Mata Hari

You're losing your touch, my friend.

High living has its price, Ladoux.

You are wheezing.

You are a dangerous opponent,

von Bayerling. Quite dangerous.

And you're a tricky devil, Ladoux.

Don't bother denying it.

What can I say?

Karl! What's happened to you?

You drag me into a museum to look

at paintings, and then you disappear.

But you wanted to come

to hunt for prey, you said.

And just when we are about to snare

Madame la Comtesse, you wander off.

What can I tell her about Fauvism,

or whatever the hell you called it?

- They are actually...

- In a state of tantric ecstasy.

It looks... pretty basic to me.

It's tenth century Indian.

Amazing, von Bayerling,

the amount of useless information

you've got crammed

into that German head of yours.

A very... fascinating exhibit, isn't it?

You have an interest in Asian art?

Well, actually it's my friend here

who is the authority.

An authority?

So what do you think of this?

That's the center of the wheel

of death and rebirth.

The cosmic dancer.

Lord Shiva. Indian, of course.

South Indian, to be exact.

From the temple at Madurai.

Allow me to introduce myself.

Captain Georges Ladoux.

Lady MacLeod.

Enchant.

Captain Karl von Bayerling...

Count von Bayerling.

How is it that you know so much?

I come here quite often.

My dear child,

our table at Maxim's is waiting.

Mon gnrale.

Of course.

So that's what we can look forward to

after 30 years of service.

I don't see how either of you will be

able to accomplish anything, Colonel,

whether it's amusing or not.

August of 1914 will not be a bit

different from any other August in Paris.

Hot and humid.

Biarritz and Deauville...

it's as if one remains in Paris anyway.

The same bored faces,

the same nasty gossip.

If you'll excuse me.

And what keeps the lights

of the German embassy

burning so brightly

on a Saturday night?

Developments.

But you must already know.

Know? How would I know the inner

workings of a diplomatic mission?

My orders are classified secrets,

but French intelligence

would find out soon enough.

I am being transferred back to Berlin.

Special assignment.

If it comes to war, we will both

have to do what is expected of us.

Bon chance. my friend.

And I thought it was I that was supposed

to surprise you with big news.

Do you remember that amazing creature

we encountered last week at the museum?

The one on the arm

of General Carriere.

She's here tonight.

Here? Where?

Just wait.

Mes cheres amis.

tonight the City of Light

must bid farewell

to the Eye of the Dawn.

All of you will have heard, I'm sure,

of the secret sexual ripeness

of the mystic East.

Tonight, before leaving

on her European tour,

the most legendary danseuse

of our age.

Mes chers amis...

a sacred goddess!

Mata Hari!

Mata Hari.

Why should Austria

even take notice of Serbia?

Because Serbia signed

a treaty of alliance with Russia.

More wine, my dear?

Everyone has treaties

with everyone else.

Russia with France, Vienna with Berlin.

I tell you, it will all blow over.

- Bon soir. Monsieurs.

- Bon soir. Madame.

Prost.

Take your hands off me.

Let me go!

I told you I know nothing about this!

- That's her, she's the one.

- It's not true.

I assassinated no one.

I didn't even know him!

You expect us to believe

you are in the habit

of committing intimate acts

with strangers?

Petty hypocrisies

mean nothing to me.

You were en route to Berlin.

I am to perform in Berlin.

All very interesting...

but words

cannot dispel hard facts.

Why would I?

Or... who would want you to?

Our agent was killed by a poisonous dart

fired from a blow gun.

Can you tell us what you did

with this blow gun?

The poison has been used for centuries

by natives of the East Indies.

Perhaps that too is something

you could illuminate.

- Ridiculous.

- Ridiculous?

I'm afraid this is something

rather more than a simple homicide.

We have put in a call to our colleagues

from military intelligence.

This had better be very important.

I don't like to be interrupted.

Thank you for talking sense to them.

- You are performing here?

- Yes, at the Metropole.

The Metropole.

It's Berlin's Folies Bergere.

It's not the kind of place for an artist.

Are you offering an alternative?

Madame.

Wait! Listen to me.

There's a train

that leaves within an hour.

You must get away.

Get away?

You must not become involved.

But what have I done? Nothing.

Then I must say good-bye.

But come back...

... tonight.

You come here often?

You're quite an adventurer, Captain.

It's you who have been everywhere.

- I seem to make you smile.

- You remind me of Paris.

Of everything that's intriguing,

innovative, different.

If you dislike the army so much,

why do you stay?

Why? Are you offering me

some kind of alternative?

The only real alternative, Captain,

is the one we make for ourselves.

Careful now!

Come and meet everybody.

Here we are, then,

all my friends and relations.

- Good evening, all.

- We'll wake up the horses.

Come on.

Now, this is one of my horses.

His name is Oscar.

- Oscar, go to sleep now.

- Come on.

They're good.

- Very good.

- Experiments.

What's wrong?

Are you thinking

of the man on the train?

Like everyone else, I'm only...

You're not like everyone else.

And you?

I must take you back to your hotel.

What do you want from me?

Last night you returned me

to my hotel without saying a word,

and then this morning, you call

to invite me for dinner.

Tell me.

I'm so pleased to see you again,

Mademoiselle.

Allow me to introduce.

Frulein Doctor Elsbeth Schragmuller,

Herr Wolff.

Mademoiselle Mata Hari.

Please, everyone, do sit down.

Such a dramatic arrival in Berlin!

I have often heard

the sexual orgasm referred to

by Dr. Freud as "the little death, "

but I assume it was not your idea

to take it so literally.

- You are a doctor?

- Of psychology,

the science of the human mind.

Frulein Doctor is a consultant

to the German intelligence service.

Despite his undeniable intellect,

Captain von Bayerling here

believes that the intelligence service

should limit itself

to collect information

on troop movements,

or the rate of fire

of some little machine gun.

That is not what I said.

You see, Captain von Bayerling

is our French specialist,

and the French, needless to say,

would do most anything

to hinder his effectiveness.

That is why they sent you to Berlin.

Sent me? That's ridiculous.

I'm here to perform

at the Metropole Theater.

Of course. But you were manipulated.

It was the French, namely,

Captain Ladoux of le Deuxime Bureau

who not only added Berlin to your tour,

but arranged for the assassination

of our poor unfortunate agent on the train.

Why?

Positioning, an opening gambit.

It no longer matters.

But when Captain von Bayerling

reported his suspicion

that you had been set out

as a lure to him,

we resolved to turn the situation

to our advantage.

That's why I sent Captain von Bayerling

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes