Mata Hari (1931)

What ever you do, don't put out The Madonna's Holy light.

Loosely based on the real Mata Hari (WWI spy), this is a tail of a spy that may have got caught up in something greater than God and Country.

Mata (Greta Garbo), a German spy, has been pumping Russian General (a not very convincing Lionel Barrymore) for some time for Russian intel. When by chance she comes across a young enthusiastic Russian flight lieutenant (Ramon Navarro) with much more interesting secrets. Hot on her tail is French Secret Service chief Dubois (C. Henry Gordon). At the beginning of the movie Dubois predicts that Mata will wind up in front of a firing squad.

Will Mata deliver the goods or will Dubois' prediction come true?

Other than Barrymore's acting and the hokey Hari dance this was a well paced and emotional film.
February 25, 2008

Fantasy Love Story

This Hollywood drama is loosely based on the most famous spy of the Great War. In 1917 France they sought a scapegoat for the stalemate and huge losses in the war. The film begins with the execution of three spies by a firing squad. The last is offered a reprieve if he admits that Mata Hari was the spy; he dies rather than betray her. Du Bois, the secret service man, is convinced of Mata Hari's guilt. She has friends in high places so he must be cautious. A Russian aviator lands in France with secret dispatches. [Lt. Alexis Rozanoff has a Spanish accent.] We see Mata Hari dancing before the idol Shiva, the god of destruction (she remains clothed). Afterwards her friends drink a toast. Then she meets General Serge Shubin, a Russian in Paris who knows of her spying. At the gambling casino we see the head of the German spy ring in Paris. He asks Mata Hari to get a copy of the dispatches carried by Lt. Rozanoff. [Is Ramon Novarro very credible in his role?]

Du Bois visits General Shubin to warn him against Mata Hari, an agent of Wilhelmstrasse. He has no proof. This news upsets Mata Hari. An important message is given to Lt. Rozanoff, he must return to Petrograd as soon as possible. But Mata Hari visits him to delay his departure and allow another spy to borrow the dispatches. This is symbolized by blowing out the votive candle before the icon. The package is taken, its messages are photographed, and the package is returned as if nothing happened. No slow and noisy typewriter was used for copying. [This must have been observed by French counter-intelligence.] Lt. Rozanoff ignored his orders. The tiny microfilm will be smuggled into neutral Holland. A spy who falls in love has outlived her usefulness.

Du Bois telephones General Shubin about Mata Hari's love for a lower ranked Lt. Rozanoff. Shubin's jealous anger makes him telephone Du Bois about proof of Mata Hari's espionage. Mata Hari prevents this. The newspapers report Shubin's suicide. Now Mata Hari is ordered to return to Holland, her usefulness in Paris has ended. But she goes to a hospital to see Lt. Rozanoff, she has big plans for the future. She quickly disposes of the shadow following her. We see her arrest, a dramatic trial, and her conviction. [This is all well-known historical fact.] There is a very sentimental ending that detracts from this drama.

The scenes filmed in a pouring rain seem to be a technical breakthrough. This drama avoids the real names of the French officials who were involved with Mata Hari, high-level government incompetence. Using fictional Russians in Paris means they can't be sued for libel (as in "Rasputin"). That German spy chief is contemptuous of his agents, a sign of an organizational error.
July 7, 2007

Typical Garbo elevating a mediocre film

In spite of the spectacular costumes and lighting, this is one of Garbo's duds in which her shining talent rose far above her surroundings. MGM's early talkie version of the Mata Hari legend, the exotic French spy, is weighed down by a verbose, corny and at times confusing script, an inadequate co-star and that leaden atmosphere which was an MGM trademark and dates so many of their dramas.

The print is unrestored but in better condition than other Garbo DVDs. There, are however, some noticeable jumps in continuity which could be scenes missing from the print. There are no extras except a trailer. Unless the DVD is purchased as part of one of the Garbo collections, it is poor value. June 30, 2007

simply a solemn interpretation

The quality of the dvd is good. There is certain cut in the scene of the dance; but in general a stupendous and great movie May 5, 2007

Not really great, but worth watching

This seems like one of those films that sounded better on paper than in the actual finished product. The sets and costumes are gorgeous, the plot (though rather loosely based on the history behind the real Mata Hari) had a lot of potential to be interesting and gripping, and it has four big names heading the bill. Greta Garbo and Ramon Novarro are two of my favorites, and though I haven't seen him in a huge amount of films yet, I've also really enjoyed Lewis Stone in the films I have seen him in. The other big star, Lionel Barrymore, overacts as usual, though he does pull off the role well. (Though I know he was talented in spite of his tendency to overact, it's beyond me why he was once considered a better actor than his brother John.)

However, in spite of the big names, the promising storyline, and the gorgeous costumes and sets, the picture ultimately seems to fall rather flat. Perhaps part of it could be attributed to how this is after all an early talkie, made in 1931; it would take a little bit longer yet for films to lose this stagy feeling, with almost nonstop chatter, and go back to having more freedom of motion and a balance between dialogue and scenes and moments that didn't rely so heavily on constant talk. Many of these lines themselves weren't very dramatic or original, more like empty words used to fill the time. Additionally, it just didn't seem to have a whole lot of dramatic tension or to be a very compelling interesting story till it was well more than halfway over. There's also the problem of how Ramon is supposed to be portraying a Russian aviator. Given his Mexican accent and Mexican appearance, it's not really convincing, though he is as beautiful as always, and does manage to convey his talent and bring depth and emotion to the role in spite of the oftentimes rather lame script. And as in all of her other roles, Garbo also really shines. She always managed to elevate films that would otherwise be outright clunkers to something interesting and at a higher level due to her subtlety and her electric presence, not to mention how beautiful she was even when she had to wear some pretty ridiculous outfits, as she does here (particularly her hats). Basically (in my opinion at least), it's one of those films that one watches just to see the stars of because they made it interesting by their mere presence, whereas, had the leads been lesser-talented and less-captivating actors, one might not be all that inclined to want to watch it. February 15, 2007

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