Mata Hari (1931) in Color — Starring Greta Garbo & Ramon Novarro

Mata Hari (1931) — Buy This Classic in Color

Mata Hari (1931) is a glamorous pre-Code spy drama starring Greta Garbo at the height of her legendary mystique as the notorious World War I exotic dancer turned spy, with Ramon Novarro as the young officer she falls for and Lionel Barrymore as the relentless intelligence chief pursuing her. Directed by George Fitzmaurice, this professionally colorized version brings seductive new life to one of Garbo’s most iconic, most commercially successful performances. Buy your colorized copy today for €15.00 and own this captivating classic movie in color.

Plot Summary

In Paris during the darkest, most desperate years of World War I, the legendary exotic dancer Mata Hari leads a breathtakingly dangerous double life — performing her intoxicating, scandalously sensuous dance routines before captivated audiences of wealthy and powerful men by night, while secretly extracting priceless military intelligence from besotted high-ranking Allied officers for her ruthless German handler, General Andriani, who controls her through a volatile combination of threats, money, and shared complicity in treason. Mata Hari has survived for years by treating espionage as simply another performance, using her devastating beauty and calculated charm with clinical precision and feeling nothing for the men she seduces and betrays. But when she meets Lieutenant Alexis Rosanoff — a young, idealistic, achingly sincere Russian aviator who falls hopelessly, adoringly in love with her without any idea of her secret life — everything changes. For the first time in her calculating, carefully compartmentalized existence, Mata Hari experiences genuine love, and the discovery terrifies her precisely because it makes her vulnerable in ways her dangerous profession cannot afford. The classic movie follows her increasingly desperate, impossible attempts to balance her lethal espionage obligations with her growing, overwhelming love for Alexis, as the brilliant, implacable French intelligence chief Dubois methodically closes in on her spy network with evidence that will lead inexorably to the firing squad. Greta Garbo brings her unmatched screen presence — that extraordinary combination of ethereal beauty, impenetrable mystery, and sudden, devastating emotional transparency — to the doomed spy in a performance that makes you believe absolutely in a woman who discovers her own humanity only at the moment it dooms her. Ramon Novarro is touchingly innocent and passionately devoted as the young aviator who loves the woman without ever knowing the spy.

Cast & Crew

Director: George Fitzmaurice

Stars: Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, C. Henry Gordon, Karen Morley, Alec B. Francis

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This colorized version of Mata Hari reveals the exotic costumes, spectacular Art Deco interiors, and glamorous wartime Parisian settings with stunning, intoxicating new detail. The original black and white photography captured Garbo’s legendary beauty and the film’s lavish MGM production design, but the professionally colorized restoration transforms the visual experience — revealing the jeweled, shimmering fabrics of Mata Hari’s dance costumes, the warm candlelight of intimate Parisian salons, the deep military blues and golds of officers’ dress uniforms, and the cold, severe grey of the prison walls in the devastating final act — all rendered with meticulous frame-by-frame precision. Garbo’s face, one of the most photographed in cinema history, gains extraordinary new depth and emotional nuance in color. Now also available in colour.

Buy Mata Hari in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Mata Hari is a classic film that was one of the biggest box office hits of 1931, cementing Greta Garbo’s status as the most glamorous, most mysterious, and most commercially powerful star in Hollywood. Made before the Production Code was enforced, the film features a frankness and sensuality in its treatment of seduction, sexuality, and moral ambiguity that would have been absolutely impossible just a few years later — Garbo’s Mata Hari is allowed to be genuinely dangerous, genuinely sexual, and genuinely morally complex in ways that Code-era censorship would ruthlessly eliminate. Garbo’s magnetic, enigmatic performance became the definitive screen portrayal of the legendary spy, establishing the image of Mata Hari that has endured in popular culture ever since — the fatally beautiful woman who weaponizes desire and pays the ultimate price. The film’s final scenes, building to one of the most emotionally devastating conclusions in pre-Code cinema, demonstrate Garbo’s extraordinary ability to convey profound emotion with the subtlest, most economical of gestures. The restored colorized version allows modern audiences to watch this quintessential pre-Code classic with the visual glamour and richness that Garbo’s iconic star presence and MGM’s lavish production design have always deserved.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 89 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this based on the real Mata Hari?
A: The film is loosely inspired by the real Mata Hari — the Dutch exotic dancer Margaretha Zelle who was executed for espionage by France during World War I — though it takes significant dramatic liberties, focusing on the tragic love story rather than strict historical accuracy.

Q: Is this the colorized version of the full film?
A: Yes, this is the complete 89-minute feature, professionally colorized frame-by-frame from the restored original.

Q: Why is this considered a pre-Code classic?
A: Made before Hollywood’s Production Code was enforced in 1934, the film features frank depictions of seduction, sexuality, and moral complexity that studios were forbidden from showing just a few years later — giving it an adult sophistication and daring that remain impressive today.

Q: How is Garbo in this role?
A: Garbo is magnetic, mysterious, and ultimately heartbreaking — her ability to shift from calculating seductress to genuinely vulnerable woman in love makes this one of her most celebrated and commercially successful performances.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: DRM-free MP4, compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: €15.00 for instant download. The colorization process ensures every scene looks stunning in color.

Q: Can I watch on multiple devices?
A: Absolutely. The file is DRM-free, so you can watch on your TV, tablet, phone, or computer.

Related Colorized Classics

• Conquest (1937)
• Ladies of Leisure (1930)
• The Bride Wore Red (1937)
• Arch of Triumph (1948)
• The Valley of Decision (1945)