In Hollywood, some relationships are better off not happening, especially when the marriage affects one of the spouse's livelihood. That is exactly what happened to actor Rudolph Valentino when he married film costume designer Natacha Rambova in a quickie Mexican marriage after making 1922's "Blood and Sand." Bigamy charges soon followed against the couple, resulting in a messy court case.
Once officially married later on, the two shared different views on marriage. Valentino was old school and saw Rambova as a traditional housewife and mother, while the talented designer felt she was the perfect person to be the actor's film manager. She arranged for Valentino to appear in a string of poorly-received movies, sending the once female heart-throb's popularity sinking faster than the Titanic. United Artists' owners Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks approached Valentino after he was finishing a nationwide road-dance tour with his wife, and was offered a fairly lucrative contract with one stipulation: Rambova had to be completely removed from the productions. The actor took up UA's offer, causing Rambova to lose her temper, which resulted in a split in their marriage.
Once Rambova was out of the picture, Valentino's career soared with the making of November 1925's "The Eagle." The film inserted a dose of masculinity into the actor's screen persona, melding a Zorro-like swordsman with the romantic figure female fans swooned over. "The Eagle," adapted from Alexander Pushkin's 1841 novel 'Dubrovsky," combined the tale of an officer of the Imperial Guard of the Russian Army and his rebuff of the man-hungry Czarina, with a fictitious adventure story of him becoming a good-intentioned outlaw while hiding from the Czarina's troops. He shields his face with a black mask to avenge the confiscation of his father's property and death at the hands of a neighboring nobleman.
Valentino's personality oozes out from the big screen in "The Eagle," something that was practically hidden in the Rambova-managed films. In the capable hands of veteran director Clarence Brown, Valentino's athleticism is on full display with his horse riding expertise and swift swordsmanship. One unique tracking sequence famously created by Brown occurs during the nobleman's big banquet feast. The director situates his camera just above the long table filled with veracious eaters slobbering away. From the head of the table, the camera slowly tracks smoothly to the other end, hovering a couple feet over the food and outreaching arms of the diners. Never had cinema witnessed such a sophisticated shot like that before.
"The Eagle's" success was a boon for Valentino, seeing his highest box office returns in three years. The actor soon filed for divorce with Rambova. The future looked promising for Valentino, whose movie "The Eagle" was nominated for American Film Institute's 100 Most Thrilling Motion Pictures as well as being listed in "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die."
Once officially married later on, the two shared different views on marriage. Valentino was old school and saw Rambova as a traditional housewife and mother, while the talented designer felt she was the perfect person to be the actor's film manager. She arranged for Valentino to appear in a string of poorly-received movies, sending the once female heart-throb's popularity sinking faster than the Titanic. United Artists' owners Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks approached Valentino after he was finishing a nationwide road-dance tour with his wife, and was offered a fairly lucrative contract with one stipulation: Rambova had to be completely removed from the productions. The actor took up UA's offer, causing Rambova to lose her temper, which resulted in a split in their marriage.
Once Rambova was out of the picture, Valentino's career soared with the making of November 1925's "The Eagle." The film inserted a dose of masculinity into the actor's screen persona, melding a Zorro-like swordsman with the romantic figure female fans swooned over. "The Eagle," adapted from Alexander Pushkin's 1841 novel 'Dubrovsky," combined the tale of an officer of the Imperial Guard of the Russian Army and his rebuff of the man-hungry Czarina, with a fictitious adventure story of him becoming a good-intentioned outlaw while hiding from the Czarina's troops. He shields his face with a black mask to avenge the confiscation of his father's property and death at the hands of a neighboring nobleman.
Valentino's personality oozes out from the big screen in "The Eagle," something that was practically hidden in the Rambova-managed films. In the capable hands of veteran director Clarence Brown, Valentino's athleticism is on full display with his horse riding expertise and swift swordsmanship. One unique tracking sequence famously created by Brown occurs during the nobleman's big banquet feast. The director situates his camera just above the long table filled with veracious eaters slobbering away. From the head of the table, the camera slowly tracks smoothly to the other end, hovering a couple feet over the food and outreaching arms of the diners. Never had cinema witnessed such a sophisticated shot like that before.
"The Eagle's" success was a boon for Valentino, seeing his highest box office returns in three years. The actor soon filed for divorce with Rambova. The future looked promising for Valentino, whose movie "The Eagle" was nominated for American Film Institute's 100 Most Thrilling Motion Pictures as well as being listed in "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die."