Valentino

Thousands of fans mob local mourners as the wake for Valentino unfolds in New York City. After the funeral home regains order, a procession of important women begin to mourn him, each framing him through their own memory. The ceremony sets up a sequence of flashbacks that reveal different chapters of his life.

Bianca, once a taxi dancer and gigolo under Billie Streeter, remembers her first meeting with Valentino in New York. He shares his dream of owning an orange grove in California, fueling his westward move after a robbery by mobsters. She also recalls an unforgettable day when he danced with Vaslav Nijinsky, teaching him the tango.

June Mathis first meets Valentino in California and nudges him toward acting after a brief, provocative moment with Fatty Arbuckle and Jean Acker. Acker's glamorous life sparks Valentino's interest in film, and Mathis remembers spotting him in a small part and pushing for a larger role. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse becomes his breakout hit in 1921, cementing his stardom, a discovery Mathis proudly claims.

Nazimova makes a dramatic entrance at Valentino's funeral and seizes the cameras with a bold, public claim of a relationship with him. She recalls working on Camille with Valentino, adding a theatrical layer to the memorial. The moment foregrounds the mythic aura surrounding his life and career.

Natacha Rambova enters with Nazimova's confidants and tells reporters they remain close in spirit, setting up a past romance. A flashback reveals Rambova's early role as Nazimova's lover and her seduction of Valentino during The Sheik, including a seven veils dance. The couple then plan to marry in Mexico, a plan that unsettles Valentino and foreshadows later trouble.

Returning to the United States, Valentino faces arrest for bigamy and is left to languish in jail while Jesse Lasky refuses to pay his bail. The guards taunt him about his masculinity, subjecting him to a demeaning, public humiliation that underscores the vulnerabilities behind his public image. The incident sows deeper strains in his personal life.

On the set of Monsieur Beaucaire, Rambova and Sidney Olcott take over directing while mischief about a pink powder puff targets Valentino. Rambova demands accountability and threatens to walk off the set if her demands aren't met. Valentino finishes the film, but Lasky suspends Rambova and him, leaving them financially stranded before a new opportunity arises.

George Melford helps arrange personal appearances for Mineralava, turning the tour into a public success. The engagement renews their leverage against Paramount as they negotiate favorable terms with Lasky. The touring circuit reestablishes Valentino's control over his image and earnings.

A newspaper questions Valentino's manhood, triggering a bold challenge to a duel. The duel is staged as a boxing match with Rory O'Neil standing in for the reporter, while flashbacks to his Nijinsky-inspired dance provide a ballet-like rhythm to the fight. Valentino ultimately lands a decisive blow, heightening the sense of his fragile masculinity under public scrutiny.

Although Valentino wins the boxing bout, the exertion triggers signs of an ulcer that had been growing during his career. The fight scene echoes the Nijinsky memory, underscoring how his life and art intertwine with his physical ailment. The illness marks the first serious decline in his health.

A rematch with O'Neil follows a brutal drinking contest that Valentino accepts despite his ulcer. He defeats his opponent again, but the strain worsens the ulcer and sets the stage for a fatal rupture. He returns home, unaware that this night will end with his life.

The ulcer perforates and Valentino collapses, crawling on the floor in a final, tragic moment. He dies before help can arrive, unable to reach the orange toy he had playfully dropped. The orange becomes a poignant symbol as the memory of his life closes in around him.