Viewers familiar with Damien Chazelle‘s cinematic masterpiece, Babylon, will recognize that the transition from silent films to talkies in Hollywood during the late 1920s marked a thrilling yet challenging period in film history. Today, we often take sound and dialogue for granted, but introducing this groundbreaking element early in cinema’s evolution was transformative. It would be akin to altering the design of a baseball bat or adding new positions to a baseball team. Many of the brightest stars from the silent film era, such as Clara Bow (the loose inspiration for Margot Robbie‘s character in Babylon) and Gloria Swanson, faced significant difficulties adapting to sound, becoming shadows of their former selves, a theme comically explored by Swanson in Sunset Boulevard. However, Greta Garbo, the quintessential silent film diva, successfully transitioned to sound films in the 1930s, showcasing her remarkable talent in the 1939 romantic comedy classic, Ninotchka, where she revealed her true depth as an actress.

Greta Garbo Redefines Romantic Comedy with ‘Ninotchka’

In the early days of Hollywood, Greta Garbo, much like her silent film contemporaries such as Lillian Gish and Charlie Chaplin, emerged as a pioneering figure in screen acting, marked by her distinctive and memorable traits. The Swedish actress became renowned for her melancholic and serious screen persona, often portraying tragic characters with a graceful yet reserved intensity in films like Flesh and the Devil, A Woman of Affairs, and The Mysterious Lady. As many stars faded into obscurity with the rise of sound films, her studio, MGM, promoted Anna Christie in 1930 with the memorable tagline “Garbo talks!” She swiftly demonstrated her exceptional abilities as a dramatic actress in the era of talkies, garnering Academy Award nominations for her performances in Anna Christie, Romance, and Camille.

The tagline “Garbo laughs!” for Ninotchka marked a pivotal shift in Garbo’s career, much like Bob Dylan‘s electrifying transition from folk music. The notion of Garbo stepping away from her established melodramatic roles to embrace comedy seemed almost unfathomable. Directed by the screwball comedy genius Ernst Lubitsch and penned by Billy Wilder before his illustrious Oscar-winning career, the film humorously critiques the very premise of Garbo’s transformation. In the story, Garbo portrays Ninotchka, a stern Soviet official dispatched to Paris to oversee a jewel sale involving three Russians and the charming Count Leon (Melvyn Douglas), who embodies everything she opposes. Despite her best intentions to remain professional, Ninotchka finds herself irresistibly drawn to Leon.

The case of jewels, serving as a MacGuffin that would make Alfred Hitchcock proud, merely facilitates the encounters between Ninotchka and Leon. Even after nearly 90 years, Ninotchka still resonates with modern romantic comedies, featuring elements like the unexpected meet-cute and the playful banter that leads to an eventual romantic embrace between two seemingly incompatible characters. Their contrasting personalities, deeply rooted in their national loyalties, initially render their attraction implausible. However, through the magic of the Lubitsch Touch—the director’s unique ability to convey emotions visually rather than through dialogue—we readily accept their undeniable chemistry. While many films in this genre lean heavily towards either screwball antics or heartfelt romance, Lubitsch masterfully blends dark humor with a touching love story about two characters breaking free from their constraints and their patriotic allegiances.

Ninotchka centers on a universally relatable theme that films across genres, particularly romantic comedies, could benefit from emulating. Leon, the idealistic romantic, spends the first half of the film striving to penetrate Ninotchka’s impenetrable facade. While the film’s tagline implies otherwise, Garbo seldom smiles until a delightfully engaging scene in a café, where Leon shares an elaborate joke that ultimately shatters Ninotchka’s stoic demeanor. When she finally lets down her guard, the moment carries the weight of a dramatic climax. Lubitsch and Wilder expertly exploit the audience’s emotional investment in the characters, revealing that surrendering to her feelings could jeopardize Ninotchka’s standing with the Soviet government.

Greta Garbo’s unparalleled strength lay in her ability to convey profound emotion through subtle gestures and restrained performances, a skill that was particularly challenging for silent film stars, who were often limited by the absence of spoken dialogue. She expertly utilizes the titular character’s monotone delivery for both comedic and dramatic effect, creating a complex portrayal of an authoritative figure who also embodies profound loneliness. As a character characterized by her silence, we learn little about Ninotchka’s personal history. Yet, like Melvyn Douglas’s suave Count, the audience is captivated, willing to do anything to elicit a smile from her. That is the undeniable allure of a true movie star.

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