Natacha Rambova - Role in Valentino's Career

Role in Valentino's Career

After they moved in together the pair devised a plan to sell Valentino's autograph for 25 cents. It kept them afloat between paychecks. Valentino signed with Famous Players-Lasky in 1921. Before their marriage a public controversy over pictures Rambova had taken of Valentino, dressed up as a faun or pan-like God. The pictures had been taken by Rambova as part of a series of faun pictures for a magazine called Shadowland, that featured art and dancer photos. The pictures were damaging to Valentino's image, and also were seen as evidence that he was carrying on with Rambova during his divorce from Acker.

As the bigamy scandal raged on, Rambova began work on costumes for Valentino's next picture, The Young Rajah. The film contained Indian themes and Rambova's costumes were elaborate representations of such. Valentino complained that his separation from Rambova distracted his acting, causing a sub-par performance. He complained to Rambova that everything from the sets to the cast was cheap. The film flopped and was one of the first major flops of Valentino's leading man career.

Outraged over the bigamy trial and the way his wife was treated, Valentino declared a one man strike against his studio with Rambova's support. Valentino also claimed he wasn't making what he was worth, and that artistic control over his films lay at the heart of the matter. Famous Players sued and won an injunction barring Valentino from seeking any form of employment. This was later reduced to employment in pictures. Rambova stated she was not worried, and could keep them afloat with her designs. She mentioned offers of being an actress herself though she had yet to appear as anything more than an extra in film.

Eventually Valentino hired a new manager, George Ullman. At first Rambova worked well with him, but the two eventually clashed. Ullman presented the idea of having Valentino promote Mineralava Beauty Products. He then suggested Valentino and Rambova partake in a dance tour to help the promotion and keep Valentino's name in the spotlight. The pair agreed and the tour was a major success. Rambova was credited under her legal name Winifred Hudnut. During a stop in her hometown, Salt Lake City, promotion for the tour tried to play her up as the local girl returning home, "The Little Pigtailed Shaughnessy Girl". Rambova was angry and erupted in tears.

Once the tour wrapped up, Valentino and Rambova legally married and the press praised Rambova for her "business sense". By 1924 Rambova had negotiated a contracted with J.D. Williams for Valentino to sign with Ritz Carlton Pictures. The deal would require two films to fulfill his obligations to Famous Players, and then four films that he and Rambova could make as they pleased at Ritz Carlton. Rambova would be seen as his artistic collaborator for the first time. By this point in Valentino's career the press began to blame Rambova for his missteps, claiming she was controlling and power hungry. She had become her husband's prime business advisor, because she took charge, he trusted her, and he felt with her English she could understand legal terms better than he could.

Valentino's comeback film was Monsieur Beaucaire about a 17th century Duke. Rambova was the costume designer and art director on the film. Famous Players was sure the film would be a hit, being Valentino's first screen appearance in two years. They were given a huge budget, with Rambova spending $215,000 on costumes alone. Rambova also managed to upset a journalist and publicist Harry Reichenbach. When the journalist came to interview Valentino, he was told he could speak with "Mrs. Valentino" instead; furious he left without taking an interview and his article was cancelled. Reichenbach was furious and publicly aired his grievances. Rambova claimed that Famous Players made them choose the film. Actually the Valentinos were offered a choice between Monsieur Beaucaire and a sea adventure. Monsieur Beaucaire flopped, and most of the blame went to Rambova. Jesse Lasky held her personally responsible saying, "...she insisted on Valentino doing perfumed parts like Monsieur Beaucaire in powdered wigs and silk stockings. We had to take him on her terms to have him at all."

The Valentinos began work on their next picture, A Sainted Devil, which would follow in Valentino's early Latin lover styled roles. Rambova took control of the production, especially the costumes and the casting. Although Joseph Henabery was the official director, Rambova took over this role unofficially. The costumes were again lavish and Rambova brought on two designers who would go on to successful careers: Norman Norell, and Adrian (who would design for The Wizard of Oz). A Sainted Devil flopped, this time damaging Valentino's career to the point where reviewers dubbed he had lost his great lover title to John Gilbert. Rambova blamed the story, which she claimed had a war element when they originally agreed to make the picture; but the studio removed it fearing it would offend European audiences. The film is now lost.

The Valentinos began work on what they now saw as their chance at a real picture, The Hooded Falcon. Rambova wrote the initial scenario and it was again to be her production. Valentino visited June Mathis and asked her to write the full script, to which she agreed. However the project would be plagued with problems from the beginning. They learned their Ritz Carlton pictures would be distributed via Famous Players-Lasky. Ritz Carlton also did not have much financing, crushing their dreams of filming on location in Spain. To work around this they traveled to first France then Spain in search of costumes and scene ideas. They had a $40,000 budget for costumes and props, yet spent $100,000. The picture had a total budget of $500,000, half of which would be used before the film was finally shelved all together.

During production for The Hooded Falcon, Rambova clashed frequently with Valentino's friends. Rambova and George Ullman were in a battle for control of Valentino's career. Rambova, alongside Valentino and Henabery, decided Mathis' script for The Hooded Falcon would not do and that a script doctor should be used. When Ullman informed Mathis of the decision, Mathis quit speaking to both Rambova and Valentino, ending their long friendship. Valentino and Rambova tried to fight back, by granting interviews claiming that 'Valentino is not a Henpecked Husband'.

With The Hooded Falcon on hold, Williams insisted Valentino began work on Cobra which took place in a modern setting. Most of the crew from The Hooded Falcon worked on Cobra as well. Rambova only took part in two scenes before leaving the film claiming modern stories bored her. In the short time she worked on the film she managed to clash with Mario Carillo and other actors as well. Cobra flopped and Valentino's popularity and career were both in jeopardy. After a final fight between Williams and Valentino over Rambova, Williams announced to the press that The Hooded Falcon would be postponed indefinitely, and Valentino's contract terminated. With the knowledge United Artists would likely be signing Valentino, Rambova went to speak with Ullman about the contract terms. Valentino was finally offered a decent contract, but one of the stipulations was that Rambova would not be allowed on set or any part in his films. Knowing he did not have a choice, Valentino took the offer.