The second of three movies about the silent film legend, This TV movie came out two years before the more controversial Ken Russell film, and is even more obscure than the 1951 Columbia film starring Anthony Dexter. Here, the Italian heartthrob is played by Franco Nero, a realistic casting choice, but you see more of the character played by Suzanne Pleshette (a scriptwriter of silent movies) then you really find out about Valentino himself. The film simply flashes over so much of his life, starting with Pleshette finding Valentino robbing her house, holding a gun on him, then telling the police that they were lovers having a fight. He goes on to a quickie marriage with starlet Lesley Ann Warren that ends on their honeymoon, becomes a heartthrob by the way he treats women on screen (tossing them around, hitting them before bedding them), something that Pleshette's character insists that women want. I cringed at those words coming out of Pleshette's mouth, and I'm sure she cringed being forced to say them.
Other than a few mentions of a few other silent stars, (Nazimova, Tom Mix), everybody he works with here seems to be a fictional name, while characters played by Judd Hirsch and Milton Berle are obviously pseudonyms for people whose names they couldn't use. The narration by Pleshette doesn't seem appropriate for this tale, a legend which is simply another word for fiction. It's not her fault. They should have just made the whole thing fictional, created a Valentino like star, rather than try to create something that rings so false. Other films about Hollywood's early years coming out during the wave of nostalgia failed around the same time too, and it's no surprise that the 1977 Ken Russell version was a critical disaster. At least the production design is in keeping with the time period. This TV movie, while not absolutely terrible, isn't really recommended for giving a good look at the silent era and the issues of the heartthrob behind the legend.
Other than a few mentions of a few other silent stars, (Nazimova, Tom Mix), everybody he works with here seems to be a fictional name, while characters played by Judd Hirsch and Milton Berle are obviously pseudonyms for people whose names they couldn't use. The narration by Pleshette doesn't seem appropriate for this tale, a legend which is simply another word for fiction. It's not her fault. They should have just made the whole thing fictional, created a Valentino like star, rather than try to create something that rings so false. Other films about Hollywood's early years coming out during the wave of nostalgia failed around the same time too, and it's no surprise that the 1977 Ken Russell version was a critical disaster. At least the production design is in keeping with the time period. This TV movie, while not absolutely terrible, isn't really recommended for giving a good look at the silent era and the issues of the heartthrob behind the legend.