The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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Mata Hari
Crime · Drama · Romance · 1931
A semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.
Movie details
Mata Hari
“Men worshipped her like a goddess, only to be betrayed by a kiss!”
1931 Crime · Drama · Romance 1h 29m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.2 / 10
Community rating
A semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Mata Hari?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Adrenaline Seeker
“If it slows down, you check your phone.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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A Place in the Sun
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Winter's Tale
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A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.
Winged Creatures
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
George Fitzmaurice
Written by
Benjamin Glazer · Leo Birinski
Greta Garbo
Mata Hari
Ramon Novarro
Lt. Alexis Rosanoff
Lionel Barrymore
General Serge Shubin
Lewis Stone
Andriani
C. Henry Gordon
Dubois
Karen Morley
Carlotta
Alec B. Francis
Major Caron
Court is in session
Put Mata Hari on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.