Rating: 
Summary: Special Book
Review: This is a well researched and beautifully written biography. Emily Leider has lovingly painted a portrait of a man/star whose life has been clouded in mystery. Because of her, Rudolph Valentino's complex personality, warmth, generosity, talent, and sense of humor has become known for the first time. Beautiful photographs, including his last formal portrait before his untimely death, are included. I prefer this biography to others of Valentino I have read.
Rating: 
Summary: Balanced, objective history
Review: This is a well written, well researched biography of Valentino. I came away it with the impression that Valentino was a passionate if somewhat impractical and hapless man who was often misunderstood and ungenerously treated by the American media of his day. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that is known about the man which would illuminate his personality in a direct way, so much of the sense you get of him is rather indirectly and implicitly conveyed. I really appreciated that the author did not fall into the common trap of presenting a personal theory or fantasy of Valentino as though it were established fact, choosing instead to maintain a reasonable and even-handed approach that springs from the facts rather than from her own need to see Valentino in a particular way. For example, regarding the widely circulated notions that Valentino was "really" homosexual: Rudy here comes off as a distinctly heterosexual man whose Italian style of sensuousness led some Americans to interpret him as effeminate or to imagine him as homosexual. This author's depiction seems to be the most reasonable and likely given the complete absence of any actual historical data that points toward homosexuality.
Rating:
Summary: What a celebrity biography should be
Review: This is everything a good celebrity biography should be--scholarly, thoroughly researched, entertaining, insightful, giving detailed profiles of people who were very important in the star's life instead of just focusing on the subject himself, and giving off the genuine feel that the writer really has respect for her subject. Too many celebrity biographies, sadly, are little more than tabloids, reporting every bit of gossip as undisputed fact, even if there's zero evidence, repeating the same old unverified or exaggerated anecdotes, and giving credence to misinformation provided by questionable sources, many of whom have some sort of agenda. Ms. Leider's book is nothing like the type of sleaze churned out by people such as Geoffrey Giuliano and the late Albert Goldman. It's easy to fall into a trap of writing a sensationalised account when you're dealing with a star about whom there's been so much misinformation, gossip, and outright slander for so many decades, but she rises above that and reports only the truth (though of course people who have long cherished and believed in said gossip aren't going to be too happy their longtime fantasies are discredited).
There were a couple of tidbits in this book I found to be a little too much information, but even those things were presented in a tasteful and respectful way, not just put in there to be to shocking or sensational. There were also a lot of great pictures, and a LOT of sources listed in the back to go to for additional information (books, magazine articles, websites, etc.). Having heard that this book was very positively and heartily endorsed at the annual memorial service on Valentino's Jarhzeit (death anniversary), I was sold on reading it. And since this book has been written, happily, 'Beyond the Rocks' is no longer a lost film as it's reported in these pages. It's the perfect combination of scholarly research, lively storytelling, and genuine respect and love for the biographer's subject.
Rating:
Summary: Biography the way biographies should be written.
Review: This is one of those well written biographies of the present day that captures my attention like few others: a well researched, well investigated study of a life that was encompassed with scores of urban myths and mock-biographies. Emily Leider does an excellent job both desconstructing the myths surrounding Rudolph Valentino's life, and explaining just how calculated many of the legends and misrepresentations were.It's shocking, even in this day and age of papparazzis and tabloids, to read about the publicity machines involved in the silent stars. We read not only about the energetic fans and jealous critics of Valentino's celebrity, but the obsession his own employers had with controlling his public behavior to the point of sending private detectives to spy in on his every move. Ms. Leider did well in portraying Valentino as a real human being rather than a man defined by his alluring mystique. She clearly illustrates the labor, the strokes of luck, the blunders, and often the tedium involved in Rudolph Valentino's climb to stardom. While many have seen Valentino the Lover, we read about the years he spent barely making a living as a dancer; the numerous bit roles and stereotypical "exploitive foreigner" roles he had to play; his naivete, along with the insecurity and heartbreak he experienced with Jean Acker and Natacha Rambova, all the while being known as the ultimate Casanova. Rudolph Valentino's real life was legitimately fascinating without having to exaggerate his ups and downs. While it can be said he had much enjoyment and adventures few got to experience, it is difficult to read how many of his tragedies come about by close friends (and even his first wife Jean Acker) who use his celebrity for their own gains. Particularly appalling is the account of a friend who, after Valentino's death, exploits the auctioning of his estate's items. The rumors of Valentino's marriage to Natacha Rambova as being "a marriage of convenience" are cleared up too. There were several sources and write-ups throughout the years citing both parties as gay, and the marriage as being a cover up. While Ms. Leider does say it is likely both were bisexual, their love and passion for each other was very real. She also illustrates how their working too closely in the same business strained, and eventually destroyed, their marriage. If there is one criticism I would zero in on, it is the frequent over-analysis of Rudolph Valentino's films. This is not to say that the stories and motivations behind the films are not interesting, and much of it is key to the story of Rudolph Valentino himself; there is just a bit too much space devoted to the many intricate details of the films' plots and backstories. If you want a biography that deifies its subject, this is not the book for you. This book shows us the complexeties of the Rudolph Valentino who at times was quite naive, but also aware of how superficial and misleading fame could be. Emily Leider did such an excellent job showing us the three-dimensional Rudolph Valentino, that I'm going to begin reading her biography of Mae West very soon.
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