Silent Valentino Classics: (Blood and Sand / The Eagle / Cobra)

Description

Blood and Sand (1922, B&W, Silent): Great screen lover Rudolph Valentino charismatically stars as Juan Gallardo, a shoemaker’s son with aspirations to be a toreador in the 1922 motion picture adaptation of Vicente Blasco Ibanez’s often filmed romantic tale, Blood and Sand. Juan’s meteoric rise from poverty to the thrill-mad bullrings of Seville is aided by his childhood sweetheart Carmen (Lila Lee). But her sweet, innocent manner is no match for vamp Dona Sol (Nita Naldi), a wealthy woman who devours men and easily conquers the impressionable Juan. With perverted social anthropologist Don Joselito (Charles Belcher) lurking by the sidelines and sadistically studying Juan’s corruption by fame, sex and power, Blood and Sand is not only a romantic tragedy of youthful folly but a pointed and ahead-of-its-time examination of 20th century stardom. Blood and Sand is a giant landmark in silent cinema with unforgettable performances by Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee and Nita Naldi.

The Eagle (1925, B&W, Silent): Handsome, hard-riding Vladimir Dubrovsky is the Czarina’s favorite Lieutenant in the Imperial Cavalry. When the officer spurns the Empress’s romantic overtures, a reward is posted for his capture and execution. He flees St. Petersburg and returns home to discover that that his father has been murdered and his estate stolen by the scoundrel Kyrilla. Concealing his identity with a mask, Vladimir becomes “The Black Eagle” and leads a peasant revolt against the oppressive despot. The uprising gathers momentum, but when he falls for the tyrant’s beautiful daughter, he is forced to choose between revenge and true love. Along with the hero’s portrayal by the great Valentino, The Eagle features set design by William Cameron Menzies plus a brief appearance by a young Gary Cooper.

The Cobra (1925, B&W, Silent): Count Rodrigo Torriani is a legendary womanizer whose playboy antics have left him flat broke. He finds financial salvation when he befriends Jack Dorning, who hires him into his blue-chip antique business. Rodrigo hides his true feeling for beautiful socialite Elise, when Jack falls for her. Elise is in love with Jack’s fortune, and the two are soon wed. When Rodrigo learns that Elise has repeatedly betrayed her husband, he is tortured with the notion that revealing the truth to his best friend, will crush his trusting heart. Valentino’s animal magnetism is evident in this 1925 Ritz-Carlton production, which is graced with the spectacular set designs of William Cameron Menzies.

Rudolph Valentino, the original Latin lover, catapulted to fame with his starring role in The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse (1921). His iconic roles in The Sheik (1921) and Blood and Sand (1922) are the stuff of Hollywood legend. After The Cobra, Valentino appeared in only one more motion picture, The Son of the Sheik (1926), before his tragic untimely death the same year at the age of 31, which plunged legions of adoring female fans worldwide into hysterical grief.