Der Krieg im Dunkeln

Fred Niblo is undoubtedly one of the most under-rated film-makers ever. His visual stylisations, here helped by the incredible photography of William Daniels, can make a fairly routine spy yarn into a beautiful work of art. Of course it helps when Greta Garbo is on your canvas. This is an astonishing film that, had it been given a more believable ending (tragic rather than happy), may well be considered a masterpiece today.

Garbo's beauty and superb acting abilities make the material compulsive. And Conrad Nagel matches her perfectly. Their first love scene is intoxicating in its beauty, and heart-stopping in its passion. It is one of the great love scenes of all time. And in the nail-biting climax there is a moment so grotesquely powerful that you will never forget it. This is a film to savour and love - it represents silent film at its very best. Yes the plot is slight, but what is conveyed beyond that plot is more than profound. And the excellent music score on the MGM video enhances this profundity. This film is beauty itself.

Writing scores for silent movies requires a considerable talent, but for some pictures the music must practically write itself. This is not to play down the efforts of the many fine score composers, but simply to say that for someone with musical ability, a picture such as The Mysterious Lady is constantly suggestive of melody, tempo and timbre, in a way that translates naturally into a musical setting.

This musical effect is, it seems, largely down to the director Fred Niblo. Niblo, an ex-Vaudevillian who married into the Cohan family, came into motion pictures relatively late in life (he first sat in the director's chair at 42), but he soon proved himself to be one of the finest and most poetic craftsmen of the cinema. The Mysterious Lady was made at a time when the talkies were beginning to muscle in, but Niblo proudly blows a trumpet blast for the dying art form. Interestingly, The Mysterious Lady actually contains a lot of examples of images filling in for sound. Sometimes this is for narrative purposes, such as the superimposition of the opera scene when Nagel plays the piano, to inform the audience of what he is playing. Other times it is purely atmospheric, such as the shot of a row of violins in the orchestra, later grimly echoed by a similarly composed shot of the drums at Nagel's degradation.

Throughout, the picture sustains a lovely rhythmic flow. The love scene between Garbo and Nagel is delicately suggested through a series of interlocking images, unspoiled by intertitles. Niblo shows complete control over the pace at any one moment, the first few minutes being frenzied and choppy, then slowing to that glorious romantic feel when Garbo is introduced in a very memorable entrance. Only once does Niblo overdo it, when he throws in a superimposition of Nagel daydreaming about assaulting Garbo – the context and Nagel's uncomfortable expression are enough without this heavy-handed display.

So if Niblo was a kind of visual composer, who was his muse? Well, let's not extend a metaphor too far, but it certainly appears that Niblo was inspired to make beautiful images to complement the natural beauty of Greta Garbo. And to an admirer of fine dramatic performance Garbo is doubly beautiful because she is such an outstandingly good actress. At a period when too much screen acting was hammy and unsubtle, Garbo was refreshingly understated. To watch a Garbo picture, especially a silent one, is to witness dozens of little moments of performance genius. One example here is when her character hears the news that von Raden has been imprisoned because of her. She shows the tiniest glimmer of a reaction, enough for the audience to pick up on and understand, but not enough for her character to give herself away to those around her. Garbo captivated audiences with her mysterious allure and startling passion – the X-factor that made her a phenomenal star.

Like the silent picture, Niblo's days as a director were coming to an end. Whether his decision to retire a few a few years after this was down to the sound revolution or not I am unsure. I have not seen any of the handful of talkies he made, and I simply don't know whether he gave them the same grace and musicality that we see here. What I do know, what every film buff knows, is what Greta did next. Of all Hollywood stars, Garbo's transition from silence to sound was among the most successful. Such was her power, her naturalism and her overwhelming appeal, that in spite of the 1930s demand for more earthy performers, she remained one of our brightest stars.

A young Austrian officer doesn't realize how profoundly THE MYSTERIOUS LADY he meets at the Opera will change his life.

Greta Garbo's entrancing beauty is the main attraction in this Silent drama from MGM. Her face alone would have assured her a place in film history. But this film, which deals with World War One espionage, has other things to offer, including a good performance from Conrad Nagel as Garbo's co-star. The story is a wee bit ludicrous, but MGM graced the film with excellent production values as befits a movie starring their enormously popular star. (The idyllic afternoon sequence shared between the two lovers is especially commendable.) The plot does have some fair degree of excitement and should not disappoint the typical viewer.

Ably filling smaller roles are Gustav von Seyffertitz as the evil Russian spymaster and Edward Connelly as the head of the Austrian Secret Service, who also happens to be Nagel's uncle. Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled big Russ Powell as a rain-drenched carriage driver.

This silent film has been given a fine orchestral background score by Vivek Maddala.

