Ninotchka

Released Nov 9, 1939

1 hr. 50 min.

Comedy

List

95%

40 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A no-nonsense diplomat of the Soviet Union, Nina Ivanovna "Ninotchka" Yakushova (Greta Garbo) arrives in Paris to ensure the sale of jewels seized during the Russian Revolution. Meanwhile, carefree bachelor Count Leon d'Algout (Melvyn Douglas) attempts to intercept the valuables on behalf of their former owner, the Grand Duchess Swana (Ina Claire). Despite their conflicting allegiances, the icy Ninotchka soon warms to Leon's charms, reluctantly going against her better judgment.

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Critics Consensus

With Greta Garbo proving her comedy chops in the twilight of her career, Ninotchka is a can't-miss classic.

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Tamara K

The chemistry between all the actors is great and Garbo is fabulous.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

Alec B

Its not false advertising to claim that "Garbo laughs" in this film (it happens on more than one occasion) but she's also endlessly charming and surprisingly funny.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

Red T

All Time Classic. Douglas & Garbo steal the show and have incredible chemistry and charm in every scene they are in. The film starts out solid enough the whole way but once Garbo arrives the film takes a big jump and never lets up with the incredibly smart, witty, and politically charged humor that hits pretty much every time. Even whne Garbo is playing it straight she is really funny somehow. The camera knows also Douglas & Garbo are the best asset in this and doesn't need to get super fancy. Most of the time it just is long takes focused on the two and its amazing to watch the chemistry and witty lines exchanged. The only real issue is the music is good but isn't that memorable on its own and isn' used that much throughout, but this somehow never feels dry either. This blends a Rom-Com with a politically charged backstory/humor beautifully. As much as this makes fun of Communism for 60% of the time, it also suprisingly makes fun of Capitalism also and is just as funny. This is super witty, clever, and even though the plot is ridiculous it never really matters because its very clear this isn't meant to be taken as a serious political thriller and succeeds big time at it. Anyone should give this a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/18/23

Full Review

Dani G

Considering the time it was made... Ok.... A lot of anticomunist propaganda, very obvious theme, wrapped in a kind of romcom

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My first Greta Garbo. I couldn't get past the aritificiality of what she found attractive about him. the entertaining aspects were how she was portrayed as a communist,which, has many analogs to an AI/Robot!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A dull romance of a film. The bad Russian accent by Garbo and stereotypes omg. Also, while in Paris they acted American. A terrible cluster of poor stereotypes and bad humor. Why is this film so highly rated when it is so bad? The acting, the plot... The only parts I enjoyed was that catty royal lady and the critiques of communism when they get back to Russia. However, Dr. Zhivago is a much better communism critique film with romance over this dull drag. This film is a skip for me.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

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Ernst Lubitsch

Director

Greta Garbo

Ninotchka (Nina Ivanovna Yakushova)

Melvyn Douglas

Count Leon d'Algout

Ina Claire

Swana

Sig Ruman

Michael Simonavich Iranoff

Felix Bressart

Buljanoff

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94%

88%

The Women

30%

28%

Two-Faced Woman

85%

69%

Pat and Mike

87%

87%

Libeled Lady

95%

89%

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

The romantic roundelay, linking fine emotions with fine lingerie, is shadowed by the brutality of Soviet tyranny.

May 9, 2016

Full Review

Whittaker Chambers

TIME Magazine

This one is neither crude clowning nor crude prejudice, but a literate and knowingly directed satire which lands many a shrewd crack about phony Five Year Plans, collective farms, Communist jargon and pseudo-scientific gab.

Jan 15, 2013

Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Ninotchka is delicate flirtation and political satire made into a perfect whole, and a reminder of skills that studio writers have largely lost.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 27, 2012

Full Review

Pare Lorentz

McCall's

The picture itself might have been a very amusing satire at the expense of the Russians if it had been made with any thing lighter than a loaded baseball bat.

Oct 30, 2023

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

Ninotchka continues to enchant viewers all over the world and it hasn’t lost any of its charm in the past 82 years.

Feb 1, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Has there ever been a more charming, sexy, infectious laugh put to film than the one Greta Garbo delivers in Ninotchka?

Rated: 4/4

Feb 23, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A no-nonsense diplomat of the Soviet Union, Nina Ivanovna "Ninotchka" Yakushova (Greta Garbo) arrives in Paris to ensure the sale of jewels seized during the Russian Revolution. Meanwhile, carefree bachelor Count Leon d'Algout (Melvyn Douglas) attempts to intercept the valuables on behalf of their former owner, the Grand Duchess Swana (Ina Claire). Despite their conflicting allegiances, the icy Ninotchka soon warms to Leon's charms, reluctantly going against her better judgment.

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Distributor: Loew's Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Loew's Inc.
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 9, 1939, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Sound Mix: Mono

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