A Brilliant Conflict

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Filled with wonderful moments, Valentino, ultimately collapses under the weight of its overblown and raucous fairground antics. It must have been an amazing coup to get Rudolf Nureyev to play the infamous Rudolph Valentino but there is just too much going on and some scenes going on for too long. The costumes, by the director's then wife Shirley are amazing but really only help to feed in to the overall campiness of the proceedings. I can imagine Ken bouncing about encouraging everyone to give it their all and this certainly seems to have born fruit with Peter Vaughan's ecstatic performance towards the end but it also means that poor little Felicity Kendal, always the most measured of actresses, actually overacts here. A camp extravaganza that I'm sure many can enjoy but I would have preferred just a little more insight. The Fatty Arbuckle portrayal is unforgivable, never mind that of Valentino himself.

This was to me a most impressing surprise, a fantastic film of multiple aspects and observations of the very bizarre world of Hollywood when it was still all experiments, with Rudolph Nureyev accomplishing an astonishing stardom in convincingly impersonating Rudolph Valentino, while all the dancing scenes naturally remain the chief asset of this phantasmagorical fireworks of a film, with both plenty of humor, mainly hilariously ironic, virtuoso caricature scenes, a great deal of romance and passion going to extremes, with Leslie Caron excelling and actually outshining the leading lady Michelle Phillips, with also some very revolting scenes, especially the nightmare at the prison and the grotesque abominability of Peter Vaughan, with splendid music all the way; but in spite of the wild caricaturizing throughout the film, it gives a rather convincing and even realistic picture of Hollywood in the 20s, and the portrait of Rudolph Valentino in all his complexities, building up towards an apotheosis of a finale, when he actually succeeds in crowning his life with happiness and success after all and dying the more triumphant for his shortcomings, could hardly have been made more colorful, dramatic and interesting. Perhaps the best scene of all, and the most baroque, is the grotesque recreation of the case of Fatty Arbuckle.

Anybody who watches this biopic about the legendary matinée idol, Rudolph Valentino, would think director Ken Russell had a personal vendetta against the guy. Russell is known for his grotesque, often controversial films, and this movie is no exception. The clown-like portrayal of Valentino is as offensive as the image of the white serpent ripping the arm off Jesus on the cross, in "Lair of the White Worm." This film plays like the cheapest gossip rag on the newsstand. It would have the viewer believe that R. Valentino was a flaming, super-feminine homosexual. And there is no way that the real Valentino acted or behaved like this ridiculous portrayal at all. In fact it would have been impossible in the 1920's. We basically witness endless people calling Rudy a raging homosexual, right to his face. We have people mocking him and throwing powder puffs at him! Ken Russell takes an old, unfounded rumor about Rudolph's sexuality, and builds the entire film around that one thing. It's a true character assassination of a screen legend, that should offend every fan that sees it. Of course it was usually Ken Russell's ultimate goal to offend his audience. Nothing against Nureyev, but i truly hated his interpretation of Valentino. I don't know if the man was just too feminine in real life to hide it, or if he was simply directed to mock Rudy, a man who really hated the doubts cast upon his manhood. It angered him to no end, being of the macho Italian culture. If he could see this movie he would roll over in his grave; he would despise it that much. Attacking the image of someone who has been dead 85 years, is just cowardly and disgraceful. Watching one of Valentino's films it is clear that he was a somewhat sensitive, even shy man. Not the freakshow that you see in this 1977 film. Anyway, Nureyev, although a very handsome guy, bears no resemblance at all to Rudolph, so it is unclear why he was cast at all.If it wasn't for the movie's great production values, it would be a total waste of time; the sets and 1920's costumes are really amazing, and the film looks beautiful. In fact, technically speaking, this is a well-made film. It's just a shame that the director decided to make it an hysterical farce, and had everyone act like clowns. If not for those poor choices, this could have been great. I wondered why this has never been commercially released on DVD; now i understand.. There is, happily, another film on the life of Valentino, from 1951, that doesn't mock the actor, but takes the subject matter seriously. The actor also bears a haunting resemblance to Rudy as well. But this movie just made me angry and disgusted.

Nureyev as Valentino. Leslie Caron in a nice role. and spirit of period. basic ingredients of a film. not astonishing. but almost seductive. new exercise of Ken Russell to present his world in usual colors and fragile shadows. a homage-film who desire give not exactly fragments of a life but skin of a myth. and the work is reasonable. this is the point to begin to discover the movie. sure, Nureyev was not the best option. but it is far to be a error his performance. only perfect example for good intentions and art to use his rare gift to cover the not inspired acting. a Russell film. this is the definition for this exotic, strange and nice movie.