THE VALENTINO MYSTIQUE by Allan Ellenberger
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 back in the news following 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
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Tags: Allan Ellenberger, Beyond the Rocks, Books, Classic Movies, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, Silent Films, The Valentino Mystique
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Oh, Valentino was so beautiful!!
Valentino is much underrated today. Peole should watch his movies before putting him down. He could be a very accomplished actor. Just look at him in The Four Horsemen or The Son of the Sheik. Two very different roles and he excels in both.