[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Mata Hari

  • 1931
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
Greta Garbo and Ramon Novarro in Mata Hari (1931)
Watch Mata Hari Official Trailer
Play trailer2:42
1 Video
75 Photos
CrimeDramaRomance

A semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.A semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.A semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.

  • Director
    • George Fitzmaurice
  • Writers
    • Benjamin Glazer
    • Leo Birinsky
    • Doris Anderson
  • Stars
    • Greta Garbo
    • Ramon Novarro
    • Lionel Barrymore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    4.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • George Fitzmaurice
    • Writers
      • Benjamin Glazer
      • Leo Birinsky
      • Doris Anderson
    • Stars
      • Greta Garbo
      • Ramon Novarro
      • Lionel Barrymore
    • 63User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins total

    Videos1

    Mata Hari Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:42
    Mata Hari Official Trailer

    Photos75

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 67
    View Poster

    Top cast29

    Edit
    Greta Garbo
    Greta Garbo
    • Mata Hari
    Ramon Novarro
    Ramon Novarro
    • Lt. Alexis Rosanoff
    Lionel Barrymore
    Lionel Barrymore
    • General Shubin
    Lewis Stone
    Lewis Stone
    • Andriani
    C. Henry Gordon
    C. Henry Gordon
    • Dubois
    Karen Morley
    Karen Morley
    • Carlotta
    Alec B. Francis
    Alec B. Francis
    • Caron
    Blanche Friderici
    Blanche Friderici
    • Sister Angelica
    • (as Blanche Frederici)
    Edmund Breese
    Edmund Breese
    • Warden
    Helen Jerome Eddy
    Helen Jerome Eddy
    • Sister Genevieve
    Frank Reicher
    Frank Reicher
    • The Cook-Spy
    Mischa Auer
    Mischa Auer
    • Firing Squad Victim #3
    • (uncredited)
    William Bailey
    William Bailey
    • Dubois' Aide
    • (uncredited)
    Roy Barcroft
    Roy Barcroft
    • Extra
    • (uncredited)
    Reginald Barlow
    Reginald Barlow
    • Prosecutor
    • (uncredited)
    Frederick Burton
    Frederick Burton
    • Major at Executions
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Cording
    Harry Cording
    • Ivan
    • (uncredited)
    Cecil Cunningham
    Cecil Cunningham
    • Gambler Selling Ring
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George Fitzmaurice
    • Writers
      • Benjamin Glazer
      • Leo Birinsky
      • Doris Anderson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews63

    6.54.1K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    phred22

    Pure Fantasy, Pure Melodrama, Pure Camp

    Anyone wishing to know the truth about Mata Hari, the exotic dancer who was executed as a spy during World War I, will soon realize this is not the movie for them. But the real Mata Hari was a pathetic middle-aged woman who got in way over her head when she tried espionage--her legend is much more entertaining. Greta Garbo plays the femme fatale brought down by love to the hilt and the cast ably supports her, although modern audiences may find Ramon Novarro ludicrous as the romantic lead. The best are C. Henry Gordon as the French police chief and Lewis Stone as the leader of Mata Hari's spy ring. Nearly every line is out of melodrama--I just wish I had a better memory to quote some for you. My recommendation: just enjoy it.
    Snow Leopard

    Garbo Makes the Role & the Character Her Own

    As the notorious "Mata Hari", Greta Garbo makes both the role and the character her own, providing a portrayal that is much deeper and more complex than the historical character probably was. The rest of the cast and production work well enough, but they are mostly there only to provide Garbo the backdrop and the foils that she uses to develop the main character.

    The story focuses Mata Hari's liaisons with two Russian officers, an older general played by Lionel Barrymore, and a young aviator played by Ramon Novarro, with an implacable Secret Service man (played by C. Henry Gordon) trying to stop her. Each of the three plays his part well, while allowing Garbo to take the spotlight. Lewis Stone also makes good use of his limited screen time, and Karen Morley has some memorable moments as another spy.

    The story probably has little in common with the historical facts, and while the historical character is an interesting one, it seems certain that Garbo's character is more so, combining her obvious appeal with a depth of feeling and a complicated set of priorities, as few other actresses could have done. Designing the story and characters with her in mind works well, making for good drama and one of Garbo's many effective performances.
    8overseer-3

    Campy, but fun

    "Mata Hari" is a pre-code film that took lots of liberties with the real life story of the World War One spy, but who cares? One watches a film like this to enjoy the old stars in action, including Lionel Barrymore, hamming it up sans wheelchair. Though Garbo has never been one of my favorites I enjoyed her performance here; she smiled quite a bit and never once said she wanted to be alone. Most of the time she just wanted to be with handsome Ramon Novarro, and who could blame her?

