Valentino *** (1977, Rudolf Nureyev, Leslie Caron, Michelle Phillips, Carol Kane, Felicity Kendal) – Classic Movie Review 7866

The 1977 biopic Valentino is The Smouldering One according to provocative director Ken Russell and his magnetic dancing star Rudolf Nureyev. As in the 1951 film, also called Valentino, the story bears little resemblance to the truth, but this time the star bears no similarity to Rudolph Valentino (apart from their first name).

Nor does it boast a star acting performance beyond an extremely charismatic presence and a stupendous dance talent, though it is a provocative, inspired piece of casting, while the script’s debunking of Valentino seems to have no urgent point. But it is welcome as a prize item in the entertaining gallery of grotesque and frenzied films from Russell, fired with his usual imagination, intelligence and awesome visual sense.

In a good cast, Felicity Kendal plays June Mathis the MGM writer who discovers him, Michelle Phillips plays his wife Natasha Rambova, Leslie Caron plays Alla Nazimova, and Royal Ballet star Anthony Dowell plays the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Ken Russell himself plays the great silent director Rex Ingram, who made two films with Valentino in 1921: The Conquering Power and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Also in the cast are Carol Kane, Huntz Hall (as Jesse Lasky), Alfred Marks, Seymour Cassel, John Ratzenburger (as Newshound), David de Keyser, Anton Diffring, William Hootkins, John Justin, Jennie Linden, Penelope Milford, Linda Thorson, Peter Vaughan, Georgina Hale, Lindsay Kemp (as Mortician), Percy Herbert (as Studio Guard), Marcella Markham (as Hooker), Dudley Sutton, Robin Clarke, Don Fellows (as George Melford), Leland Palmer, Hal Galili and June Bolton.

Ken Russell and Mardik Martin’s is based on Brad Steiger and Chaw Mank’s book, Valentino, an Intimate Exposé of the Sheik.

It is a very good-looking, lovingly crafted movie. The splendid costume design is by Shirley Russell. Peter Suschitzky’s cinematography and Philip Harrison’s production design/ art direction are also superb.

RIP Ken Russell (1927–2011).

RIP Lindsay Kemp (1938–2018). He is also in Russell’s 1972 Savage Messiah.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7866

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