Taking a completely different turn from last week’s Civil War epic, “Ninotchka” is a very light comedy by Ernst Lubitch dealing with Russians in their post-Revolution society. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our film about the great films of 1939 with Lubitch’s “Ninotchka.” We talk about the wonderfully funny script by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder and Walter Reisch based on the original story by Melchior Lengyel, and look at why the comedy works so well in a film like this. We chat about Greta Garbo as the titular character and how wonderful she is, and we look at the rest of the brilliant cast — Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire, Bela Lugosi, Sig Ruman, Felis Bressart, Alexander Granach and others — as we discuss what they bring to the table. We also touch on Garbo and her retirement from the business. And we chat about Lubitsch and his “Lubitsch Touch” and what that means in context of this film. It’s a fun film that’s very easy to watch. Check it out then tune in!
