Billy Wilder, 1961
I don't know how many of you are familiar with a film called Ninotchka. It's a delightful little romantic comedy by Ernst Lubitsch, that tells the old familiar story: good Soviet girl meets capitalism (via Paris), capitalism seduces good Societ girl. This movie is basically the same thing, except here capitalism doesn't seduce a good communist boy. Rather, it beats him over the head repeatedly until he realizes resistance is futile.
Capitalism here is represented by two worthy emissaries. James Cagney plays a particularly affable and effective kind of ugly American, pugnacious and brash, who keeps his head down and gets the job done through sheer force of will and a loud voice. As the American temptress, Pamela Tiffin displays the kind of self-confident ditziness that never fails to win people over. It's a performance worthy of America's favorite wily ditz, Miss Marilyn Monroe. Poor Horst Buchholz, whose socialist leanings are telegraphed through aborted tirades and his newsboy cap, doesn't stand a chance. But since when did capitalism fight fair?
As with all of Wilder's films, the dialogue sparkles here. It's a joy to hear the banter ricochet back and forth, dropping little cues that eventually build up to a punchline. Seemingly trivial, offhand comments build up to a big finish. It's a cliched thing to say, but like all cliches, it has a kernel of truth: they don't make 'em like this anymore.
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