For those not familiar with the \u201cLubitsch Touch\u201d<\/a> \u2014 an aesthetic quality that\u2019s been famously attributed to Ninotchka\u2019s<\/i> director \u2014 it goes something like this: Suggestive jokes about high society types are funny, and not just for the sake of unleashing soul-crushing venom. By paying special attention to comedic timing, character framing, and mise-en-sc\u00e8ne, Lubitsch enlivened his motion pictures by placing one joke on top of another. He zings the intellectual crowd with dressed-up dialogue, and then serves up a practical one-liner. Meaning, Lubitsch pleases both the faux intellectual and the drunk uncle.<\/span><\/p>\n However, Ninotchka<\/i> doesn\u2019t quite have the accessible<\/i> opening like so many of Lub\u2019s \u201840s classics. There\u2019s a primary Parisian setting (which is sexy), but there\u2019s also three awkward Russians telling jokes (which is inarguably not sexy). But here\u2019s the special thing about my guy Lubitsch: He assumes the audience will have patience (important for movie-watching) and then piece the narrative clues together.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a brief summary of Ninotchka\u2019s<\/i> plot: After the Russian Revolution of 1917, three Soviets attempt to sell a Grand Duchess\u2019 jewels. Count Leon (Melvyn Douglas) travels to Paris, where he meets a Soviet \u201cenvoy extraordinaire,\u201d Nina Ivanovna \u201cNinotchka\u201d Yakushova, portrayed by the cinema icon Greta Garbo (whose 113th birthday is this week). As the primary objective coalesces with Parisian romance, the uptight Ninotchka and the suave Leon find something special, and a comedy of errors produces one of cinema\u2019s most underrated scenes.<\/span><\/p>\n Why Ninotchka<\/i>? Why spend time on a black-and-white sociopolitical movie from 1939? For one, it\u2019s a fantastic starting point for a Garbo binge (FilmStruck will hook you up). As Ninotchka, Garbo executes the dialogue (co-written by none other than Billy Wilder) with a theatrical, deadpan cadence that hilariously contrasts the supporting characters\u2019 lines. When Ninotchka first arrives in Paris, she refuses a porter\u2019s offer to carry her bags. \u201cThat\u2019s social injustice,\u201d she says, to which the porter responds, \u201cThat depends on the tip.\u201d Now THAT<\/i> is funny, and such dialogue is indeed representative of the \u201cLubitsch Touch\u201d \u2014 double entendres that intermix gender, class, and conflicting interests. <\/span><\/p>\n Plus, Ninotchka\u2019s<\/i> charm and endearing supporting characters make it a gateway film for those unfamiliar with Lubitsch\u2019s work. In fact, one could make the argument that Lubitsch\u2019s filmography from 1939 to 1943 represents the best five-year run for any Golden Age Hollywood director. Both The Shop Around the Corner<\/i> (1940) and That Uncertain Feeling<\/i> (1941) are under-appreciated gems, and To Be or Not to Be <\/i>(1942) features one of cinema\u2019s forgotten icons (one my personal favorites), Carole Lombard, who died in a plane crash before the film was released. Heaven Can Wait <\/i>(1943) also stars one of my favorite Golden Age actresses, the exquisite Gene Tierney, and begins with a bourgeoisie gent recalling his life experiences from the underworld, hoping for some resolution and a ticket to somewhere<\/i>. For me, all of these films are part of the \u201cFinding Ninotchka<\/i>\u201d experience, as the wink-of-the-eye humor and mega star power shows Lubitsch and his collaborators operating at top form. One can\u2019t help but smile, and snicker, and think about the pure excitement that is movie-making.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond the pure thrill of watching Ninotchka<\/i>, there\u2019s the human element. There\u2019s a little something for all demographics, and the viewing experience changes as one gets older. The jokes have different meanings, the accents on certain syllables are more noticeable. And for Greta Gerwig fans, it won\u2019t be hard to imagine the Lady Bird<\/i> director\/Frances Ha <\/i>star as a modern day Ninotchka, smiling away as her worldview begins to expand, or playing it stern as she delivers a line such as, \u201cI kissed a Polish lancer, too \u2014 before he DIED.\u201d The more I think about Ninotchka<\/i>, the more I remember, and re-imagine, my own international adventures. That\u2019s always exciting, and bittersweet, and I guess I\u2019ll always be looking for Ninotchka. Like the \u201cenvoy extraordinaire\u201d says, \u201cThey can\u2019t censor our memories, can they?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Some movies conjure up bittersweet recollections while emitting positive vibes. That\u2019s all part of the cinematic experience \u2014 relating to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":524,"featured_media":10237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1381,1399],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies","category-looking-back"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/524"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2014-02\/enhanced\/webdr03\/16\/18\/anigif_enhanced-20112-1392593763-4.gif\")
Ninotchka\u2019s<\/i> restaurant scene, promoted in pop culture as \u201cGarbo Laughs!,\u201d means more, for me, at age 38 than it did in college. Back then, the distinct narrative shift caught my attention, as Leon furiously attempts to entertain Ninotchka with trained social bravado and familiar jokes before falling from his seat and breaking his backside (one might assume), thus making the Soviet laugh, and quite hard \u2014 we\u2019re talkin\u2019 snot-rocket hard. Prior to that, Leon\u2019s demeanor comes across as \u201cLike me! Love my friends, too! Be like us!\u201d \u2014 but the Count, or \u201cLeonitchka\u201d as the drunk male Soviets lovingly call him, doesn\u2019t understand that Ninotchka conforms when she\u2019s ready to conform. If she doesn\u2019t \u201cread the room\u201d properly, then she just may head to another room, because that\u2019s how she rolls. But within this interpersonal conflict, there\u2019s indeed a romantic connection, and Leon manages to laugh at himself, crucially, rather than posturing to maintain appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n
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