of 7.8. Has there been another year of more great movies than that?