What a waste of my time!!!

Good start, but then it gets ruined

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

MATA HARI's main interest is the great Greta Garbo and she does deliver a very sound performance, if not exactly a match for CAMILLE or QUEEN Christina. As a woman of exceptional beauty and elegance, I can imagine that most men must have been besotted by her in the 1930s.The story is more about love than history (which it does not bother to follow with any degree of accuracy), and it makes no judgment about espionage, apart from a chief spy saying that death is the only way to leave the "profession".Acting, direction and photography are generally competent, considering what was happening in the cinema in 1931. The only drawback -- from my standpoint -- is Ramon Novarro, who comes across as rather weak (I believe GG did not want him as the male lead, and you can see why).If you are willing to cast your mind back to 1931 and to suspend your disbelief, there is much to enjoy in this picture.

Audiences today have largely not heard of Greta Garbo, who was the queen of MGM from the silent days up until the time she made her last film in 1941. Her beauty was unrivaled with the possible exception of Marlene Dietrich, to whom she was often compared. "Mata Hari" tells the true story of the WW1 spy who conquered all with her feminine wiles. Garbo is beautifully costumed and superbly photographed in this film, which shows why MGM was at the head of their game even in the early-talkie era. Lionel Barrymore plays a good part in this and Ramon Navarro (who was gay in real life) plays his love scenes with the proper amount of nostril-flaring that went with the Latin-lover image he had fostered. (Although here he plays a Russian, or Rus-si-an, as Garbo pronounces it.) A fun movie that flies by fast.

"When all other pictures fade from memory, there will be in your mind and heart the unforgettable thrill of amours, intrigues, betrayals" (the original trailer of 1931 MATA HARI).And indeed, at the time when WWI events were still fresh in people's memories, there was hardly any theme so provocative, so intriguing than bringing to screen the life of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (1876-1917), a seductive female spy known as Mata Hari (from Malay language 'the Eye of the Day'). Since the legend arose around her figure just after the firing squad in October 1917, she became a cinema heroine quickly. Consequently, there were soon silent films made (being for instance DIE SPIONIN (1921) with Asta Nielsen).However, not to allow the enthusiasm to pass and in order to adapt her persona to the film industry for good, there was nothing more challenging than find some very popular celebrity who would portray Mata. The talkies appeared and the producers in Hollywood studios faced this challenge: to cast the lead, to exalt a celebrity in the same manner as legends did exalt Mata. What woman may become a screen idol compared to dance idol of WWI? Was it to be a promiscuous, flirtatious rising star Marlene Dietrich or cold Swedish beauty Greta Garbo? The results we all know... The MGM studio with the director George Fitzmaurice took lots of liberties with the life of the heroine and made a significant film where lust turns into feelings and espionage into genuine love...how touching, how dramatic, how Hollywood-like for the absorbed viewers of the early 1930s... People flocked to see the film, there were discussions about Mata Hari and Greta Garbo, people looked for similarities that the two women had; years later, I heard about the film from my Grandma who saw it in Poland in the 1930s. However, after all these years, it seems that all that enthusiasm has naturally passed, that MATA HARI has become dated, no longer adequate for modern viewers, up-to-date expectations. Partly, it is true since many performances as well as filming techniques occur to be out-of-date. Yet, in spite of some criticism and ironic smiles at classic cinema, there are some aspects that still make the film memorable. What is it that makes MATA HARI interesting after almost 8 decades? To analyze this aspect more deeply, we have to take into consideration Greta Garbo, a screen persona that was capable of dominating her entire movies with genuineness, frank eroticism and marvelous acting talent. People went to see movies where there was GARBO in the credits. For many, that would suffice. They curiously waited for her entrance and her presence turned out to be a success for the movie. Today, we could say that it was a more fanatic attitude than with modern film stars. Yes, indeed! We no longer believe our celebrities to such extend (with some exceptions). However, those people (though not so experienced in cinema as we are nowadays) knew exactly what to expect from Garbo and knew that she would not disappoint them whatever role she had been given. And the same case is with this movie, MATA HARI (1931) where Garbo does one of her very best jobs, portrays a charming, seductive, delicious femme fatale from her intriguing, dazzling dance to the modesty and upright heart before the execution. And again, it is important to mention one fact: don't see the story for the sake of history! See the story for the sake of Garbo! What powerful distortion there may be through the cinema and how convincing her vehicles occur.And other cast...? Ramon Novarro in the male lead as the Russian aviator, Lt. Alexis Rosanoff, memorably depicts an interesting idea of a young idealist man. His sincere love touches the enigmatic femme fatale with a cigarette and changes her life (or more specifically life values) for good... Lionel Barrymore is also very convincing as jealous, furious General Shubin. In some scenes, he does a truly artistic work within actor's flairs. Besides, there is a need to mention a mainstay of Garbo's movies, Mr Lewis Stone who portrays cold, unemotional Andriani for whom correct politics is superior to free will. Overall, great elite of 1930s Hollywood but Garbo, similarly to Mata Hari, at the heights of senses.The visual aspect is also worth considering from wonderful wardrobe by Adriani through good cinematography, big thrill to charming moments that never fade from memory. Except for the aforementioned dance with the clear elements of orientalism, the scene that drew my attention was the first long meeting between Mata and Alexis: he gets more and more after her making one step forward, she gets more troubled making a step backwards, the atmosphere becomes more intense, she plays a romantic bit on the piano, the faces of both are getting lustful and...in a minute, both say "goodnight" to each other...the scene turns into an image of Garbo's face with flowers. Another scene that requires particular attention is the one at the hospital. But I won't reveal more not to spoil the thing. All I want to say is: consider the image of Madonna and answer the thought provoking question to yourself: Mata lights up the candle the next morning... what does she indicate through this action?MATA HARI is not a long film but astounding for Garbo fans, useful for film historians and still entertaining for a considerable number of movie buffs. What more can you want? Isn't that a great success after all these years? Yes, another smashing success of classic cinema.

Greta Garbo is at her most alluring as Mata Hari the famed World War One spy who seduced officers for military secrets. The enigmatic Garbo was perfectly cast for the Hollywood treatment and surrounded by lavish MGM production values she is a stunning sight to behold. Garbo's potent eroticism however is really all the film has to offer due to the terrible miscasting of Ramon Novarro and Lionel Barrymore in the two male leads. The delicate Novarro's passion comes across as less love and more of awe and desire to be half the man Garbo is. Their close-ups are beauty contests. Barrymore as Russian General Stubin is pure farce sounding more Ozark than Odessa. Garbo of course dominates any composition (even with the MGM Lion) so their clumsy presence is diluted somewhat. Once again Lewis Stone admirably shadows Greta and the perfectly utilized (what a perfect interrogator's face) C. Henry Stephens as the dogged inspector gives a strong performance.Outside forces also intercede and that is the censorship in place when Mata Hari was re-released (and may be the only print available) . They cut to pieces Garbo's erotic and highly charged dance beautifully photographed and made her look sloppy along with the fact she was no dancer to begin with. Gone completely is her execution at the end which is quite powerful. I either saw this scene in the films entirety or in a documentary some forty years back.It is a tribute to the face of Garbo that she can suffer inferior subordinates and censorship and still command your attention.