Kicking off Sheik Week let's touch on one of the more interesting parts of Rudy's career: The Hooded Falcon. Or the lack thereof. This movie should have been a major turning point in both his life and career. It still was...but the movie was never made. In fact it cost him his longtime friendship with June Mathis, alienated him from his fans, and strained his marriage to Natacha beyond repair (the failure of the recently released "Monsieur Beaucaire" would not help). So what went wrong?
The Idea
After being corporately and monetarily raped by Famous Players-Lasky Valentino went on strike in 1922. He was arguably at the highest point in his career, having only had one real recent flop (Young Rajah) and that was mostly to blame on Famous Players. "Blood and Sand" (the picture before Rajah) was a major success and Valentino was hot to the public and film industry alike.
Rudy began publicly bitching to anyone who would listen (it is said during a radio interview on the matter he got so heated they had to cut him off) and this did not sit well with Famous Players who not only wanted him back but to put him in his place. They sued him and barred him from working in pictures until something could be settled.
In 1924 via Ritz Carlton Pictures and his wife Natacha, Rudy's contract dispute was finally settled. He would make 2 pictures for Famous Players, then be free to make 4 pictures for Ritz Carlton (supposedly as he pleased, and all his wishes to be met). Unfortunately things didnt go as planned; and The Hooded Falcon was the final nail in the coffin.
The comeback picture for Famous Players was "Monsieur Beaucaire". It flopped. Or at least by Famous Players expectations. The next picture "A Sainted Devil" started out strong but also flopped. His obligations were fulfilled but his reputation was now damaged. People wondered: Could Rudy really make a public pleasing comeback?
Unfortunately it would take Valentino another year to pull that off, and until his death to truly win the public back over (in fairness had he not died he still would have pulled it off; Sheik is Sheik). The reasons for this, and the very reasons that killed "The Hooded Falcon" go back to what he was wanting to do...and just how much Natacha was interfering at the time (or how much he was letting her).
The Plot that would have been...
Natacha was the first to write the script under the pen name Justus Layne (Justice? Get it? Ha!) Two other considered titles were: The Scarlet Power and The Flame of Destiny. Apparently it under went several rewrites but the basic jist was as such:
The plot would loosely be based on the life of El Cid, a Castillian Nobleman and Legendary Warrior. The setting would be 14th century Spain and the cast would involve Spaniards, Moors (Arabs, Africans, darker skinned folk, usually Muslim), and Jews.
The original plot consisted of Valentino (likely playing El Cid or a noble of sorts) falling in love with a beautiful Moorish Princess. Before long Valentino's character turned into a Moor as well. Nita Naldi was to have a major role in the film (she had played in Blood and Sand, and The Sainted Devil, and soon Cobra)...likely the Princess. She was brought to Paris for costume fitting. This being a Natacha picture, Natacha of course was designing the sets and costumes.
For the film the Valentinos collected authentic antiques, had costumes made and fitted in France, and believed they would be able to shoot in Spain. Valentino also grew a beard for his role.
Now had this gone down as planned this would definitely not have been the Sheik pleasing picture everyone was eagerly awaiting. Several buttons would have been pushed. Later this week there will be an article about Valentino and changing race in Hollywood. To summarize that the way he (and mostly June Mathis) accomplished this was by making his characters half French or half Spaniard, i.e. undeniably white to an acceptable point (hilariously this tactic was used in The Sheik, in what is literally the last minute of the film). A picture centered around Moors who are typically seen as dark skinned (not just Sheik like Arabs) and Jews would have been controversial enough. But then...Valentino's looks would have really been scandalous.
When he grew the beard the whole country was up in arms! Barbers literally said they would protest, fearing this would start a new trend and drive them out of business. Valentino was of a tanned skin complexion, and said in interviews that he was required to not be in the sun before pictures because quote, "On film I will appear as a Negro" because he tanned so darkly. How dark he intended to appear for this picture is unknown but that and the beard would have been quite something together.
June Mathis was brought into the script writing by Valentino's request about 8 weeks in. Natacha could write out the jist, but a real script writer was needed to make it perfect. Mathis accepted. What her version of the script was would be interesting as making touchy (for the day) subjects like this 'okay' was her specialty (see: Four Horsemen, Young Rajah, etc). But we'll get back to this in a second.
The Crew that would have been...
Natacha's hands were everywhere in this and it was literally her movie. At some point she had control over the script, the sets, and the costumes. However in addition to her this would have been the crew:
Valentino: The Moorish Nobleman
Nita Naldi: Likely the Moorish Princess
June Mathis: The full script
Adrian (no last name): The costumes
Jospeh Henabery: Director
Harry Fischbeck: Cinematographer
William Cameron Menzies: Set design
Filming would take place in Hollywood, at United Studios
What went wrong
When the Valentinos signed up for the Ritz Carlton contract it was made out to them that they would have full control and their every wish granted. Now Valentino might have been a bit gullible in such sessions, but considering Natacha did these negotiations what happens next is shocking. Once the two pictures for Famous Players were completed the Valentinos were horrified to find out that 1) Ritz Carlton didnt have a lot of money...so their lavish costume and set plans were out the window (including Spain) and 2) Their pictures would be distributed via Jesse Lasky who had struck up a friendship with J.D. Williams...the man they were now under contract to.
To make matters worse the Valentinos took to what you could call...pissing their time away. After they had been informed of the budget issue they took off to France for 3 months to do 'research' and costume fittings. They arrived in expensive fur coats (it was August) and Natacha brought 5 dogs with her (each cost a mere $1500). Rudy brought Kabar. They stayed at Natacha's mother's house and wiled away the days. Valentino talked of all the dreams he had (restoring a castle was one) with the 'millions and millions' he was certain he would now deceivingly make.
If pissing their time away wasn't bad enough pissing their money away was. They had been given an advance of $40,000 for the film. Natacha spent $10,000 on antique shawls she ''planned to resell at a higher mark up'' (she never quite did) alone. By the end of the trip they had spent near $100,000...and mind you all those props had to be crated and sent back to America!!!
Now in fairness they did eventually make it to Spain, and eventually research and photograph settings for the film. This is when (after seeing several old paintings of Spanish Kings) the beard idea came into being. Returning to New York the beard caused a stir, but J.D. played it up and it seems to have been slightly accepted...albeit shocking.
When the Valentinos returned from their trip is when the real trouble began. J.D. was pissed beyond belief at their spending, informing them the total budget could not exceed $500,000 (so...a 5th of it gone already) and that they would have to shoot in Hollywood not New York (they preferred New York). Oh and then that whole Famous Players thing. They were livid.
Even more livid when they were told J.D. had bought the rights to 'Cobra' a modern tale, and pretty much demanded they make it and make it fast. Valentino only agreed as long as it was 'released after The Hooded Falcon'.
Once the pair were off for Hollywood a crew was put on payroll. However this became a problem as Natacha's antics were driving everyone away (more on that in a minute). After insulting June Mathis the crew did not have a script to work with, causing delays. When a suitable script could not be done in time Valentino finally shaved the damn beard much to everyones delight. And with the shaving the filming of "Cobra" began.
Cobra Interrupted
Most of the above crew (obviously Mathis aside) joined on for Cobra, including Naldi. Natacha joined in at first, but dubbed it boring and backed out claiming to be 'too absorbed in the Hooded Falcon'. Of course she pissed a bunch of money away on a lavish supper scene before she actually quit. During filming Fischbeck and Henabery got in a fight with Fischbeck quitting. Henabery got sick during filming, and found the whole production lacking. Most everyone did as literally the cast from The Hooded Falcon was now working on Cobra, and they probably wouldn't have been chosen for those roles if they weren't already on the payroll.
The plot was silly (too much symbolism. Let me sum the whole movie up for you: Nita Naldi is a cobra. She's vampy...get it?) and reviewers PANNED it. In fact they dubbed Valentino no longer the Greatest Lover, they claimed John Gilbert had now taken that role.
So to recap for you: Valentino's last successful picture had been in 1922...and it was now almost 1925. Valentino had starred in 3 pictures during 1924: Monsieur Beaucaire, The Sainted Devil, and now Cobra...and all 3 flopped worse then the previous one. And all 3 were varyingly different (Monsieur Beaucaire being the art picture he had wanted, The Sainted Devil tried too hard to be Blood and Sand, Cobra being something he'd rather be strangled then make) but had not worked. And all 3 had Natacha's fingerprints all over them.
Natacha the Destroyer
Now...next article I'm going to give Natacha the fairest shake I can (and by that I mean go above and beyond to find something nice to say) but truly the death of "The Hooded Falcon" rests on her hands. As does Valentino's career slump. Seriously every film of his she did flopped. Why? With history on our side we can look and say before and after her he was successful, so why did the 5 films she work on almost destroy his career? Especially when they weren't all consecutive (Camille would be the only one that didn't follow the other, and in fairness there were 2 years between Young Rajah and Monsieur Beaucaire). It probably would have been 6 if "The Hooded Falcon" had ever been finished.
