A film that takes advantage of two myths, Mata Hari and Sylvia Kristel, in a vain attempt to revive a third one, erotic cinema.
Regarding the first myth, the film is merely inspired by reality, as is usual in cinema, particularly in Hollywood. Sometimes it takes real facts and characters, such as Captain Ledoux, Mrs. MacLeod, living in Java, erotic dances in Paris and Berlin, counter-espionage, the trial and death by firing squad, sometimes fantasy, in love with Karl (in fact her lover was a Russian officer in the service of the French, named Maslov, whom she rescued from enemy lines), the relationship between Karl and Ledoux, the sinister Fraulein Schragmuller and her terrorist conspiracy, and many other aspects of the argument. A recurring criticism in pseudo-biographical fiction.
But where the film most fails is in its attempt to use Kristel, the actress of Emmanuelle and erotic cinema diva of the previous decade, to embody that other erotic myth that is Mata Hari.
Erotic cinema was itself a myth. It never constituted a true genre, but a simple use of the progressive lightening of censorship to sell more and more nudity in the cinema, to the lustful public.
But, in 1985, nudity was already common in most films, even in Hollywood, and it no longer surprised anyone. It is used here in a more abundant dose than usual, but nothing particularly shocking or innovative, even for the time.
This leaves a good production, but focused on Kristel's sex and nudity scenes, which gives what is expected of her, but nothing more than that, because she was never a particularly gifted actress. Just a beautiful and elegant face and body, which cinema used to sell eroticism.
The film is therefore a misconception. A generous production, but that came a decade late.
