Ninotchka (DVD)

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The movie succeeds on the strength of its stars, specifically Garbo, who glistens even beneath the stern facade of a Soviet clone; its director, Ernst Lubitsch ("The Merry Widow," "The Shop Around the Corner," "To Be or Not To Be," "That Uncertain Feeling"), who made these smart, breezy affairs so convincingly; and the clever dialogue. When Iranoff says to d'Algout, "I suppose you expect us to hand over the jewels," d'Algout replies, "Oh, no, I'm no highwayman, just a nuisance."

It's a delightful affair, full of sparkling wit and wisecracks. As Ninotchka is getting off the train in Paris, she says to a porter, "Why should you want to carry other people's bags? That's social injustice," and the porter responds, "That depends on the tip."

Still, it's Garbo's picture, and she's wonderfully droll and wry and not above self-parody. One of her comrades asks her if she wants to be alone; "No!" she answers soundly. But later she relents, announcing, "We want to be alone."

When Ninotchka and d'Algout meet, she asks him, "Must you flirt?" "I don't have to, but I find it natural," he answers. "Suppress it!" she demands curtly. At first Ninotchka expresses no sentimentality, no feelings whatever. To her, lovemaking is merely a mechanical, bodily function. D'Algout asks her, "Do you like me a little bit?" She responds, "Your general appearance is not distasteful... Chemically, we're already quite sympathetic."

The key scene in the movie, though, is when Ninotchka finally loosens up and becomes human. Appropriately, it is the first time she laughs. "Will you smile?" d'Algout asks. "Why?" "Why, just smile," d'Algout insists. "At what?" She finally succumbs and laughs when d'Algout accidentally trips and falls over a table in a restaurant. And when she does laugh, she becomes almost giddy, forcing the audience to laugh along with her for the rest of the picture.

As with so many comedies of the thirties and forties, particularly ones meant to take the viewer's mind off the doom and gloom of the Great Depression and the Second World War, this one is filled with splendid sets, glittering gowns, posh hotels, and expensive restaurants. Moreover, the movie celebrates smoking and drinking as the height of elegance and sophistication.

It was a simpler age, perhaps, in some ways a more innocent age, but a few of the movies it produced like "Ninotchka" remain as entertaining today as ever.

Video:
The picture size, of course, is a standard, Academy-ratio 1.37:1, rendered here at 1.33:1. The black-and-white contrasts are strong, but there is a small degree of grain present, most noticeable in outdoor scenes and stock footage. A bright picture helps the definition most of the time, although it sometimes look a little too bright, with lighter tones almost washed out on a few occasions. A good, cleaned-up print helps, too, with age marks, scratches, blotches, and flecks non-issues.

Audio:
By today's standards, the sound is a rather ordinary 1.0 monaural, greatly improved through Dolby Digital processing. It is somewhat thin, mainly in the strings, and there is little in the way of frequency or dynamic range; but it is certainly clean and clear in the midrange, which is where we find its dialogue. During quieter passages, one notices a touch of background hiss, just a hint; otherwise, no complaints.

Extras:
There isn't much in the way of extras on any of the individual Garbo discs except the silents. "Ninotchka" has a theatrical trailer; thirty-two scene selections; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

However, if you buy "Ninotchka" in the big box set, you also get the 2005 documentary disc, "Garbo." It's eighty-six minutes long, divided into twenty-four chapters, and narrated by Julie Christie. The documentary examines Garbo's life, her career, and her contradictions through interviews with friends, family, actors, biographers, critics, writers, and filmmakers. I'm not sure any of them shed any new light on the figure, but it's a fascinating look at a fascinating character, nonetheless.

Parting Thoughts:
"Ninotchka" breaks no new ground as a romantic comedy, but thanks to Garbo, its supporting cast, and director Ernst Lubitsch's magic touch, it remains one of Hollywood's most sparkling products. Although it's a shame Garbo hadn't walked away from the spotlight after this film instead of her next, and last, film, the less-successful "Two-Faced Woman" in 1941, WB's Garbo box set reveals her best sides, and her final film probably doesn't matter any more. We will always remember Garbo as simply being Garbo, one of the handful of most popular actresses ever to grace the screen.

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