La belle ténébreuse

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.

In Vienna, in the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Captain Karl von Raden (Conrad Nagel) and his partner Captain Max Heinrich (Albert Pollet) learn in the box office that the ticket for the opera is sold- out. Out of the blue, a man returns his ticket and Karl buys it and shares a box with a gorgeous woman that is waiting for her cousin. Karl gives a ride home to the lady and they spend the night together. On the next day, they spend a wonderful day in the countryside together. Karl is assigned to travel to Berlin by train to deliver secret plans to the German government. His uncle, Colonel Eric von Raden (Edward Connelly), who is the chief of the Austrian secret service, advises Karl the woman with whom he had spent the previous day is the notorious Russian spy Tania Fedorova (Greta Garbo). While in the train, Tania meets Karl to tell that she is in love with him, but he rejects her telling that he knows who she is. On the next morning, Karl wakes up and finds that the plans have been stolen and he receives a message from Tania telling that she came as a woman in love with him and left as his enemy. Karl is expelled and imprisoned by the army as traitor but his uncle offers him the chance to clean his name, traveling to Warsaw to find who the traitor is. Karl poses as pianist and meets Tania and her lover, the powerful General Boris Alexandroff (Gustav von Seyffertitz). What will Karl and Tania do?

"The Mysterious Lady" is an impressive silent movie with the goddess Greta Garbo. The story begins as a romance with a subtle scene of love between Tania and Karl. Then there is drama, action and thriller with the encounter of the two former lovers. The use of special effects in the early cinema is also fantastic when Karl is playing piano for Tanis and Boris wishing her dead. "The Mysterious Lady" is mandatory not only to fans of Greta Garbo, but also for lovers of cinema as art. Unfortunately the DVD released in Brazil shows very damaged images and deserved to be restored. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "A Dama Misteriosa" ("The Mysterious Lady")

This is to my mind the most brilliant of all of Garbo's silent films, and I never fully understood the attitude of most critics who simply dismiss it on the account of the Divine Woman's own lack of care for this particular entry. True, she did not like just doing this film, and true, Mauritz Stiller was actually dying while she was shooting this, therefore, we can understand that she thought poorly of it; yet this was shot at the peak of silent film-making, in 1928, and never before had Fred Niblo been so good, never had his full command of the motion picture been so obvious. All through the film, the direction is superb, subdued and subtle, while the gorgeous settings, MGM's trademark, are lit and photographed at their best. Niblo makes the best of his composition skills, with or without Garbo in the shots, and the way he deals with the extras, putting the stars in the distance, swallowed by the crowd, is clearly an innovation for 1928; his use of a few, but decisive shots based on a moving camera proves that, like the European imports(Murnau, Leni, Fejos, Christensen) or like his fellow Americans (Ford, Borzage,Wellman), he was aware of the German experiments. Of course, the spy story is not the source of any intellect-expanding masterpiece, but, hey, this is a stylish and entertaining film that foreshadows some of Hitchcpock's best British films of the decade to come. And Niblo even handles suspense in a remarkable way in the last five minutes. The edition id remarkable, the print being a bit worn but still clear; and an emasculating restoration has been avoided, retaining thus the crystal-clear, crisp quality of William Daniel's photography. And to conclude, a question about Garbo: who else on earth could wear these dresses and get away with it?

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.