THE VALENTINO MYSTIQUE by Allan Ellenberger
January 21st, 2005 by Andre Soares
Allan R. Ellenberger’s meticulously researched The Valentino Mystique: The Death and Afterlife of the Silent Film Idol depicts in great detail the circumstances surrounding Rudolph Valentino’s death in 1926. (The star of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and The Sheik was only 31 years old.)
Allan — I’ve known him for quite some time — also discusses the aftermath of the film legend’s death, including the riots, suicides, fights over the estate, and Pola Negri’s myriad fainting spells. (Negri used to claim that only death prevented Valentino from marrying her.)
Rudolph Valentino is currently in evidence as a result of the discovery of the 1922 film Beyond the Rocks, in which he plays Gloria Swanson’s love interest. Beyond the Rocks had its 21st-century premiere in Amsterdam, and is scheduled to be shown at the next Cannes Film Festival.
Author Ellenberger also wrote the biographies Ramon Novarro and Margaret O’Brien: A Career Chronicle and Biography, plus Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: McFarland & Company (January 13, 2005)
ISBN: 0786419504
Miriam Hopkins Biography in the Works
Pola Negri Mini-Retrospective at New York City’s MoMA
Author Allan Ellenberger Discusses Valentino’s Legacy
Rudolph Valentino on Turner Classic Movies
SOULS FOR SALE on Turner Classic Movies
Rudolph Valentino in Castelanetta
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