Ninotchka (DVD, 2005)

I never knew what the big deal about Great Garbo was. I saw "Camille" and thought it was so-so. I saw "Anna Christie". I thought that it was worse.

But Ninotchka is fabulous! Not-so-serious Greta Garbo is wonderful! However, she is seriously Russian in a day when that was not such a laughable situation. In fact, she is so serious that it is truly funny. One of the funniest moments is when she refuses dinner because she has already had her quota of calories for the day. Another is when she orders raw beets and raw cauliflower in a restaurant and the waiter tells her that this is a restaurant and not a meadow. Another is when she thinks of the Eiffel Tower only as the number of stairs and how deep in the ground it is anchored. But the most funny is when she laughs on and on at Melvyn Douglas' bad fall on a broken chair.

Melvyn Douglas is great too as her gigolo-admirer, who is supposed to be her adversary. The melting of these two as one gets complicated as might be imagined by the USSR.

Introducing Ninotchka to culture and fun in Paris was the introduction of a Greta Garbo to me that I really like. In fact, I am one of her fans now.

Ernst Lubitsch was at his best when he decided to make this 1939 comedy with Greata Garbo. Alone these two figures are icons so together one can imagine the greatness that came to be "Ninotchka." A true classic with a memorable catchphrase that emphasizes the fact that "Garbo Laughs!" Highly recommend it!!!!