Over the years a number of historians have said that Mata Hari's supposed involvement in espionage activities was doubtful. (Whether this is true or not I don't know.) Anyway, the movie starts with the clear understanding that Mata Hari was a spy working for the Germans - and a very wily and active spy at that.
The movie has its qualities, but it has one major flaw : the Mata Hari character is a disjointed collection of characteristics and impulses, rather than a fully-rounded and coherent person. Her psychology is all over the place. The same can be said about her decision to work as a spy - let alone a spy for the Germans, who are threatening her second (and probably much beloved) homeland France. There may be a casting error involved : Mrs. Moreau looks and sounds too intelligent and too sane to make some of the truly delirious life choices displayed on the screen.
In other words : this Mata Hari isn't all that compelling or convincing. As a result even her grand passion becomes uninteresting. Does she really love her François ? Does she lust for him ? Does she see him as a cover, a scapegoat, an investment ? Does she tell herself that she is in love with him because she needs to reassure herself of her niceness and goodness ? Is he just the final self-indulgent fling of an aging beauty ? Who knows - and more importantly, who cares ?
While we're at it, Mrs. Moreau is as French as the Louvre : her famously beautiful mouth is free of even the slightest hint of a foreign accent. This tends to undermine the portrayal of Mata Hari as an international temptress with an alluring but shady past.
Finally I should say that I was underwhelmed by the nature of the espionage work, which, at times, veered strangely into comic or melodramatic pastiche. Give some of these scenes a very, very slight twist and it's "Carry On Spying" or "A funny thing happened on the way to the sofa".
Watch out for the very, very last images, after the heroine has been executed : they're hyper-romantic and manipulative nonsense. (Time for a quick poll. Dear reader : how would YOU have ended the movie ? Personally I would have liked to see Chairman Mao perform a Dutch clog dance, but I'm funny that way.)
The movie has its qualities, but it has one major flaw : the Mata Hari character is a disjointed collection of characteristics and impulses, rather than a fully-rounded and coherent person. Her psychology is all over the place. The same can be said about her decision to work as a spy - let alone a spy for the Germans, who are threatening her second (and probably much beloved) homeland France. There may be a casting error involved : Mrs. Moreau looks and sounds too intelligent and too sane to make some of the truly delirious life choices displayed on the screen.
In other words : this Mata Hari isn't all that compelling or convincing. As a result even her grand passion becomes uninteresting. Does she really love her François ? Does she lust for him ? Does she see him as a cover, a scapegoat, an investment ? Does she tell herself that she is in love with him because she needs to reassure herself of her niceness and goodness ? Is he just the final self-indulgent fling of an aging beauty ? Who knows - and more importantly, who cares ?
While we're at it, Mrs. Moreau is as French as the Louvre : her famously beautiful mouth is free of even the slightest hint of a foreign accent. This tends to undermine the portrayal of Mata Hari as an international temptress with an alluring but shady past.
Finally I should say that I was underwhelmed by the nature of the espionage work, which, at times, veered strangely into comic or melodramatic pastiche. Give some of these scenes a very, very slight twist and it's "Carry On Spying" or "A funny thing happened on the way to the sofa".
Watch out for the very, very last images, after the heroine has been executed : they're hyper-romantic and manipulative nonsense. (Time for a quick poll. Dear reader : how would YOU have ended the movie ? Personally I would have liked to see Chairman Mao perform a Dutch clog dance, but I'm funny that way.)