Ninotchka (1939)

The critic calls the film one of the sprightliest comedies of the year, a gay, impertinent, and malicious satire that finds Garbo excelling in a dead-pan comedy role. Lubitsch's direction and the script are praised for their wit and for delivering a humorist's view of Soviet manners.

This is hailed as one of the funniest and most original comedies from Hollywood's greatest year, with Lubitsch's magic touch, witty screenplay by Wilder and others, and Garbo's charming transformation from stern commissar to lover.

The critic highlights how Lubitsch both mocks and embraces Garbo's image, turning the severe bureaucrat into a champagne-loving bon vivant. The film's stylish construction and topical satire of Soviet life versus Western luxury are singled out as special achievements.

The review notes that Garbo's laugh transforms her and fits the film's parlor satire on Soviet Russia, which is urbanely handled without excess. Lubitsch tones down the comedy effectively for the leads, though Moscow scenes verge on burlesque and the ending feels conventional.

The critic notes that while Ninotchka is not quite the delight history claims due to a crude and cynical Lubitsch touch by the late 1930s, it remains consistently amusing thanks to impish political jokes and Garbo's engaging performance.

The critic praises Ninotchka as a charming romantic comedy that showcases Greta Garbo's comedic talents for the first time, thanks to Ernst Lubitsch's deft direction blending humor and sentiment. The piece singles out the café scene where Ninotchka finally laughs as a highlight of the film's emotional and narrative ingenuity.

The critic notes that Garbo's emotionless bureaucrat learns to love in Lubitsch’s pre-war classic, finding her transfixing in her first comedy with genuine romance. It singles out the fixed conception of Russian Communism in popular culture as an interesting early example.