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Hope this doesnt reek too much of self promotion...but it is silent news .

Both The Rudolph Valentino Film Festival and The Rudolph Valentino Society now have good lookin sites. The Society one is still under construction but its functional. As for the fest we'll be announcing the venue shortly...lets just say its like picking which ice cream you want...very hard!

http://therudolphvalentinofilmfestival.com
http://zazzle.com/rudyfest

http://rudolphvalentino.org
http://zazzle.com/rudysociety

It's somewhat amazing that Valentino has such a devoted cult following. Considering almost all of his films are "Public Domain" and most of them are in rather Cruddy Shape. Or at least the prints that are readily available are in mediocre condition. THE EAGLE was beautifully restored by Photoplay Productions, but that version is not on DVD. Neither is the Photoplay version of THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE either.

And why can't we get a nice restoration on DVD of MOUSIER BEAUCAIRE? Is this film still technically under copyright to Paramount??? Personally, I think it is among his very best surviving films. Though rarely ever seen. Didn't someone say some months ago, that the LOC had a very nice 35 Millimeter print of the picture?

Gagman 66 wrote: It's somewhat amazing that Valentino has such a devoted cult following. Considering almost all of his films are "Public Domain" and most of them are in rather Cruddy Shape. Or at least the prints that are readily available are in mediocre condition. THE EAGLE was beautifully restored by Photoplay Productions, but that version is not on DVD. Neither is the Photoplay version of THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE either.

And why can't we get a nice restoration on DVD of MOUSIER BEAUCAIRE? Is this film still technically under copyright to Paramount??? Personally, I think it is among his very best surviving films. Though rarely ever seen. Didn't someone say some months ago, that the LOC had a very nice 35 Millimeter print of the picture?

Amen and hallelujah!!! It is quite odd that so many of his films exist (about 61% which is quite high) yet so few have been restored and released. Its a given the Sheiks would make DVD but seriously why no Four Horsemen (which btw is available at the Internet Archive )? The Valentino Collection was quite nice as it had every rarity and snippet possible (including The Young Rajah)...but why not something with the rest of his films in a box set form? DVD people are you listening? Surely it would sell!

I guess I dont complain because I've seen (and loved) most of his films, still need to see Cobra and The Conquering Power though. Me thinks this is something the Society will have to look into and subsequently hound into creation...

BTW Monsieur Beaucaire is quite possibly one of the greatest movies ever. I seen it only once, about a year ago, and it made me giggle for about 5 minutes straight. He was a wonderful comedian.

Gagman 66 wrote: It's somewhat amazing that Valentino has such a devoted cult following. Considering almost all of his films are "Public Domain" and most of them are in rather Cruddy Shape. Or at least the prints that are readily available are in mediocre condition. THE EAGLE was beautifully restored by Photoplay Productions, but that version is not on DVD. Neither is the Photoplay version of THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE either.

?

This is one reason why a Valentino film festival is such a good idea. The restored 35mm print of FOUR HORSEMEN was one of the easier prints to rent, back when we performed our score in L.A. and Cleveland.

Monsieur Beauciare is still under copyright, Paramount remade the film (more or less) with Bob Hope in the mid-1940's. LOC has a fabulous print of the film.

Rodney wrote:The restored 35mm print of FOUR HORSEMEN was one of the easier prints to rent...

Do you recall the source for that print? I believe the Los Angeles Theatre Organ Society is looking for a title to show in January at the Orpheum Theatre.

The print was at MGM in Los Angeles at the time, roughly 1999. I think MGM was taken over by Warners... but I'm not certain who to talk to there any more. It's been a while.

Rodney,

Isn't FOUR HORSEMEN and THE EAGLE too for that matter, available for rent in 35 Millimeter, and with the Carl Davis scores directly from Photoplay Productions on their Website? Look under "Live Cinema" and there is should be? Or am I mistaken? I assumed these were all 35 Millimeter prints? I know they are not videos.

http://www.photoplay.co.uk/indiv film pages/ind film page Four horse.html

http://www.photoplay.co.uk/indiv film pages/ind film page Eagle.html

Gagman 66 wrote:Rodney,

Isn't FOUR HORSEMEN and THE EAGLE too for that matter, available for rent in 35 Millimeter, and with the Carl Davis scores directly from Photoplay Productions on their Website? Look under "Live Cinema" and there is should be? Or am I mistaken? I assumed these were all 35 Millimeter prints? I know they are not videos.

http://www.photoplay.co.uk/indiv film pages/ind film page Four horse.html

http://www.photoplay.co.uk/indiv film pages/ind film page Eagle.html

I'm sure they are, though of course the L.A. Theater Organ Society is not going to need the Carl Davis recorded score, since their whole point is featuring theater organs. The MGM print of 4HotA is the same as the Photoplay restoration, and for a show in L.A., I would think that shipping half-way across town would be easier than shipping half-way around the world...

If the MGM print can't be found or rented, by all means they could try the Photoplay version.

