Mata Hari (1931)
Some dance… Some die… Some do both…
What a wonderful movie and a little incredible to think that it was done so well so very early in the history of cinema. To put it into perspective, go watch Hitchcock’s Secret Agent which was made 5 years later. Add to that the fact that it was based on a true story? Definitely a classic.
It’s really a wonderful spy movie, it feels like any commentary would take away from that.
Audiences from the 30’s were greatly aware of much of the context surrounding Mata Hari but I would suggest reading up on the real life story in order to better understand the events of the movie otherwise modern audiences may find the movie confusing.
This is the movie that taught me what “pre-code” means.
p.s. Carlotta looks just like Maggie Gyllenhaal to me. Greta Garbo looks like Drew Barrymore and has the voice of Eva Gabor in 1977’s The Rescuers.
Kryptos - Beyond K4 