Mata Hari (1931)

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Mata Hari (1931) – G. Fitzmaurice

Pre-code Greta Garbo talkie (that was edited to remove some of its risqué content sometime later) tells the story of the famous WWI spy who was also an exotic dancer.  Of course, Garbo epitomized exotic glamour at the time, but she is a bit gayer and more free than her later melancholy and tragic image might suggest.  Still, the story is tragic in the end, because Mata Hari was ultimately revealed in Paris and died by the firing squad.  Her source of information, General Shubin of Russia, is played by pre-wheelchair Lionel Barrymore who gives the role his usual zest, overshadowing nominal leading man Ramon Novarro (a Russian soldier).  It doesn’t end well for either of them either. George Fitzmaurice’s direction is unobtrusive and the sets and costumes create the right atmosphere of romantic intrigue but generally things are a bit static.  The script is surely melodramatic enough, yet Garbo somehow isn’t able to indulge her torments to the fullest extent.