Shortly after the Russian Revolution, three bumbling Soviet agents are dispatched to Paris to hock the crown jewels while the former owner (Ina Claire) sends an operatve of her own (Melvyn Douglas) in an attempt to retrieve them. When the Kremlin catches wind of the ongoings, they send a frigid, no nonsense beauty (Greta Garbo) to bring the jewels and the agents home and not fall prey to the duchess' seductive emissary. Ninotchka is an absolute delight, with director Ernst Lubitsch at the top of his form and working from a snappy screenplay by his protege Billy Wilder, Charles Bracket (who would go on to coscript some of Wilder's best films), and Walter Reisch. Douglas and Garbo (who is positively radiant) have dynamic chemistry in this completely charming picture.
