Good Night Valentino

In this intriguing short we see a meeting between the editorialist and wit, H.L Mencken, and the silent film star Rudolph Valentino.

While the voice-over is interesting, the chemistry between the two men is riveting. Mencken may be heterosexual but is still affected by the presence of that animal magnetism that made Valentino the star that he was.

Perhaps I was projecting, but it felt that the sexual tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Even without that aspect, this short is well worth the viewing for its evocation of a period but with that element it's memorable.

First, this is a meeting between two 20's personalities, not 30's. Secondly, Valentino would have never have admitted he was a homosexual, because that was the very thing he went to see Mencken about, and, contrary to what people may want to believe, he was heterosexual. The rumor about him being homosexual came from a film, and the costume he wore, in which he was called a pink powder puff. Valentino, being from Italy, had that machismo, and was deeply offended and crushed by the newspaper article that described him as less than a he-man, although, he wasn't much of a he-man. More Importantly, American men were threatened by Valentino because American woman were in love with his image, and men were jealous. Douglas Fairbanks was very rude to Valentino: couldn't stand him. There was a lot of rivalry. Valentino himself was awed by his power, liked it, but was ambivalent about it. I don't think Mencken was exactly correct.

There are a couple of reviews that are noteworthy about this film, but please avoid these two, obviously written by two people who didn't understand what they were watching.

First of all I really adore this movie. It was like getting a secret glimpse into one of Valentino's most private moments. It was heartbreaking to see how upset Valentino was in his final days. The public often confused him with the characters he played on screen. In reality he was a decent, shy, funny, caring man who longed for a happy family life, children and true love. I do believe that Natacha Rambova was the love of his life and that he eventually would have ended up happy with her if he had lived. It's awful how the newspaper questioned his manhood and so sad how much pain it caused him. He just wanted the public to know the truth. Being the first "Superstar" of film in history it must have been overwhelming to have to deal with it all. I think that Mencken read a little too much into what Valentino said and that Valentino was specifically upset about this particular situation. His manager George Ullman said that it was one of the last things that he spoke of and it did contribute to his death. It's so sad that Rudolph Valentino didn't live to get the happiness that he deserved - to either get back with Natacha or fall in love with a woman who would have given him the happy family life he so desperately wanted.

Yes, interesting and quite a remarkable study---very inventive and ingenious plot about a true event come back to life. The actor who portrays Valentino does resemble him--I mean he is not an exact double, but we do, yes we do, see Valentino. There is a bit of factual error when the newspaper man asks about Valentino's wife (Natacha Rambova) and at the end of the film, Valentino is said to have died two days after this interview. The real Valentino was divorced from Natacha at the time, but we forgive it in this fictional yet almost real account. Rudolph Valentino will never be forgotten. There was a star. I enjoyed this short film. A tribute to Valentino.

Saw this film at the Valentino tribute at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It's an essay that was written about the writers last encounter with Valentino. The actor and director, writer who wrote this piece was there and introduced the film. Valentino at the time was upset with a writer who had said he was a powder puff, homosexual. This writer met with him days before his death and Valentino told him it was true. Great little film.