Episode 49: NINOTCHKA (1939) [feat. Griffin Fillipitch]

Featuring special guest Griffin Fillipitch! In 1937, story writer Melchior Lengyel pitched NINOTCHKA (1939) to MGM with a cutesy triptych: “Russian girl saturated with Bolshevist ideals goes to fearful, capitalistic, monopolistic Paris. She meets romance and has an uproarious good time. Capitalism not so bad, after all.” Thank goodness it’s not ACTUALLY that. Greta Garbo’s comedy turn gives her more than something to laugh about: it pits capitalist excess against the inhumanity of Stalinism to create a seriously hopeful romcom. Like one half of Paris making love to the other half, NINOTCHKA – the character and the film – seeks to complement without compromise, insisting that where personal freedom exists, so does social responsibility. Listen to Griffin's podcast, Anytime Minutes, on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anytime-minutes/id1033748975), subscribe to his romcom review newsletter at https://tinyletter.com/griffinfillipitch, and follow him on Twitter at @griffin_fill. Follow us at @trylovepodcast on Twitter and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters.