Rudolph Valentino

(1895-1926)

Rudolph Valentino, Copyright 2009 Golloping Tintypes

Ask the average filmgoer to name a silent star and chances are Rudolph Valentino is one of the first names that will spring to their lips. His sexy, exotic film roles made him wildly popular but it was his early death that cemented his status as a legend.

Born in Italy, Valentino ended up in Hollywood in the late ‘teens. He played small roles, often villains but sometimes romantic leads. One of his more charming roles of the period was the romantic comedy All Night, co-starring Carmel Myers. The main humor of the plot is derived from the prim couple trying not to spend the night in the same room. All Night is a light and pleasant film but hardly distinct from numerous other bedroom comedies of the period.

It was the 1921 film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that turned Valentino into a star. Playing a wild Argentinean with a talent for the tango, Valentino connected with the female audience the way no actor had before. Handsome, exotic and just a little dangerous, Valentino was just what the 1920’s New Women wanted.

Alla Nazimova cast Valentino in her production of Camille and Valentino reteamed with Four Horseman director Rex Ingram for The Conquering Power but no one else in Hollywood seemed to know what to do with him. Was Four Horsemen a fluke? Was Valentino really the reason for its success?

Valentino and Menjou

Valentino and Adolphe Menjou in The Sheik.

Meanwhile, Paramount had a problem of its own. It had acquired the rights to E.M. Hull’s notorious (and, consequently, bestselling) novel The Sheik. The story called for a brutal, fiery yet irresistibly passionate hero and Valentino was the obvious choice. Valentino the actor had misgivings about the material but Valentino the man needed the money and a change of studios. He took the part.

Low production values, middling direction and censorship fears doomed The Sheik as a classic. The film does not hold up well for modern audiences. However, audiences of 1921 couldn’t get enough of its hot desert romance. The Sheik was a cultural phenomenon and Valentino was a superstar. Paramount rushed him into exotic, low-budget costumers. Valentino grew unhappy with the second-rate material and low production values. Contract disputes with the studio kept Valentino off movie screens for almost two years.

Valentino finally returned in 1924, but he made the bad choice of starring in the costume drama Monsieur Beaucaire. Set in the French and English courts during the Rococco period, Beaucaire did nothing to silence critics who complained that Valentino was having a feminizing influence on American men. Valentino's costumes designed by his wife, Natacha Rambova, were unfortunately very accurate, complete with lace, ribbons and rouge.

Valentino and Banky

Valentino with Vilma Banky in Son of the Sheik.

When Valentino left Paramount and joined United Artists, he made two of the best films of his career. Teamed with Hungarian beauty Vilma Banky, Valentino starred in The Eagle, a Russian Robin Hood story that showcased everything that Valentino did well. It was romantic, full of adventure and the direction by Clarence Brown was outstanding.

There was one role that Valentino had hesitated to take: the Sheik. His fans had clamored for a return to the part and Valentino agreed at last. The Son of the Sheik outperformed the original in every respect. Valentino’s performance was smart, sensual and masculine. The supporting cast was superb, especially the lovely Vilma Banky. Director George Fitzmaurice understood exactly how to showcase Valentino. Best of all, the scenario was both sexy and self-aware.

Valentino did not live to reap the full benefit of the film. After surgery for a perforated ulcer, Valentino developed peritonitis and died at the age of 31. Thousands attended his funeral with his lover Pola Negri as the ostentatious chief mourner. Valentino had become a legend.

Cossack

Valentino in the lead of The Eagle, one of his better films.

While not the greatest actor of the silent screen and not always cast in the best films, Valentinowas a capable actor with an astonishing amount of on-camera charisma. Even in his early small parts in insignificant films Valentino stole the show the minute he entered a scene. The camera loved him.

Unfortunately, in the hands of directors who did not understand his talents, Valentino had a tendency to overact. This is particularly clear in The Sheik, where Valentino spends the first half of the film leering and bulging his eyes. However, when directed by talents such as Clarence Brown, Rex Ingram or George Fitzmaurice, Valentino gave clever, nuanced performances that have aged very well.

Due in part to his early death, Valentino is still awash in rumors. Books, movies, songs, and countless articles have discussed him, belittled him and distorted him. Telling the truth from the myth is almost impossible. To make matters worse, many members of the silent film community gleefully repeated rumors and exaggerated whatever truth was left when being interviewed.

Was Valentino a flop with ladies? Was he one of the first gay superstars? Was he really in love with Rambova, Pola Negri, etc.?

We’ll never know the answers definitively but one thing is certain: the debate over Valentino’s love life is proof of his potency as a romantic figure.

There is a certain amount of debate as to whether Valentino would have made the transition to the talkies. After all, other Latin lovers faltered. It’s another debate that will never be resolved. With the popularity of gangster films in the early 1930’s, and considering the success of the very similar George Raft, there is the possibility that Valentino could have returned to the more sinister roles of his early career.

Whatever you believe, the fact remains that while Valentino was alive he was one of the brightest stars in Hollywood. In death, he shines even brighter.

A Select Filmography of Rudolph Valentino’s Silent Work

Further Information

The very best breakdown of Valentino’s appeal can be found in Eve Golden’s excellent book Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars (McFarland & Co., 2001). It cuts through the maze of rumors nicely and provides an intelligent commentary on his life and work.

The Falcon’s Lair

Sources

Golden Images by Eve Golden
Silent Stars by Jeanine Basinger
American Silent Film by William K. Everson
Swanson on Swanson by Gloria Swanson