Ninotchka
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(s)
Ernst Lubitsch
Horace Hough
John Waters
Where to watch
Amazon Video
Rent
Cast & crew
Harry Semels
Gurganov (uncredited)
Frank Reicher
Soviet Lawyer (uncredited)
Dick Gordon
Club Patron (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Gossip (uncredited)
Dorothy Adams
Swana's Maid Jacqueline (uncredited)
Herschel Graham
Club Patron (uncredited)
William Irving
Bartender (uncredited)
Edwin Maxwell
Mercier
Felix Bressart
Comrade Buljanoff
Sig Ruman
Comrade Iranoff
Wolfgang Zilzer
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Ernst Lubitsch
Himself - Director in Trailer (uncredited)
Rolfe Sedan
Hotel Manager
Constantine Romanoff
Man in Restaurant (uncredited)
Bela Lugosi
Commissar Razinin
Lawrence Grant
General Savitsky (uncredited)
Fred Farrell
Attendant (uncredited)
Ellinor Vanderveer
Gossip (uncredited)
Charles Fogel
Club Patron (uncredited)
Mary Forbes
Lady Lavenham (uncredited)
Greta Garbo
Nina "Ninotchka" Ivanovna Yakushova
Melvyn Douglas
Count Leon d'Algout
Ina Claire
Grand Duchess Swana
Alexander Granach
Comrade Kopalski
Gregory Gaye
Count Alexis Rakonin
Richard Carle
Gaston
George Davis
Porter at Railroad Station (uncredited)
Monya Andre
Gossip (uncredited)
Nino Bellini
Swana's Restaurant Guest (uncredited)
Wilda Bennett
Swana's Restaurant Guest (uncredited)
Symona Boniface
Gossip (uncredited)
Frederika Brown
Swana's Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Emilie Cabanne
Gossip (uncredited)
Paul Ellis
Minor Role (uncredited)
Frank Fletcher
Minor Role (uncredited)
Jody Gilbert
Streetcar Conductress - Moscow Roommate (uncredited)
Jennifer Gray
Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
Winifred Harris
English Lady Getting Visa (uncredited)
Ray Hendricks
Waiter (uncredited)
Hans Joby
Man at Railroad Station (uncredited)
Charles Judels
Cafe Owner Pere Mathieu (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)
Alexander Schoenberg
Bearded Eiffel Tower Tourist (uncredited)
Tamara Shayne
Moscow Roommate Anna (uncredited)
Florence Shirley
Swana's Phone Friend Marianne (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)
Paul Weigel
Vladimir, with Letter from Leon (uncredited)
Elizabeth Williams
Indignant Woman (uncredited)
Marek Windheim
Manager (uncredited)
Horace Hough
-
John Waters
-
Details
Reviews
CinemaSerf
Although Greta Garbo takes top billing here - and she's great - I think this film really belongs to the on-form Melvyn Douglas as the scheming "Leon". He is the boyfriend of the Imperial Grand Duchess "Swana" (Ina Claire) who is living in exile in Paris. The newly formed Soviet Union is a bit broke, so three of it's finest representatives have arrived with what was her priceless jewellery so they can sell it on. "Leon" sees a chance for them to cash in so gets an injunction stalling the sale and that results in Moscow sending their best agent (Garbo) to get the job done. She's a no-nonsense communist in the best tradition, but she hadn't quite factored in the charismatic Frenchman who aims to firmly insert a spanner in the works. What now ensues is a delightfully funny drama that takes a swipe at the establishments of both nations, at the all too frequent ridiculousness of dogma and at flawed and quirky human nature. There's loads of chemistry here - all centring nicely around Douglas, and the triptych of her cohorts "Buljanoff" (Felix Bressart), "Kopalski" (Alexander Granach) and "Iranoff" (Sig Rumann) - who really just want to open a nice restaurant somewhere - add a nice touch of stooge-ness to the proceedings. As with Bergman and Dietrich, the camera simply loves Garbo and her slightest frown or smile speaks a hundred words. Seen here with a leading man who is charming and confident and with an entertaining story underpinning everything, this really is a jolly good watch.
All Trailers
