THE MYSTERIOUS LADY is one of Garbo's most commercial films. There's nothing remotely artistic about it. It's a Spy vs Spy story and never pretends to be anything else than that. Personally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of THE MYSTERIOUS LADY. If I had to chose one of Garbo's silent films, I'd rather watch A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS or even FLESH AND THE DEVIL than this spy story. It's probably a film which would have worked better with sound (MATA HARI is a spy story like ML but is much more fun than this). As a silent film though, it leaves a little bit to be desired.
The big problem with THE MYSTERIOUS LADY is the story: it's a story in two acts when it should have been done in three acts. The first part of the story is Garbo and Conrad Nagel meeting and "falling" in love. The second act is about the conclusion of the boring spy story.
The other problem is that the main actor, Conrad Nagel, is unimpressive to say the least. He sorta looks like David Niven. Conrad and Garbo would also star in other film together, THE KISS, and watching that movie only reinforced my impression of him: not a bad actor but very little screen presence. Sharing screen time with Garbo, Nagel looks like a light bulb next to the sun.
The other problem with this slight film (like so many other Garbo films) is Garbo's character of Tania is married to a very old man. It's almost a joke to think that someone like Garbo would be married to him.
But there are a couple of memorable things about THE MYSTERIOUS LADY: Greta shines like a bright star. She's absolutely stunning in some scenes and her acting is nuanced and amazing, certainly for such a minor project. There are several memorable scenes with Garbo, including the one at the theater, the seduction scene at her house and the scene in the train. All memorable. But the best scene is the one at the end, with Garbo and her husband and she tries to cover up what she did to him. A little moment of brilliance there.
But there are simply too many moments where the film drags (even if it's in two acts), like the scene where Conrad's character goes to prison, which is very long and almost pointless. And I personally did not enjoy the contemporary soundtrack on the DVD. I know some people like it but for me it's a bit to flowery and incongruous for my taste. I mean, saxophones and Garbo? Yikes. I wish there was an alternative vintage silent film soundtrack on the DVD.
In the end though, I watch these movies for one thing: Greta Garbo and it's well worth watching. She's literally shines in THE MYSTERIOUS LADY, and in the end, that's all that matters.
The big problem with THE MYSTERIOUS LADY is the story: it's a story in two acts when it should have been done in three acts. The first part of the story is Garbo and Conrad Nagel meeting and "falling" in love. The second act is about the conclusion of the boring spy story.
The other problem is that the main actor, Conrad Nagel, is unimpressive to say the least. He sorta looks like David Niven. Conrad and Garbo would also star in other film together, THE KISS, and watching that movie only reinforced my impression of him: not a bad actor but very little screen presence. Sharing screen time with Garbo, Nagel looks like a light bulb next to the sun.
The other problem with this slight film (like so many other Garbo films) is Garbo's character of Tania is married to a very old man. It's almost a joke to think that someone like Garbo would be married to him.
But there are a couple of memorable things about THE MYSTERIOUS LADY: Greta shines like a bright star. She's absolutely stunning in some scenes and her acting is nuanced and amazing, certainly for such a minor project. There are several memorable scenes with Garbo, including the one at the theater, the seduction scene at her house and the scene in the train. All memorable. But the best scene is the one at the end, with Garbo and her husband and she tries to cover up what she did to him. A little moment of brilliance there.
But there are simply too many moments where the film drags (even if it's in two acts), like the scene where Conrad's character goes to prison, which is very long and almost pointless. And I personally did not enjoy the contemporary soundtrack on the DVD. I know some people like it but for me it's a bit to flowery and incongruous for my taste. I mean, saxophones and Garbo? Yikes. I wish there was an alternative vintage silent film soundtrack on the DVD.
In the end though, I watch these movies for one thing: Greta Garbo and it's well worth watching. She's literally shines in THE MYSTERIOUS LADY, and in the end, that's all that matters.