Arts & Entertainment
Courtesy of Citadel Press
Garbo’s best performance
stirs laughter in audience
“Garbo laughs!" was the prom
ise of MGM propaganda, prepar
ing 1939 audiences for the release
of “Ninotchka.”
So American audiences wailed
for the revelation of an all-new
Greta Garbo — a comedienne.
Audiences found it worth their
wait.
“Don’t pronounce it... See it!”
movie posters advised.
And after the successful pre
miere of “Ninotchka” in New
York’s Radio City Music Hall on
Nov. 9, 1939, everybody in the
country saw Garbo’s firslcomcdy.
Louis B. Mayer’s number one
actress was America’s favorite
actress. With more than 20 films
made to her credit, Garbo had yet
to star in a film that was not a
tragedy.
Of course, Mayer was against
his top tragic star revealing herself
in an outright comedy. Garbo her
self welcomed the change, and said
that it would be a pleasure not to
have to die at thp end of a film.
Prod uccr/dircc tor Em si Lubitsch
talked with Garbo on more than
one occasion about his plans for
motion pictures. Lubitsch followed
the popular hope that Stalin and
Hiller would destroy each other,
and bought a script about the sub
ject.
Melchior Lengycl’s original
story was a social comedy, poking
its fun in the form of anti-Commu
nist propaganda.
Garbo gave her first reading of
the story a mixed review. She
worried that the story was only
propaganda and that she wasn’t fit
for such a comedy.
Lubitsch responded by hiring
MGM scenarists, Charles Brack
ett, Billy Wilder and Walter Reisch,
io fashion the script especially for
Garbo.
Both MGM sludioand Lubitsch
put the pressure to Garbo to take
• m,
the role of Ninotchka.
“I will do anything for you. I will
change the dialogue. I will change the
actors. I will rewrite the scenario
completely. But you must play in this
comedy, because it will be your great
est success,” Lubitsch promised.
It was.
The first half of “Ninotchka” is
dominated by a frumpy, straight-laced
Garbo,as a“good Russian”dcdicatcd
to the stale. The on-screen hi-jinx of
veteran-character actors, Sig Rumann,
Felix Bressart and Alexander Granach
as bumbling Soviet comrades, fall
hilariously under the spell of Melvyn
Douglas and the capitalist world.
Lubitsch had a particular adora
tion for Bressart and Rumann, with
them starring in several other Lu
bitsch films, Bressart in “The Shop
Around the Comer” with James Ste
wart and Margaret Sullavan, and
Rumann starring in Lubitsch’s 1942
comedy, “To Be Or Not To Be,”
starring Carole Lombard and Jack
Benny.
Garbo considered Lubitsch’s cast
ing very clever. Lubitsch cast Ina
Claire, who never got along with Garbo,
as her rival. Douglas was supposedly
in love with Garbo off camera, as
well as in “Ninotchka.” This could
account for that occasional gleam in
Douglas’ eye that otherwise seems
like a hell of a piece of acting.
Douglas is the perfect foil for a
smiling Garbo, all under the master
ful comcdic directing of Lubitsch.
Looking over Paris from the Eiffel
Tower, Garbo provides the Russian
outlook of a beautiful view of the
city’s lights.
“They are the unfortunate product
of a doomed culture. I feel very
sorry for you,” Garbo admonishes.
“Oh, but you must admit that
this doomed civilization sparkles.
Look. It glitters,” Douglas teases.
“I do not deny its beauty. But
it’s a waste of electricity,” Garbo
pronounces dryly.
Much of “Ninotchka’s” humor
is socially conscious of Stalin’s
growing power and the rise ol
Communism. Lubitsch’s humor
.is in finest form when Garbo meets
Douglas’ butler.
“Is this what you call the but
ler? .. This man is very old. You
shouldn’t make him work
Garbo states sadly.
“He looks sad. Do you whip
him?” Garbo asks innocently.
“No, but the mere thought
makes my mouth water,” Douglas
jokes.
“The day will come when you
will be free,” Garbo tells the
puzzled butler.
Lubilsch’s constant critical
patter about Stalin’s Soviets de
lighted audiences, but made Mayer
very nervous in the politically
unstable world of 1939.
“Ninotchka” garnered four
Oscar nominations, including Best
Picture, Best Original Story, Best
Screenplay and Garbo’s fourth Best
Actress nomination.
However, 1939 was the year of
“Gone With the Wind,” leaving
every film that year, including the
perfect “Ninotchka,” without an
Oscar.