Have you ever been touched by the glimpse of perfection on screen? I suppose not if you are a buff of 'modern' thrillers that boast technical effects, but, unfortunately, lack any basics of subtlety. Anyone who longs for charm of good old days should decide to see at least one Garbo movie. And it does not have to be her top classic film like NINOTCHKA where Garbo memorably laughs, ANNA Christie where she adorably reveals the sound of her voice, or even GRAND HOTEL where she memorably says her iconic words "I want to be alone", but THE MYSTERIOUS LADY where she so brilliantly seduces. But what is, in fact, THE MYSTERIOUS LADY after all these years except for the fact it is one of the last silents Garbo made.

In spite of the fact that THE MYSTERIOUS LADY is made by the talented yet underrated director of silent BEN HUR (1925), Fred Niblo, and based upon the novel WAR IN THE DARK by Ludwig Wolff, that is, for many, not at all the movie's strongest point. The content of a spy's determination between the choice of serving the country in lie or the choice of offering a genuine love to a man is memorably resembled in Garbo's famous talkie MATA HARI (1931). The entire investigation depicted in the film also appears to be of little importance. The real charm of THE MYSTERIOUS LADY lies in its stunning cinematography by great William H. Daniels, impressive lighting, memorable moments and, foremost, excellent cast...

...and at this moment, whilst analyzing the film from this perspective, we get Greta Garbo, one of, if not, the best actress that cinema could ever have, neither Garbo alone nor with her beloved John Gilbert but with equally lovable Conrad Nagel. The couple of Tania, a seductive spy, and Karl, a lovable captain, of a singer and a pianist are excellent. While Nagel crafts the role skillfully as a lover and a captain experiencing bitter military career, Garbo uses her two most powerful weapons: charm and talent. She seduces like in MATA HARI, and, moreover, she seduces silently and ... mysteriously.

Their scenes are, symbolically, based upon hand and mouth (two body parts which resemble the subtle desire), upon act and affection, giving and taking. The moment worth particular attention is, perhaps the most famous scene of this movie, when Garbo lights up the candles and the camera is directed towards her face. And here, again, great thanks to William H. Daniels who photographed Garbo in an extraordinarily subtle manner. Another memorable scene is the one at the theater: how lovely it is to see the Austrian captain whose blood runs faster in veins at the sight of a delicious Russian beauty. I was mesmerized by the magic stream sequence where I found the very essence of silent picture: the delicacy it portrays and the visual experience it offers.

Among the supporting cast, Gustav Von Seyfferlitz as Boris is well worth attention. The German actor who appeared in some other Garbo films as well, perfectly portrays a dominant man, someone powerful, stylish, calm who behaves in a terribly masterful manner. My friend who was watching the movie with me called him: "a macho in elegant clothes." Modern language, as it may seem, there is some truth in this.

In short, I highly recommend this movie not only to silent movie buffs, but to all viewers who perceive the cinema from a more open minded perspective. If you open yourself to forgotten charm and lost magnificence of yore, THE MYSTERIOUS LADY may truly make your day.

Such a little thought at the end:

It seems that silent cinema is no longer appreciated, Garbo's beauty no longer valid, the charm of great motion pictures no longer admired, so are we left merely with nostalgia? No, not at all as long as there are still people who cherish these movies. They mysteriously bring its lovers into a beautiful world where you can sit in your chair at the fireplace, take a glass of champagne and drink a toast to the eyes and lips, to the glorious face of a seductive silent beauty that cinema once had.

On this evidence, Garbo's silent work is her most accomplished. She struggles in talking roles; her dour, flat acting voice meant she had to be characterised as emotionless - hence the iceberg persona, and she was probably glum because she knew she was struggling. Here we can see her real eloquence and the confidence behind it that comes of knowing she is shimmering and wonderful. In contrast to many other silent stars who exaggerated every gesture, Garbo shows intelligence and discrimination in her movements, which involves a lot of posturing but is not unnatural. She uses her natural grace for expression, particularly her arms - she really is lithe and expressive - and she must have missed all that later in her career.

Fred Niblo's inventive direction here also impresses; he never lets a scene go dry and the narrative method is almost as sophisticated as a talkie as he brings out a good deal of subtle but telling body language. We watch characters speak and can pretty much divine what they're saying, which reduces the need for irksome intertitles.

The first part of the film, set in Vienna, is a romantic encounter, deceptively straightforward. But there is intrigue in store, and in the latter half of the film, set in Warsaw, tension consistently mounts as every scene is built around suspense - don't think that Hitchcock invented this stuff. Garbo and her leading man, Conrad Nagel, seem connected to each other on rubber bands such is the dramatic bond between them.

At the climax is a superb trick that will make you exclaim out loud. This could be the best film I've seen this year.