Jennie Linden

Valentino

In 1926, thousands of fans mob the wake of recently-deceased film star Rudolph Valentino in New York City. When order is restored at the funeral home, a series of important women in Valentino's life come to mourn. Each remembers him via flashbacks: The first of these women, Bianca de Saulles, knew Valentino when he was a taxi dancer and gigolo in New York City, working under a woman named Billie Streeter. Upon meeting him, he shares with her his dream of owning an orange grove in California. After mobsters rob Valentino, he decides he must make the move west. Specifically, Bianca reminisces of a day when she witnessed Valentino romantically dancing with male ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, teaching him how to do the tango. Next is a young movie executive and screenwriter named June Mathis, who has an unrequited love for Valentino. She first meets Valentino in California, where he upsets Fatty Arbuckle by grabbing the starlet next to Arbuckle and romancing her into becoming his first wife, actress Jean Acker. Acker's glamorous and luxurious life motivates Valentino to try acting himself. Mathis recalls seeing him in a bit part in a movie and, based on that alone, recommending him for a larger role in her next project, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The hugely successful 1921 film launches Valentino to superstardom, and she is proud to have discovered him. Alla Nazimova subsequently makes a flamboyant entrance at Valentino's funeral. She proceeds to make a scene and, when the photographers ask her to repeat it for the cameras, she obliges. Nazimova claims a relationship with Valentino and recalls working on Camille with him. Next, Nazimova's friend, art designer Natacha Rambova (and second wife of Valentino) enters and tells reporters that, even though she and Valentino are physically separated, they are still close via the spirit world. Her flashback shows that she was at first Nazimova's lover, but took advantage of Valentino's infatuation with her to help her social climb. During the filming of The Sheik, Rambova seduces Valentino with a seven veils dance. Despite knowing he is in the midst of divorcing Acker, she insists on going to Mexico so they can marry. Once they return to the United States, Valentino is arrested for bigamy. Because Jesse Lasky refuses to pay bail for Valentino, he has to spend the night in jail, where the guards deny him bathroom privileges and, with the other prisoners, taunt him about his lack of masculinity. The result is his complete humiliation. On the set of Valentino's subsequent film, Monsieur Beaucaire, Rambova and Sidney Olcott take over directing. Two stage hands, wondering if 'Rambova calls the shots in bed, too', toss a pink powder puff onto Valentino's lap. Rambova demands that whoever did it come forward or she and Valentino will walk off the set for good. Valentino finishes the picture, but Rambova insists he refuse future work at Paramount until Lasky meets certain demands. Lasky suspends them and the couple end up broke. A man named George Melford approaches them, offering to help them book personal appearances for Mineralava, a beauty product company. The tour is a success, and, with Melford's help, Valentino and Rambova negotiate a good deal with Lasky. Later, Valentino reads a newspaper article questioning his manhood and implies he is homosexual. The article outrages Valentino, who challenges the reporter to a duel. For 'legal reasons' the duel becomes a boxing match. Rory O'Neil, who happens to be a professional boxer, stands in for the reporter. The fight becomes a ballet of sorts, and flashbacks to the dance with Nijinsky parallel the match. Valentino eventually lands a blow which wins him the fight. However, he now begins to exhibit signs of an ulcer. O'Neil asks for a rematch, this time a drinking contest. Despite his ulcer, Valentino accepts. Although Valentino defeats O'Neil again, his excessive drinking exacerbates the ulcer, which perforates when he returns to his home that night. He dies crawling on the floor, unable to reach an orange he had drunkenly played with and dropped on the floor.