“Ninotchka” is both Garbo’s
and Lubilsch’s finest filmmaking
moment. Lubitsch crafted
“Ninotchka” especially for Garbo.
Garbo crafted “Ninotchka” for
anyone who loves romantic com
edy.
Stotk isa senior English major and a
Dally Nebraskan reporter and colum
nist
. f. •/ ■:.,i . . !.
'Privilege’ weaves themes,
contains weak transitions
By Robert Richardson
Senior Reporter
Yvonne Rainer has been touted as
an avant-garde filmmaker with spe
cial abilities to present everyday ideas
in obscure ways.
Her latest film does just that.
“Privilege” takes one main theme and
tailors several smaller themes so lightly
around it that they are sometimes
interwoven.
Yvonne Washington (Novella
Nelson) has decided that with some
of her medical expertise she wants to
make a movie about women; the topic
is menopause.
After she enlists the help of Jenny
(Alice Spivak), who has been show
ing signs of the symptom for more
than five years, Yvonne and Jenny
embark on a sort of emotional roller
coaster ride that Jenny hasn’t been on
for more than 20 years.
It is through Jenny’s time travel to
the past that we meet a former neigh
bor, Brenda (Blairc Baron), and the
audience starts seeing the different
kinds of realities Rainer wants brought
to the surface.
Class struggle, racism and sexism
I (lesbianism) arc subplots within the
“Privilege”
Starring Alice Spivak,
Novella Nelson
NR
complicated plot of “Privilege.” Rainer
presents her ideas about these socie
tal problems in her madc-lo-order
fashion — as an added spice to the
original theme.
The only problem Rainer has with
her many-issued movie is transitions.
They arc weak and don ’ t tie the scenes
together, which makes “Privilege” a
somewhat confusing movie.
Because of Rainer’s inadequate
transitions, the movie loses some of
its substance, which is sad because it
is hard to find someone of Rainer’s
experience to tackle subjects that so
See MOVIE on 8
Mindlessness is Wonder-ful
By Michael Stock
Senior Reporter
Summer is a good time for mind
lessness. Not that the Wonder Stuff is
mindless tripe. It’s just a hell of a lot
of fun.
The Wonder Stuff used to be lots
of big guitars with such intellectual
titles as “It’s Ycr Money I’m After,
Baby,” NME’s number one single of
the decade, “Radio Asskiss,” or “Astley
In A Noose” — a lender little ditty
planning the assassination of the in
ane and talentless fop, Rick Astley.
With the release of their new LP,
“Never Loved Elvis,” The Wonder
Stuff still manage to get a couple of
hummers off. “The Size of A Cow,”
and “Welcome To The Cheap Scats,”
arc the most notable examples of sheer
lunacy. Sheer talented lunacy.
“The Size Of A Cow” is the first
single, and has already reached a
godlike Top Five status in the U.K..
This delightful little ditty is guaran
teed to make you feel so happy that
your face could fall off. Which is
good if you’re into that sort of thing.
If you’re looking for something to
numb you out of existence, look else
where. These chaps are far from brain
dead.
Crazy, rattling tambourines and a
Hammond organ provide for hours of
fun in the same Bcallcs-csquc vein as
some of “Sgt. Pepper.”
“Oh wow, look at me now, I’m
building up my problems to the size a
cow,” croons a confused Miles Hunt.
If you were trying to compare your
problems to the relative proportions
of a cow, I wouldn’t expect you to
make a hell of a lot of sense cither.
Loosen up.
“Never Loved Elvis”
The Wonder Stuff
Polydor/Polygram
Records
Grade: A
“Welcome To the Cheap Seals”
and “Maybe” utilize an accordion like
it hasn’t been used in.ycars. That old,
wrinkled guy on Lawrence Wclk is
probably rolling over right about now
in a grave of tiny bubbles.
Both songs arc reminiscent of the
mindless ale-influenced trips through
Irish pubs with all 21 members of the
late, great Dcxy’s Midnight Runners.
Or however the hell many people
were in that band. I counted at least
20 different pairs of overalls in the
“Come On, Eileen” video.
“In another world, yeah, he could
wear a dress,” Miles yelps to a pub
song sway, undoubtedly spilling ale
all over himself.
“Caught In My Shadow” is the
second single in the U.K. — a tiny
pop song with more pop hooks than
I’ve ever heard in one song. If you’ve
got toes, tap ‘em. If you’ve got a
longue, well... look at the lyric sheet
and giggle a bunch.
It’s fun. It’s summer. Summer is
mindless.
Anyway, what the hell is ten bucks
when you don’t have a brain in your
head?