Once you realise and accept(if you can) that what is depicted in Valentino is far from what really happened then you will find a lot of enjoyment here. Ken Russell has done better with Women in Love, The Devils and The Music Lovers(also his even better composer documentaries, apart from the Richard Strauss one), it is though certainly more watchable than Lisztomania. The storytelling, told in flashback structure, is jumpy in places which makes it not always easy to follow and I agree that the characters are written flatly, they're very well played but you wish that you learnt more about them. Plus Rudolph Nureyev is a very mixed bag in the title role, he is an incredible dancer(in ballet one of the greats, his chemistry with Margot Fonteyn perhaps unparallelled) and it shows in the beautifully choreographed dance routines, the tango especially, he was also a very handsome man, his chemistry with his colleagues credible and does show some expressive acting in the dances. His dialogue delivery is another story, often very awkward-sounding and at times incomprehensible, and while charismatic and athletic his acting outside the dance routines was at times too subtle and not matching with the acting style of films from the first twenty years of the 20th century.
Leslie Caron however looks as though she was having a whale of a time and is gleefully enjoyable, while Michelle Phillips is more restrained and is touching and delightful. Felicity Kendall is also very involved and Carol Kane and Seymour Cassell delight. Ken Russell writes himself in and is thankfully nowhere near as embarrassingly bad as he was in Salome's Last Dance. The music is fitting, it captures the period beautifully and is used in a way that enhances the atmosphere yet accommodates the more dramatic elements. Visually Valentino is a gorgeous film to look at, one of Russell's most visually pleasing films. The sets and colours are lavish and the costumes, hair-styles and make-up are unmistakably 20s. The dance scenes show off Nureyev's talents really well and are intoxicating, while the sexual moments are mostly sexual but sometimes gratuitous. The script is appropriately dark-humoured and sharply biting, you cannot resist how Valentino's conflicts with different people(mainly moguls hungry for power and actresses) are depicted, even if it doesn't say a lot about the characters. Russell like his actors seems to be really enjoying himself, the film is full of his style which goes to go how much the direction shines. And thankfully his stylistic touches while not exactly restrained are not overly-excessive or distasteful, Caron's entrance at the funeral is eye-poppingly operatic, while Valentino's jail encounter, the fight sequence and the staging of the funeral are every bit as entertaining and grandly staged, managing to do so in a way that is not too overblown. In conclusion, not for people expecting a history lesson(and that is not meant to sound derogatory if it does come across that way, more as a forewarning as to what to expect) but for a well-made film that does spark at least an ounce of interest Valentino is worth a viewing. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Leslie Caron however looks as though she was having a whale of a time and is gleefully enjoyable, while Michelle Phillips is more restrained and is touching and delightful. Felicity Kendall is also very involved and Carol Kane and Seymour Cassell delight. Ken Russell writes himself in and is thankfully nowhere near as embarrassingly bad as he was in Salome's Last Dance. The music is fitting, it captures the period beautifully and is used in a way that enhances the atmosphere yet accommodates the more dramatic elements. Visually Valentino is a gorgeous film to look at, one of Russell's most visually pleasing films. The sets and colours are lavish and the costumes, hair-styles and make-up are unmistakably 20s. The dance scenes show off Nureyev's talents really well and are intoxicating, while the sexual moments are mostly sexual but sometimes gratuitous. The script is appropriately dark-humoured and sharply biting, you cannot resist how Valentino's conflicts with different people(mainly moguls hungry for power and actresses) are depicted, even if it doesn't say a lot about the characters. Russell like his actors seems to be really enjoying himself, the film is full of his style which goes to go how much the direction shines. And thankfully his stylistic touches while not exactly restrained are not overly-excessive or distasteful, Caron's entrance at the funeral is eye-poppingly operatic, while Valentino's jail encounter, the fight sequence and the staging of the funeral are every bit as entertaining and grandly staged, managing to do so in a way that is not too overblown. In conclusion, not for people expecting a history lesson(and that is not meant to sound derogatory if it does come across that way, more as a forewarning as to what to expect) but for a well-made film that does spark at least an ounce of interest Valentino is worth a viewing. 7/10 Bethany Cox