Evening star., 1932-02-07

\ She is said to be the cold
est creature in captivity.
Her eyelashes are reputed to be
products Of the corner drug
store, and her face a dolorous
mask which is lit up only by
weak and vascillating smile.
Her silence is said to be indica-
tive of callous cold contempt for
brother and sister actors, her
art derivative only of a second
rate Swedish stock company off
in the land Of fisheries and ice,
and her moods as gloomy as the
backbone of many Of the films
she plays in.
Miss Garbo, in other words, has
been hauled pretty thoroughly
over the Goals. Her features are
considered by some to be unpleaS-
antly triangular, her nose a long
loose thing which neither hauntS
nor attracts, her shoulders fiat
and unprepoSSeSsing, and her eyes
so lacking in the essentials of
beauty that their nearest ally
might very well be optics which
commander the existence of a
cat.
In simple language, Miss Garbo
is said to be ugly, long and lean,
and so robed in unconventional
tiles that if you were to meet her
on the street you might stop and
look once-but never twice.
People who have fathomed the
above creedS should see this lady
as the unfortunate spy in ''Mata
Hari." Miss Garbo may have big
feet, her eyes may be small, her
face triangular, her shoulders fiat,
her nose an unprepOSSeSSlng
quantity, but as Mata Hari she
does nothing but create an illu-
sion of haunting greatness. Place
any cinema actress in the same
role, dress her in the same dress,
make her live and love and die
the way La Garbo does, and see if
she doesn't appear sorry SKIM
milk replica compared to the
most triumphant actress in the
films!
"Mata Hari" is by no means a
picture of unusual merit. The
story is a standard version of any
lady spy's career, in which love
skips away with the career. Miss
Garbo loves, and, therefore, she
has to die. That is the thesis at
hand, and in its midst there are
to be viewed the customary as
sortment of villains and cross
villains and the lover who has to
love almost in vain. But as boil
stored up by the unquenchable
art of this tremendous personal
ity, by Miss Garbo's vital concep-
ton Of any character which she
chooses to undertake, the film
rises to the crest of better enter
tainment and Is long and
lustrous affair which burns
brightly until the end.
Miss Garbo's work is so far
above reproach that it is, per-
haps, unfair to dwell on a point
which (having little to do with
herr seems, nevertheless, out of
joint. That point is the dance
which occupies few minutes at
the beginning of the picture
Miss Garbo is obviously no Mary
Wigman. Neither is she a Ruth
st. Denis-neither is she a dis
ciple of the hatch-hatcha Alber-
tina Rasch girls-therefore, to try
and make her be a combination
of these lithesome ladies does not
seem necessary. The dance Is
distinctly "out Of joint" 1t Is,
furthermore, executed with little
grace. The only saving feature
of it Is that it was not danced by
Miss Garbo at all. If you look
closely you will find that, but for
two or three close-ups, the dancer
is another lady with a remark
able Carlo resemblance, who Is
waving her arms and twisting her
body, but is not-thank heavens!
the great Garbo.
MISS GARBO takes her love
A'A scenes very seriously. The
proof of this, and a proof not
generally noised about, is that all
the love scenes in "Mata Hari''
were taken before the rest of the
picture was started on. This fact
Ramon Novarro admitted in per-
son, as also the fact that it was
most stimulating acting with a
lady who is so far from being cold
and callous. Mr.. Novarro said he
enjoyed himself no end, and that
| this great lady Is supreme. He