Silk Stockings

Mamoulian's opus ultimum once again revolves around the power of seduction: courted by a cunning Hollywood producer, a famous Russian composer in Paris threatens to defect to the West. As three detectives fail in their mission to prevent this, Moscow sends comrade Ninotchka Yoshenko to bring the men back to Russia. But even she is not immune to the temptations of the city of love ... Far more than a musical Ninotchka remake (with great songs by Cole Porter), SILK STOCKINGS takes a self-reflexive, sardonic approach at a time when the end of classic studio cinema is slowly looming: in the decline of the old, Mamoulian recognises its beauty - and knows how to celebrate it one last time with relish. (Florian Widegger)