Product Details

• Actors: Mata Hari: The Legend & The True Story o
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kultur Video
• VHS Release Date: October 31, 2000
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B0000520RZ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,951 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guilty or Not Guilty?, April 8, 2008

By 

Samantha Glasser "Maliejandra" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mata Hari: The Legend & The True Story of a Spy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you have ever seen Greta Garbo in Mata Hari or Marlene Dietrich in Dishonored, you know of a spy from WWI who was executed. Her legal name was Margaretha Zelle but she used the stage name Mata Hari for mystery. She was born into a wealthy family but lost her station just when she was ready to use her status. She managed to attend boarding school and she met a naval officer who she married. Their life was difficult because of his tendency to galavant around town with other women and her taste for other men. When their son died of poisoning, Margaretha decided to become an exotic dancer under the name Mata Hari. She used men for their money and fell into political matters because of her tendency to travel from France to Germany.

This documentary tends to shift viewpoints. At first, it seems that we are meant to believe Mata Hari did not actually spy, but that she was blamed to shift favor onto the French side. Then, we are told that she indeed accepted orders to spy but simply failed to do so without being caught. Perhaps the dissention comes from the people who are interviewed which includes relatives of the people directly involved with the case, including Mata Hari's step-daughter. These interviews are supplemented with a great array of photographs from Mata Hari's life and clips from the films that were made about her.

This is an interesting story, and one worth learning about. This film is short enough not to bore and researched thoroughly enough to provide sufficient information.