Mata Hari (1931)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Writers:

Benjamin Glazer (written by) and
Leo Birinsky (written by) ...

Release Date:

26 December 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

WHWN MATA HARI DANCED! Here is Greta Garbo's greatest picture---a romance based on the true life story of the exotic woman spy, Mata Hari. Truly all-star, this production will leave in mind and heart the memory of an unforgettable thrill! (original herald)

Plot:

Mata Hari is a German spy, working in Paris. She has already seduced the Russian general Shubin, and has now set her eyes on lieutenant Rosanov...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Mata Hari | Spy | Paris | General

Cast

Greta Garbo	...	Mata Hari
Ramon Novarro	...	Lt. Alexis Rosanoff
Lionel Barrymore	...	Gen. Serge Shubin
Lewis Stone	...	Andriani (pavilion owner)
C. Henry Gordon	...	Dubois (French Secret Service chief)
Karen Morley	...	Carlotta (German agent)
Alec B. Francis	...	Maj. Caron (Mata'a lawyer)
Blanche Friderici	...	Sister Angelica (as Blanche Frederici)
Edmund Breese	...	Warden
Helen Jerome Eddy	...	Sister Genevieve
Frank Reicher	...	The cook / spy (German captain)

Runtime:

USA:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | Norway:16 (1932) | USA:Approved (PCA #5419-R, July 1939 for re-release)

Filming Locations:

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Though the title character was real, the events in the film are mostly fictional.

Quotes:

Andriani: A spy in love is a tool that has outlived its usefulness.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Garbo Talks (1984)

Soundtrack:

Ave Maria, Op.52 No.6

She's sexy. She thrills. She chills. She's a spy!

She is not the first to play Mata Hari, the alluring spy of World War I. But Greta Garbo is very memorable as the temptress; the seducer; the beguiling not-so-secret agent. Garbo's exotic dance is quite lethal for the early 1930s. Ramon Novarro plays the young lover willing to give his life for hers. Lionel Barrymore is the older lover that dies by her hand. This classic does not claim to be factual to history, but makes a great melodrama not to be missed. Supporting cast features Lewis Stone, C. Henry Gordon and Karen Morley. Viva la France.