The Mysterious Lady

1928

1h 29m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

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Adventure

Drama

A beautiful Russian spy seduces an Austrian military officer in order to obtain secret plans. When she falls in love with him, both are placed in danger.

Directors

Fred Niblo

Writers

Bess Meredyth(adaptation by)

Marian Ainslee(writer by)

Ruth Cummings(writer by)

Stars

Greta Garbo

Conrad Nagel

Gustav von Seyffertitz

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Top cast

Greta Garbo

Tania Fedorova

Conrad Nagel

Capt. Karl von Raden

Gustav von Seyffertitz

General Boris Alexandroff

Albert Pollet

Max Heinrich

Edward Connelly

Colonel Eric von Raden

Richard Alexander

General's Aide

Symona Boniface

Party Guest (uncredited)

Geraldine Dvorak

Party Guest (uncredited)

Nicholai Konovaloff

Officer Standing at Tania's Table (uncredited)

William H. O'Brien

Cafe Waiter Serving Wine (uncredited)

Russ Powell

Carriage Driver (uncredited)

Youcca Troubetzkov

Russian (uncredited)

Victor Young

Scarpia in 'Tosca' (uncredited)

Directors

Fred Niblo

Writers

Bess Meredyth(adaptation by)

Marian Ainslee(writer by)

Ruth Cummings(writer by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Were it not for the unbelievably naff ending, this could be one of the best espionage thrillers I've ever seen! As it is, Greta Garbo is still super as the Mata Hari style agent for the Czar out to obtain secrets from the Austro-Hungarian empire. After she shares a box with him at the opera, "Tania" uses her undoubted talents to seduce and dupe the decent, but rather gullible, "Karl von Raden" (Conrad Nagel) as he travels on a train, relieving him of some state secrets and costing him his career, his honour - and a lengthy prison sentence. Luckily for him, though, his uncle is in charge of the secret police and manages to facilitate the now disgraced officer's opportunity to find out who in their War Office helped her with her plan. He takes up as a pianist and encounters her at a party hosted by her beau "Gen. Alexandroff" - the spymaster who relished in his disgrace and the pair soon realise that, yes - you've guessed - they are in love... Now, it has to be said that Nagel and Garbo have a chemistry here, but then she has a chemistry with just about anything - animal, vegetable or mineral. Sadly, though, that romance contributes to the downfall of this hitherto quite engaging and perilous spy story. Her charms start malevolent and effective, now they border on the pathetic with an ending, as I said, that really reduces the whole thing to melodrama. It's still a really good outing for both, though, with plenty attention to the detail and Fred Niblo keep the pace of the story from following the plot into the doldrums.

Geronimo196706 Jun, 2022