Valentino (1977)

In 1926, the death of silent film star Rudolph Valentino (Rudolf Nureyev) causes a sensation not only in the headlines but with thousands of fans trying to crash his funeral. His life story is then told in flashbacks by the women in his life as he rises from a nightclub dancer to Hollywood star. Directed by Ken Russell (WOMEN IN LOVE), the film is a mess. Russell's flamboyant but often excessive style is problematic. Depending on the material, Russell's style can often be exhilarating (TOMMY) or an unpleasant shambles (THE MUSIC LOVERS). There's very little "truth" in this movie bio of Valentino but lots of Russell's extravagant style. It's a great looking film thanks to Philip Harrison's art direction, Shirley Russell's costumes and Peter Suschitzky's (EASTERN PROMISES) cinematography. As for Nureyev, while I can appreciate the eager to please charm he brings to the part, he's not an actor (at least judging by his work here). Russell's take on some of the real life characters (notably Alla Nazimova) is rather nasty and unsubstantiated. Russell hits a new low in a disgusting sequence in a Mexican jail that I won't even attempt to describe here. Reputedly, even Russell dislikes the film! With Leslie Caron as Alla Nazimova, Michelle Phillips as Natasha Rambova, Carol Kane, Seymour Cassel, Huntz Hall, Felicity Kendal, Anton Diffring, Peter Vaughan, Leland Palmer and Jennie Linden.