Oh Four Horsemen with a good score would be wonderful! Donna do you know who owns the Monsieur Beaucaire copyright? I've been wondering about that as it was a Ritz Carlton Picture (and Cobra is PD) but then maybe Famous Players had some claim on it.

My biggest trouble for the fest was NOT putting films in the lineup...and thankfully most are very available. I thought I had the perfect balance of Rudy films until I realized "Blood and Sand" wasnt in there (Nita Naldi's man slaves? Oh we need that!) Right now we're trying to decide between the 3 days at a certain theatre, or a month long program at another theatre. If we take the month long my problem will suddenly be a good thing

misspickford9 wrote:Oh Four Horsemen with a good score would be wonderful! Donna do you know who owns the Monsieur Beaucaire copyright? I've been wondering about that as it was a Ritz Carlton Picture (and Cobra is PD) but then maybe Famous Players had some claim on it.

Paramount still owns the Beaucaire copyright. This was a Paramount film, Ritz-Carlton did not come until after the Lasky/Paramount contract was fulfilled. Oh, and the Ritz-Carlton films were distributed by Paramount, btw.

Paramount renewed the copyright and remade the film in the 1940's, it is still under copyright as far as I know.

Well, I like THE EAGLE much better the BLOOD AND SAND, which was rather cheaply produced. And if you see the Photoplay restoration it makes a huge difference over the current Kino DVD release. The Photoplay print of THE EAGLE is a 35 Millimeter fine Grain master restored from the Original Camera Negatives. So it is almost like night and day with the old Paul Killiam print. Push to get the Photoplay version on DVD, or at least on TCM. They signed a long term contract with Photoplay late last year. Maybe there is a chance they might be able to run it.

Rudyfan,

Wow, it's wonderful that the LOC has a great print of MOUSIER BEAUCIARE. But what good does that do us collectors???

rudyfan wrote:

misspickford9 wrote:Oh Four Horsemen with a good score would be wonderful! Donna do you know who owns the Monsieur Beaucaire copyright? I've been wondering about that as it was a Ritz Carlton Picture (and Cobra is PD) but then maybe Famous Players had some claim on it.

Paramount still owns the Beaucaire copyright. This was a Paramount film, Ritz-Carlton did not come until after the Lasky/Paramount contract was fulfilled. Oh, and the Ritz-Carlton films were distributed by Paramount, btw.

Paramount renewed the copyright and remade the film in the 1940's, it is still under copyright as far as I know.

Ooooh right right. I always forget that part! Hmm yes then it would be under copyright until 2020ish probably less they renew it again. I wonder if there would be anyway to persuade them to release it (or allow someone to release it). Surely Valentino would equal some money to them...

misspickford9 wrote:Ooooh right right. I always forget that part! Hmm yes then it would be under copyright until 2020ish probably less they renew it again. I wonder if there would be anyway to persuade them to release it (or allow someone to release it). Surely Valentino would equal some money to them...

Historically Wings is a much more important film than anything Paramount produced with Valentino. They've not seen fit to release that yet, so do not bother holding your breath for Beaucaire which made them no money in 1924 and is unlikely to do so in the 21st century.

Rudyran,

Err, I was under the distinct impression that WINGS was finally forth-coming and pretty soon? Even if true, the project is shrouded almost entirely in mystery. With no advance information about who might be working on it, and what sort of music score it will contain. Just hope that it isn't the Alloy Orchestra who seem to have an In with Paramount. Oh, Boy!

Would I realize any rancor by this group by repeating "pink powderpuff, pink powderpuff, pink powderpuff" in singsong fashion whilst prancing about with wrist limp and arm cocked?
I'm just askin'.

silent-partner wrote:Would I realize any rancor by this group by repeating "pink powderpuff, pink powderpuff, pink powderpuff" in singsong fashion whilst prancing about with wrist limp and arm cocked?
I'm just askin'.

I'm sure someone would challenge you to a boxing match.

-Harold

silent-partner wrote:Would I realize any rancor by this group by repeating "pink powderpuff, pink powderpuff, pink powderpuff" in singsong fashion whilst prancing about with wrist limp and arm cocked?
I'm just askin'.

Great now we must box!

You know it was funny, while picking a name someone through that out just for giggles. I've wanted to make pink merchandise (Im girly what can I say) but I dont think Rudy would be pleased. There is a purple shirt though.

Donna I think most silent films dont make much money these days, but surely the cost to produce it for DVD would balance out with the demand...of course maybe thats wishful thinking on my part. I think what I'd like to see more so is some DVD company (Milestone, Image, Kino, whatever) getting permission to restore it and such...marketing to the right people might be worth it.

I wish it'd go all Warner on Demand. If Wild Orchid can sell DVDs Monsieur Beaucaire can too...

Gagman 66 wrote:Rudyran,

Err, I was under the distinct impression that WINGS was finally forth-coming and pretty soon? Even if true, the project is shrouded almost entirely in mystery. With no advance information about who might be working on it, and what sort of music score it will contain. Just hope that it isn't the Alloy Orchestra who seem to have an In with Paramount. Oh, Boy!

