Those willing to excuse the hypocritical tone of the stodgy intertitles - which condemn both the dangerous cruelty to animals and the marital infidelity on which the picture itself otherwise thrives - can take this as an idyll in the sunny Spain of old. Exotic atmospherics trump the slow-moving story as Valentino’s swaggering but kindly toreador finds acclaim in the ring and domestic happiness with his childhood sweetheart (Lila Lee), only to have his professional success as well as his personal tranquility threatened by the wiles of an amoral noblewoman (Nita Naldi). The artistic value of the resulting film is a different question. The idea of casting Rudolph Valentino as the bullfighter protagonist of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez’s 1909 novel, here brought to the screen by director Fred Niblo, must have struck the folks at Paramount as money in the bank - and so it proved. Mature themes, including potential adultery. Still, given that this romantic drama was considered lost for more than 90 years, it ranks as a recovered treasure. The plot puts an interesting, altruistic spin on the perennial tale pitting love against duty, but the mood is rather overheated. To help improve the family’s fortunes, she reluctantly agrees to marry a middle-aged, nouveau-riche millionaire (Robert Bolder) though she’s already drawn to Valentino in the guise of a young and dashing nobleman.
Francis) is living in reduced circumstances. Swanson plays a Dorset country lass whose gentlemanly father (Alec B.
None have been rated by the Motion Picture Association.ĭirector Sam Wood’s adaptation of Elinor Glyn’s 1906 novel is notable as the only film to co-star screen legends Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino. Unless otherwise noted, the Catholic News Service classification for each is A-II - adults and adolescents. But some have survived while others have been rediscovered or restored.įollowing, in alphabetical order, are capsule reviews of six notable features that have reached their centennial and are available to view for free online.
A century later, many of the movies released that year have perished. NEW YORK (CNS) - By 1922, the film industry, which had begun to migrate from the East Coast to Hollywood about a decade earlier, was well-established and thriving.
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