Garbo in love. There is nothing to compare with it. And MGM knew it. Again and again they fashioned vehicles for her to be in love, and "Mata Hari" is one of the best. Who cares that it has nothing to do with the real Mata Hari? This is a beautiful film - it looks gorgeous and is brilliantly acted. It was always difficult for male actors to hold their own with Garbo - Robert Taylor failed, Olivier by his own confession couldn't "hold a candle to her" - but there are three who certainly could John Gilbert (of course!), Melvyn Douglas (in comedy) and here the sublime Ramon Novarro. He was perhaps the only one of Garbo's leading men who could compare with her in beauty (though Lew Ayres is pretty cute in "The Kiss")and William Daniels films him nearly as lovingly as he does Garbo. The shot of his face where he blows out the candle (at Garbo's insistence), that his mother made him swear to always burn, is most beguiling. The two display a rare chemistry, and the final scene in the prison cell is very moving. Novarro in love is as enchanting as Garbo in love.
And the film is about the experience of love, and how it over-rides all else in life. Very romantic and very touching. Unrequited love sends Lionel Barrymore mad - this is a great performance too - and Lewis Stone's incomprehension of love makes him a cold, heartless monster (another expert performance from him). The sad thing here is that Novarro and Garbo were never again paired. A great and powerful film.
And the film is about the experience of love, and how it over-rides all else in life. Very romantic and very touching. Unrequited love sends Lionel Barrymore mad - this is a great performance too - and Lewis Stone's incomprehension of love makes him a cold, heartless monster (another expert performance from him). The sad thing here is that Novarro and Garbo were never again paired. A great and powerful film.