Ninotchka (1939) Ernst Lubitsch Digital Life VHS

Ninotchka (1939)
starring: Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire, Bela Lugosi, Sig Ruman
directed by: Ernst Lubitsch

Used Price: $0.85
Collectible Price: $19.98
Third Party New Price: $1.76

Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780792840060
Format: Black & White, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 0792840062
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: January 05, 1999
Running Time: 110 minutes
Sales Rank: 24879
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1939

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.com essential video:
Ah, those fun-loving Communists! In Ninotchka three Soviets make their way to Paris to sell off imperial jewels to raise money to buy tractors for the USSR. When Grand Duchess Swana (Ina Claire), former owner of the jewels, discovers what's happening, she deploys her lover Leon (Melvyn Douglas) to recover her gems. He starts a court proceeding while seducing the three bumbling Soviets with the luxuries of capitalistic life. The delay of the sale is noticed in Moscow, and Comrade Ninotchka (Greta Garbo) is dispatched to Paris to settle the matter. Soon after arrival, she meets Leon, who is charmed by her severe, uptight manner and her stunning beauty ('I love Russians! Comrade, I've been fascinated by your five-year plan for the last 15 years'), and he sets about wooing her, despite her disbelief in love (it's merely a 'chemical reaction,' she dourly informs him). Romance, jealousy, and capitalistic frivolity ensue.

When this film was released in 1939, it was advertised as 'Garbo laughs,' as it was her first and only comedy. The film, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, is amusing not only for its story line, but also for its dated look at early Communism (Ninotchka keeps a photo of a stern-looking Lenin by her bedside, although she feels uncomfortable doing so in a room that costs 2,000 francs a night, the price of a cow back home). The satirical image of the young Communist fighting against corrupt Western ways seems somewhat idealistic today but nonetheless provided levity during the shaky political times of the film's release. Viewers may be jarred by the casual 'Heil Hitler' greeting of a couple at the train station, but overall this film holds up as one of Lubitsch's masterpieces and a lighter glimpse of the mysterious Garbo. --Jenny Brown

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- NINOTCHKA
Although I had seen this movie years ago, I thought it would be a great one to add to my movie library. This was Greta Garbo at her best - a truly great comedy.

Rating:

- Garbo!
Great movie. It will make you want to purchase the other with Fred Astaire, "Silk Stockings".

Rating:

- A classic comedy
Ninotchka, a Soviet commissar, is sent to Paris to round up a delegation sent to sell imperial jewels in order to raise money for the USSR. Romance ensues shortly afterwards as she is charmed despite herself by Leon, a scoundrel.

This movie is superb. I love it all over again whenever I watch it. The fact that it makes fun of the Soviet state is simply a bonus.

Rating:

- "Go to bed, little father."
Largely heralded for its slogan "Garbo Laughs!," Ninotchka is a classic romantic comedy. It exemplifies the Lubitsch touch wonderfully with its witty dialogue and elegance. Yakushova Ninotchka (Greta Garbo) is a Russian envoy sent to France to sell some of the Grand Dutchess' jewels; her country is in need of funds to feed its people. The Dutchess Swana (Ina Clare) is living in France, and when she hears that her jewels are in the country, she sends her lover to handle the situation. Leon (Melvyn Douglas) is a charming fellow who quickly wins over the first three Russian comrades: Buljanoff, Iranoff, and Kopalski, but he meets his match with Ninotchka. She is ice cold with hardly a shred of humanity in her body, but it is impossible not to be affected by the wonderful climate and the wonders of emotional bliss.

This film is perfection, made at the height of the golden era. It stars many wonderful faces, ... Read More

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