First, this is nothing to do with the famous actress Greta Garbo, who once played the spy Mata Hari, but an even more mysterious figure. As it turns out, the Barcelona-born double agent code-named Garbo began his career just as the Swedish-born movie star was completing her on-screen career. After fighting on both sides of the Spanish Civil War, he worked for both sides in World War II. “Spy” might not be the correct word for this work. Without real contacts, he simply made them up. Ironically, his ability to convincingly fabricate information—and have the Germans believe it—made him immensely valuable to the English, to whom he offered his services. This made all the difference in the success of the D-Day invasion, when Garbo and his made-up informants convinced the Germans that the Allies were planning a larger landing elsewhere.
Unlike Garbo the movie star, the man born Joan Pujol didn’t leave behind period footage of him in action, and perhaps for this reason is not well remmbered. Edmon Roach fills the gap with stock footage, talking heads like that of his English biographer, Nigel West, and stylish clips from Hollywood war movies, including Mata Hari. Visually, it’s inessential, but the story is fascinating enough, and it turns out to not quite end with the Nazi defeat. As a personality, Pujol remains enigmatic, but this chapter of history is wealth worth knowing.
IMDB link
viewed at Prince Music Theater [Philadelphia Film Festival] and reviewed 10/22/10
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