The Sainted Devil is now lost, and I have yet to see Cobra but the other 3 I have seen. The other 3 for surely have good stories (that honestly probably can not be said of those 2) and the acting was brilliant. However the costumes, the sets, the things Natacha did...that is (Young Rajah aside) where these films failed.
"The Hooded Falcon" period is significant because its really the turning point in her marriage and career with Rudy. Not only did she almost destroy his career but his friendships as well.
Surely when the film began their marriage was close to strain with that whole "Monsieur Beaucaire" thing. Day by day whispers about Natacha's control over him were growing and Valentino did not like it one bit. He also felt his wife was unfairly singled out, defending her several times and eventually snapping if even her name was mentioned (before any blame could be cast).
Valentino and Natacha were not suited for each other in many ways (their views on children, roles in marriage, etc) but even more dangerously is where they were compatible: spending money and living the good life. Valentino obviously has proven from his birth to his death he was capable of blowing money on the finer things without Natacha (he even did it before his move to the States, and directly after his move to the states!) So he was not innocent by any means. However together they were almost like two drug addicts: they had a passion for collecting art, antiques, and the finer things. Regardless of the cost. And thats what not only put his personal finances into trouble but his films as well. Not JUST "The Hooded Falcon". Natacha overspent on every damn film she touched...making it hard to turn a profit especially if it was going to be an arty film to begin with.
Natacha is also where is whole desire for 'arty' films came into play. Probably the most interesting thing about Valentino is unlike a lot of other actors (even from that era) he had absolutely no theatre or movie background before he began acting. He danced and that was it. Its unknown when he even seen his first film, and its likely it wasnt until his move to Paris in the late teens (he would have been in his late teens as well) if even then. His reasons for going into film are even slightly a mystery...it was mostly by chance...and probably for money as he needed it to live lavishly and not have to dance anymore.
That being said one would wonder where his 'artistic' bent came from. Even the people who knew him very early in his career (pre Natacha, pre Four Horsemen) said he was interested in all aspects of film making. But in his early films he seemed to take whatever was given to him, even when it was just a villain (as it usually was). With Four Horsemen he made a more serious picture but it had wide appeal. This 'arty' junk didnt enter until Natacha did...with Camille.
One can not hate a man for wanting to make a good film. But one also wonders had Natacha not been in the picture if he would have found more satisfying ways of film making. One could convincingly shoot an exotic picture without travelling to Europe. And if one wanted to film in Europe then one could learn to use the budget in the best possible ways. My biggest problem with Natacha's theory on art (and given she couldnt write a decent script backs this up) is that she felt it should not only overshadow the acting and the writing but choke it to death. She would have been an excellent fashion designer (which ironically she later was) but she had no use having the RUN of pictures. Too much control and too much money in crazy hands gives crazy results.
"The Hooded Falcon" was doomed over these two things right away: art and money. And she alone can not fully be to blame, but surely she was feeding Valentino's bad habits as well. Much like "Monsieur Beaucaire" one wonders if this was to be a "so there" picture in which to showcase Natacha as a valuable asset. She literally had her hands in all the pots (except acting apparently) as she had one the previous 2 Valentino films that flopped.
On both "Monsieur Beaucaire" and "The Sainted Devil" Jetta Goudal was hired on for lead roles. She dropped out of both because she constantly clashed with Natacha, whom she found bossy and a 'know it all'. Apparently she didnt care for her costumes either. Henabery was director on all 3 films (and Cobra so 4) and though Natacha and him had a mutual respect for each other he mentioned 'conflicts' as well. Natacha was coming off as cold, demanding, and domineering and it was endearing her to no one in particular. Personally sounds to me like she wanted to be Alla Nazimova...only she had a score to settle.
In addition to this she and George Ullman (Rudy's manager, the one responsible for trying to save his career and keep him out of debt) fought constantly. Valentino tried to ignore it but with the storm coming he eventually couldnt. Things became tense. Ullman was extremely upset with the control Natacha was having over Rudy's career, and encouraging his spending as well.
So once Natacha was fighting with everyone else and choking "The Hooded Falcon" to death with art what did she do? Drive the script writer away. Judging by what has been said of this picture this was the final nail in the coffin. Natacha had already put nails in the coffin (running over the budget, having too much control, etc) but this would be the final one for "The Hooded Falcon". The script delays are the reason it was constantly postponed and eventually never made.
Without seeing the script through its various incarnations its hard to say who, what, or if any of them were any good. But truly what happened next was just the pinnacle bitch move for Rambova, and still one that makes it hard for me to find any good in her: she broke Rudy's friendship with June Mathis.