    Funniest moment to me: Ramon's character is obviously Catholic (as Ramon was in real life) and he has promised his mother to keep a candle lit before this Madonna icon and never let the flame go out, because if it goes out then evil will descend upon him. So Mata (Greta) tells Alexi (Ramon) that his room is too brightly lit; he goes around and turns off all the lights -- except for the candle. So then she asks him to blow out the candle. "If I am everything to you then you will blow it out." He asks her in shock: "But why would you ask me to?" (a perfectly reasonable question she doesn't answer). He ends up rejecting the sacred for the profane, blowing the flame out and the room goes into darkness. The camera pulls away and we are supposed to know instinctively that they are making love all through the night. And of course evil descends on Ramon's character, and he goes blind, but what the heck, this is Hollywood.

    Watch it for the stars, not for history. If you want history, read a book.
    7claudio_carvalho

    Enjoyable Melodramatic Love Story

    In 1917, in Paris, the famous dancer Mata Hari (Greta Garbo) has a double life as a German spy, obtaining secrets from French and Russian officers in bed. The chief of the French Secret Service Dubois (C. Henry Gordon) is unsuccessfully in her tail trying to find proofs to incriminate Mata Hari. The Russian general Serge Shubin (Lionel Barrymore) has a crush on Mata Hari, but when she meets the young Russian pilot lieutenant Alexis Rosanoff (Ramon Novarro), she sleeps with him to photograph secret documents in his possession. But they fall in love for each other, and the jealousy of her lover Shubin provides the evidences to Dubois to arrest her.

    This fictional and naive romance based on the life and death "Mata Hari" is an enjoyable melodramatic love story. Of course it is not a historic event, but this pleasant romantic fantasy is supported by an extremely beautiful Great Garbo performing a charismatic role in a great production. In spite of not being a masterpiece, I totally disagree with the unfair reviews in IMDb. My vote is seven.

    Title (Brazil): "Mata Hari"
    7AlsExGal

    Fictionalized story following the exploits of the notorious WW1 spy...

    ...from MGM and director George Fitzmaurice. Greta Garbo stars as the title lady, an exotic dancer who enthralls all who see her perform, allowing her to gain access to valuable intelligence which she relays to her aloof handler Andriani (Lewis Stone). Among Mata Hari's conquests are General Shubin (Lionel Barrymore) and young ace pilot Alexis Rosanoff (Ramon Novarro).

    When historians roll their eyes at the mention of Hollywood history lessons, this is the kind of film they are thinking about. The truth only remains as far as it makes the leads look attractive and dramatic. Garbo, who naturally bears little resemblance to the real Mata Hari, gets to wear some outrageous costumes and perform a lurid, pre-code dance with a giant statue of the goddess Shiva. Barrymore hams it up, and Navarro makes for an unconvincing Russian. Despite the sloppy script, there's some good set design and camerawork, and the appeal of the leads, particularly Garbo at the height of her stardom, helped make this one of the top ten biggest box office hits of the year, and the biggest for MGM.

    More like this

    Anna Christie
    6.5
    Anna Christie
    La reine Christine
    7.5
    La reine Christine
    Le roman de Marguerite Gautier
    7.3
    Le roman de Marguerite Gautier
    La courtisane
    6.3
    La courtisane
    Anna Karénine
    7.0
    Anna Karénine
    La chair et le diable
    7.6
    La chair et le diable
    Marie Walewska
    6.5
    Marie Walewska
    Le baiser
    6.8
    Le baiser
    La tentatrice
    6.9
    La tentatrice
    Le Voile des illusions
    6.5
    Le Voile des illusions
    Grand Hôtel
    7.3
    Grand Hôtel
    La femme aux deux visages
    6.2
    La femme aux deux visages

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      While this film was in production, rumors began circulating that co-stars Greta Garbo and Ramon Novarro were having an affair. This was untrue, but they did develop a strong friendly rapport.
    • Goofs
      Near the beginning, Lt. Rosanoff flies over the German lines to land in Paris. The movie is set in 1917. The plane Rosanoff is flying using a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine which was ubiquitous in aviation from the 1930s through the late 1940s. However, the engine was not built until 1925.
    • Quotes

      Andriani: The only way to resign from our profession is to die.

    • Connections
      Alternate-language version of La Danseuse Hindoue (1927)
    • Soundtracks
      Oriental Shadows
      (uncredited)

      Music by Montague Ewing

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ18

    • How long is Mata Hari?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 28, 1932 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Мата Хари
    • Filming locations
      • Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA(execution scenes)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $558,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 29m(89 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.