You've probably heard how racy Mata Hari is, especially given the time period, but if you try to watch it, you won't be able to get your hands on the original copy. The original is full of nudity, exotic dancing, and sex scenes, but the re-release after the Hays Code cut all those naughty bits for the post-1934 public. However, this 1931 Garbo vehicle was so much nastier than I'd anticipated-even with all that cut out! Garbo gives a striptease as her entrance leaving her practically naked and gyrating against an 8-handed Durga statue. There's an abrupt cut during the dance, censoring the rest of it, but it was certainly nasty enough to explain why Garbo was popular in the 1930s. I don't think her accent or her talent-or even her figure by today's standards-mattered back then. The fact that she was showing skin and disrespecting herself was enough to sell tickets.
I don't know if there's anyone out there who doesn't know Mata Hari was a famous historical spy, but if there is, the mystery gets spoiled pretty early on in the movie. Greta Garbo is shown extracting and exchanging military secrets from General Lionel Barrymore and giving them over to her boss, Lewis Stone. When a young soldier Roman Novarro catches her eye, she falls in love and jeopardizes her future. The love story is really absurd and would only make sense to audiences who are used to the melodrama of silent movies. Greta's lousy performance is matched by her costars. If you didn't know Roman was a popular silent star, you'd never guess the young man in this movie had a career at all. Perhaps Lionel couldn't stand Greta, or he wanted the movie to flop at the box office, but he gives the worst performance of his career. If this was the first movie you'd ever seen him in, you'd think he was a terrible actor, not one of the greatest to grace the silver screen.
You might be tempted to rent this naughty old movie, but I have a feeling you'll get really bored. Keep your remote handy and have a back-up ready in case you can't take it anymore. Try Red-Headed Woman or Too Late for Tears for a much better time with a bad girl.
I don't know if there's anyone out there who doesn't know Mata Hari was a famous historical spy, but if there is, the mystery gets spoiled pretty early on in the movie. Greta Garbo is shown extracting and exchanging military secrets from General Lionel Barrymore and giving them over to her boss, Lewis Stone. When a young soldier Roman Novarro catches her eye, she falls in love and jeopardizes her future. The love story is really absurd and would only make sense to audiences who are used to the melodrama of silent movies. Greta's lousy performance is matched by her costars. If you didn't know Roman was a popular silent star, you'd never guess the young man in this movie had a career at all. Perhaps Lionel couldn't stand Greta, or he wanted the movie to flop at the box office, but he gives the worst performance of his career. If this was the first movie you'd ever seen him in, you'd think he was a terrible actor, not one of the greatest to grace the silver screen.
You might be tempted to rent this naughty old movie, but I have a feeling you'll get really bored. Keep your remote handy and have a back-up ready in case you can't take it anymore. Try Red-Headed Woman or Too Late for Tears for a much better time with a bad girl.