June Mathis had discovered Valentino, and never been anything but the dearest friend to him. She was only 8 years older than him but she called him "My Dear Boy" and he called her "Little Mother". They were inseparable, and if it werent for June he would have never had his big break in Four Horsemen. Or Blood and Sand.
Natacha wrote the first 'script' but since she obviously had no talent in this area Valentino asked Mathis shortly after if she would pen a script for "The Hooded Falcon". She agreed even though she was extremely busy with other what Id call 'major fires' including the disastrous Ben-Hur (fuck you Charles Brabin...the same man who pulled Theda Bara out of films). According to Natacha (so...take it with a grain of salt) the crew read the script and all agreed it was not up to par and Valentino wished to use a script doctor on it.
George Ullman (Valentino's manager) was sent to deliver the news to Mathis and she was so insulted and so hurt she quit speaking to both Valentinos. It took until the divorce and shortly before Rudy's death for the two to reconcile, and they were extremely close for the little time left. So...good one Natacha.
The press for the most part agreed with me on this one, and a major Natacha backlash began. Valentino was extremely upset over this and took to trying to make things look better by granting interviews such as "Valentino is not a Hen Pecked Husband".
Interesting note on Mathis. Natacha flamed 5 Valentino films not including Hooded Falcon. June had worked on 2 of those: Camille, Young Rajah, and would have been The Hooded Falcon. However unlike Natacha, Mathis was also responsible for two of his biggest (non Sheik) films: Four Horsemen and Blood and Sand. Natacha (and Nazimova) killed Camille. But Young Rajah I cant pen on her, as her costumes were in place for once. I liked June's script for both films but I can see how Rajah would not be Farmer Joe's taste. June was never arty, she was spiritual. And maybe that was her mistep with Rajah.
After the disaster that was Cobra the Valentinos began a (by Natacha's admission) phony plea to make nice to the public and the press. They began going out to parties and events, things they rarely did and found boring. Or at least again according to Natacha. They bought a new house "Falcon Lair" named for the postponed film.
The End of the Falcon...and marriage
Then things got even MORE tense. With so much time having passed a new director was needed and Natacha wanted Alan Hale, whom J.D. found too inexpierenced. This is when it reached the point that if Natacha was even mentioned Valentino would blow up. When J.D. mentioned in a meeting Valentino would not want Hale if it werent for Natacha, Valentino threatened to basically kick his ass if ever said 'his wife's name again'.
Williams was pissed. And with that he told the press the film was on hold indefinitly. Variety ran a headline proclaiming Natacha at fault for the rift between Valentino and Williams.
By the end of it an additional $150,000 had been spent on the film, and the entire Ritz Carlton company was forced to disband as having booted Valentino they had no reason to exist.
Personally it got even worse. Natacha went to speak with George Ullman about a United Artist contract (United Artist had high interest in Valentino for years). However when she learned of the terms of the deal she wasnt so happy. Oh it sounded great: Rudy would make $10,000 a week, make 3 pictures a year, recieve a percentage of profits, have chief prominence in promotion, and pick his own co-star. Oh and Natacha would be barred from even being on set let alone taking part in his pictures.
Valentino knew he had no choice, no one was going to give him anything better and he knew what a bitch the press found Natacha (though he seemed to still not...yet...agree with it). He signed. And she threw a HISSY FIT. She basically held it against him, and they literally would fight all night. The baby thing came up, and Natacha basically mocked him because he had to wait at home until his contract was finalized, and she was still working. She took to ignoring him and forgetting major things (like his birthday), and eventually cheated on him with her cameraman. Shortly after work began on "The Eagle" she announced to the press (unexpectedly to him) they were seperating. It broke his heart. Bitch.
Oh and yes she had a cameraman: as one of the contract terms George Ullman threw her a bone and let her produce her own film called "What Price Beauty?" Its now lost but it would be hilarious if it survived. A trailer for her second film "When Love Grows Cold" survives and can be found on the Valentino Collection. In a scene where she's supposed to be lovingly with a child she looks wooden and stiff...basically it reminds me of the Wicked Witch in Snow White...
If you tell me you can't see the resemblance...you're lying. I wonder if Disney found inspiration in Natacha?
In the End
"The Hooded Falcon" was never made, and marked a major turning point for Valentino personally and professionally. He lost June and by the end of it he lost his wife. He almost lost his career, but with the loss of his wife he did gain it back (though judging by his heart break he probably would have rather had the wife). Such a sad tale.
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