Rent Greta Garbo Collection: Mata Hari (1931)
3.3 of 5 from 57 ratings
1h 25min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Mata Hari: the name breathes mystery, intrigue and sexual allure. Who better to play the notorious World War I spy than Greta Garbo, the enigmatic, exquisite screen icon called The Swedish Sphinx? Garbo is mesmerizing as the dancer-turned-German secret agent in a wartime Paris seething with secrets and betrayal. The notable supporting cast includes Lionel Barrymore as a Russian general besotted with her, Lewis Stone as an icy master spy, and Ramon Novarro as a handsome aviator who wins the heart Mata Hari did not know she possessed. With the world at war, love was her weapon. And the only men she couldn't seduce were the 12 in the firing squad that ended her tragic and tumultuous life.
- Actors:
- Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, C. Henry Gordon, Karen Morley, Alec B. Francis, Blanche Friderici, Edmund Breese, Helen Jerome Eddy, Frank Reicher, Mischa Auer, William Bailey, Roy Barcroft, Reginald Barlow, Frederick Burton, Harry Cording, Cecil Cunningham, Gordon De Main, Maude Turner Gordon
- Directors:
- George Fitzmaurice
- Writers:
- Benjamin Glazer, Leo Birinsky
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- Cinema and the First World War, Drama Films & TV
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Reviews (2) of Greta Garbo Collection: Mata Hari
German Spy - Greta Garbo Collection: Mata Hari review by NO
Rather dated but an interesting love affair as in real life,Garbo was bisexual & Novarro was homosexual!And why did she always wear a
ridiculous hat?Anyway glad I saw it as cannot recall seeing any other Garbo film.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Romantic Melodrama. - Greta Garbo Collection: Mata Hari review by Steve
After Marlene Dietrich's success as an exotic Austrian spy of the Great War in Dishonored, later in the same year MGM released a very similar melodrama loosely based on the last few weeks in the life of Mata Hari, who (allegedly) was a German agent in Paris. And it makes an ideal vehicle for Greta Garbo as the infamous Dutch celebrity/dancer who was executed in 1917.
Joseph von Sternberg's film is more beautiful while the less exalted George Fitzmaurice creates a more coherent and satisfying entertainment. It still looks great, with artistic photography and extraordinary costumes. But some work has gone into the script too and Garbo delivers a performance, as well as being a star.
In real life, Mata Hari was middle aged and looking it by the time of her death. But Garbo plays a lissom femme fatale for whom besotted men gladly die. There a memorable scene where she compels a dashing, handsome Russian fighter pilot (Ramon Novarro) blow out the eternal flame on his religious icon before she'll seduce him.
It's a sombre precode adventure with the usual impediments of early sound. It's dated but still absorbing. After '34 the censors cut out some salacious content which has been lost, but Garbo's dance at the start of the film is still quite erotic. Until the tiresome histrionics of Mata's death, this is an irresistible treat for fans of golden age romantic melodrama.
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