Well, I hope that it is, indeed, coming out on DVD. Fingers crossed.

misspickford9 wrote: Donna I think most silent films dont make much money these days, but surely the cost to produce it for DVD would balance out with the demand...of course maybe thats wishful thinking on my part. I think what I'd like to see more so is some DVD company (Milestone, Image, Kino, whatever) getting permission to restore it and such...marketing to the right people might be worth it.

I wish it'd go all Warner on Demand. If Wild Orchid can sell DVDs Monsieur Beaucaire can too...

Well, Flicker Alley's release of the Rudolph Valentino Collection is a good case to look at as an example. It took passion and a good deal of money to get this out on DVD. Jeff Masino is a wonderful guy, a perfectionist but you can also thank Tracy Terhune for this. Like all of his projects for Valentino, he worked with Jeff to get the films out there, he put his money where his mouth is and I believe it was not an inexpensive project. I take my hat off to him for that. To go a bit OT here, much like his book on the history of the RV memorial services over the years, Tracy paid his dues and the fees from his own pocket and got his project off the ground. Going to the memorial every year does not float my boat, but it is a unique happening every year and his book documenting it fills a niche and told a fascinating story that needed telling. I give him a lot of credit for this, a lot.

Back to Beaucaire there are rights issues and money to get a project going. I'm as big a Valentino fan as anyone, but ask Dennis at Milestone about Beyond the Rocks or David Shepard about The Sheik/Son of the Sheik releases, I would bet there is precious little in the profit column. Not that I would not love to see Beaucaire on DVD in a great print, Valentino fans are really fortunate, a good many of his films are available.

Serious question. In Flicker Alleys wonderful Valentino set one sees a tour through Falcons Lair but they never mention how many square feet the main house was. Does anyone know?
It seemed rather cozy and totally unpretentious as a dwelling.

silent-partner wrote:Serious question. In Flicker Alleys wonderful Valentino set one sees a tour through Falcons Lair but they never mention how many square feet the main house was. Does anyone know?
It seemed rather cozy and totally unpretentious as a dwelling.

Hmm, I will have to see if there is a mention in the EC on the sq footage. Having been one of the fortunate few to walk through the house prior to renovation and now demolition, you're right, it was very intimate. Not large certainly by today's standards. I liked it, it was a great house and the views were splendid.

rudyfan wrote:

misspickford9 wrote: Donna I think most silent films dont make much money these days, but surely the cost to produce it for DVD would balance out with the demand...of course maybe thats wishful thinking on my part. I think what I'd like to see more so is some DVD company (Milestone, Image, Kino, whatever) getting permission to restore it and such...marketing to the right people might be worth it.

I wish it'd go all Warner on Demand. If Wild Orchid can sell DVDs Monsieur Beaucaire can too...

Well, Flicker Alley's release of the Rudolph Valentino Collection is a good case to look at as an example. It took passion and a good deal of money to get this out on DVD. Jeff Masino is a wonderful guy, a perfectionist but you can also thank Tracy Terhune for this. Like all of his projects for Valentino, he worked with Jeff to get the films out there, he put his money where his mouth is and I believe it was not an inexpensive project. I take my hat off to him for that. To go a bit OT here, much like his book on the history of the RV memorial services over the years, Tracy paid his dues and the fees from his own pocket and got his project off the ground. Going to the memorial every year does not float my boat, but it is a unique happening every year and his book documenting it fills a niche and told a fascinating story that needed telling. I give him a lot of credit for this, a lot.

Back to Beaucaire there are rights issues and money to get a project going. I'm as big a Valentino fan as anyone, but ask Dennis at Milestone about Beyond the Rocks or David Shepard about The Sheik/Son of the Sheik releases, I would bet there is precious little in the profit column. Not that I would not love to see Beaucaire on DVD in a great print, Valentino fans are really fortunate, a good many of his films are available.

Oh definitely agreed. Any such project would need funding and passion behind it. Call me optimistic...maybe not in these dire years but in a few years such funding and profit margins will be able again. It wont be forgotten thats for sure.

PS: The Falcon Lair Stable is now for sale. Personally I'd rather have had the real house. I think its going for a few mil...

misspickford9,

Why didn't anyone tell me that the Photoplay Productions links I posted the other day were not working? Here follow these links for THE MYSTERIOUS LADY, and ORPHANS OF THE STORM, which do work, and you will also be able to read the Info on Photoplay's versions of both THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE and THE EAGLE:


http://www.photoplay.co.uk/indiv%20film ... storm.html


http://www.photoplay.co.uk/indiv%20film ... fairs.html

The new Rudolph Valentino fan site looks GREAT! I especially like the part where you guide the reader through the books that are worthwhile and the books to avoid--VERY helpful information, especially for the novices. I've wanted to post to a good Valentino site for a long time, and now that we have rudolphvalentino.org I will finally be able to do so. I have an in-depth article on Pola's movie Hi Diddle Diddle (1943) to post on the Pola site, and I will add a link to your new Rudy site when I put that up. Thanks so much for all your hard work!

All the best,