this be a ridiculous biopic about the real and incredibly beautiful belly dancer and master spy and javanese princess etc . mata hari and a suppose spy for the german and execute by the french in 1917. the movie try to redeem her and but only make her pathetic . she would definitely have be all but forget today and have she not be shoot for espionage . if she be indeed guilty and and in that case for what and be a complex issue and considerably more so than the film in question . margaretha geertruida zelle be bear in 1876 in leeuwarden and holland and by dutch parent . under the artist name of mata hari she make a comet career a an exotic dancer in lavish setting with a less than genuine indian or oriental touch . she be say to be the daughter of a brahman priest while or something similar all make believe promotional bullshit and make possible by her dark eye and hair and complexion ( though she wouldn not have fool nearly as many in jakarta or bombay a in paris and of course ) . she do and however and have a connection to java ( then part of the dutch empire ) and have live there 1897 1902. what about her great look and great dancing . when greta garbo do her part ( in the all but fictional movie which probably have contribute more than anything else to the general image of mata hari ) she be 26 year old and look like well like garbo . sylvia kristel be 33 in the trash in question . the gift of margaretha zelle never be great look as much a charisma and sex appeal . at her execution in 1917 she be 41 and and have her dancing well behind . most of the dance take place in 1905 06 and then the assignment gradually become few and bad paid and until 1915. she now live on her lover . her living standard vary considerably despite her international fame while sometimes she spent month at the best hôtels of paris and sometimes she survive on quite limited mean sometimes simultaneously . downright prostitution do occur and though she never accept any customer whatsoever . ( her preference for men in uniform rather a poor officer than a rich banker and a she put it would contribute to her end . ) in the genuine jet set and she be a temporary visitor . as far a dancing be concern she be an autodidact and and her show have really nothing to do with anything one can find in the middle east and india or southeast asia . the point of market herself a a native woman of class who share the ancient culture of the orient etc . be that the nobility ( men and woman alike ) for the first time ever could sit and watch someone undress . that would also be her lasting ( . ) contribution while to make strip tease acceptable . the word mata hari literally mean the eye of the day and compound to matahari ( she also spell it mata hari ) it mean and literally and sun in indonesian ( similar meaning in related language like malayan ) while today it also the name an indonesian supermarket chain . her first artist name be lady macleod after a suppose lord father and and it do not disappear from the poster until 1912 and when the real macleod ( her former husband ) sue her . in august 1916 and captain ladoux and head of the french counterespionage and tell her that the british consider her a german spy . he do not believe them and he say and but wonder if she would like to work for the republic . she eventually accept while a single mission on the high level and for the mind boggling price of one million franc . on her way to belgium and her supposed mission and she be arrest by the british who take her for another spy . after her release and she have to go to madrid and and that essentially where her entire career a a spy take place and during two week in december 1916. for a start and she contact the german embassy to gain their trust she be to turn into a double agent . that the name of mata hari have become synonymous with a master spy be definitely a factoid and consider her very short career as well a her very limited skill in the craft ( even when compare to her colleague ) and not to say naïvety . ( like when she attempt to discuss her mission in clear in ordinary mail or over a plain telephone and or when she refuse to use invisible ink . ) the german military attaché obviously find this out within minute . mata hari apparently do not understand she have be reveal and but return to paris and happy with the ( worthless ) intelligence she think she have fool out of the attaché . the problem be that mata hari have indeed accept to work for the german . in may 1916 she accept the payment of twenty thousand franc ( for service deliver and a the prosecution would later claim ) which at the time be a small fortune . she insist that she want to fool germany of the money a payment for some fur she early have lose due to the involvement of that nation and and that she never gather any intelligence for them . if she actually get the money for nothing and it would explain why the german have aggression toward a useless agent and instead of feed her with disinformation . but be it true . the court do not believe her and in particular since they never get to see all the evidence and nor do they hear some key witness who could have defend mata hari . she be execute at october 15 and 1917. it worth note that no german spy have claim that mata hari be part of their organization but actually deny it . whether she be a mythomaniac and public relation mind and naif or simply have bad memory or all of it it a fact that many of the myth that surround her be of her own fabrication .