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Valentino

Valentino

In life he was a movie star, in death he became a legend.

1977128 minRMidcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Director
Ken Russell
Starring
Rudolf Nureyev, Leslie Caron, Michelle Phillips, Carol Kane

The untimely death of silent screen star Rudolph Valentino prompts the many women in his past to reminisce about his troubled rise to superstardom.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Valentino?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Valentino streaming on MGM+ via The Roku Channel and Tubi (free).

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Valentino?

Valentino earns 5 badges, led by Visual feast and Bittersweet.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office

Reception

Is Valentino worth watching?

Valentino's Midcredits score is the 50th percentile of all films, from 5.5K ratings across 4 sources. 44% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

50th percentile

Better received than 50% of films

25th percentile among Biography50th percentile among 1970s
Acclaim (how much people like it)56th
Approval (how many liked it)44th

63 /100

56th percentile of all films

33rd percentile among Biography54th percentile among 1970s

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.2 — solid but not unanimous.

44% liked it

44th percentile of all films

18th percentile among Biography45th percentile among 1970s
44% rated it 7–1056% rated it 1–6

Critics 46% · Audience 39%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 0 wins / 3 noms overall

  • NominatedBAFTA Awards· Best Cinematography
  • NominatedBAFTA Awards· Best Costume Design

75th percentile

5.5K ratings across platforms

54th percentile among Biography79th percentile among 1970s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 34% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$5M

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is a lavishly produced, over-the-top carnival of 1920s Hollywood excess that prioritizes style over accuracy.

Fans praised

  • visually lush period recreation with spectacular sets and costumes
  • compelling dance sequences showcasing Nureyev's grace
  • darkly satirical take on Hollywood and media exploitation

Detractors panned

  • miscast lead with inexpressive acting and incomprehensible dialogue
  • mean-spirited caricature that distorts Valentino's life
  • messy script lacking coherence and narrative depth

What stands out

Cinematography82

gorgeous, richly colored visuals; opulent sets and meticulous 1920s atmosphere

Atmosphere78

vividly evokes 1920s Hollywood glamour and hysteria through design and tone

Effects and spectacle70

grand funeral, fight sequences, and carnivalesque set pieces; theatrical and large-scale

OriginalityDivisive60

Russell's typically outrageous, operatic style seen as fresh or as self-indulgent excess

ActingDivisive42

Nureyev praised for physicality and dance, panned for line delivery and emotional range; supporting cast like Caron called hammy

CharactersDivisive30

flat and cartoonish character writing; Valentino portrayed as passive pawn, lacking depth

Plot and storyDivisive30

jumpy flashback structure; loose narrative with scant factual grounding

Dialogue25

Nureyev's accent heavy and often unclear; dialogue described as stilted and exposition-heavy

Preferred by

US vs non-US

Preferred by Non-US Viewers

Non-US viewers scored it 12 points higher than US viewers.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Critics vs users 4 points apart

Watch experience

What is Valentino like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Funny and bittersweet: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want to laugh and feel something too.

It is intense, swings between moods and leaves you bittersweet.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Nothing out of the ordinary.

What it feels like

Funny and bittersweet.

Moods
AbsurdMelancholic
Heaviest: late
Satirical humor
Register
Campy · 4% of filmsSatirical · 5% of films
Told as
Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.Frame story · 5% of films: A story told inside another — someone is recounting it.
ToneRussell plays the story with an exaggerated, campy style, mixing dark humor and opulent visuals to create a sardonic portrait of Hollywood.
The rideThe film shifts between campy, over-the-top scenes and the underlying tragedy of Valentino's exploitation and early death, with the heaviest emotional weight in the final act surrounding his death.
StructureThe narrative opens at Valentino's funeral and then flashes back through his life via the recollections of those attending.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: BittersweetThought-provoking
Why it leaves you this wayThe mix of camp and tragedy leaves one simultaneously amused and sad, with lingering questions about fame and exploitation.
How it ends · evidence
Tragic ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 22% of films: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThe film is a biographical drama structured as a series of flashbacks from Valentino's funeral, depicting his rise, scandals, and death without a single classical plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% (this title) · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% (this title) · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Identity · 14% of filmsFame · 3% of filmsPrejudice · 3% of films
Satirizes its theme: Attacks its theme through ridicule.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores Valentino's struggle between his private self and the public persona that the studio, media, and fans constructed.
StanceRussell uses camp and satire to attack the Hollywood machine that exploited Valentino's image and the media that hounded him.

The world

Early 20th centuryUrbanStylized realism
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · Stanley Black
Setting1920s Hollywood and the silent film industry
MusicScore by Stanley Black, with period-appropriate orchestral arrangements.

Content guide

Is Valentino okay for kids?

R

Valentino is rated R. As of October 2, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (52/100), sexual content at intense (67/100), language at mild (33/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (67/100) and frightening material at moderate (39/100). Its violence, language, drug and alcohol content and frightening material have too few votes to rank.

Overall
Moderate · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (9 votes)
Sex & Nudity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 84%
Profanity
Mild
too few votes to rank (6 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (6 votes)
Frightening / Intense
Moderate
too few votes to rank (6 votes)

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Too few votes to rank this title overall (70 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Valentino have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Valentino?

Cast

Rudolf Nureyev
as Rudolph Valentino
Leslie Caron
as Nazimova
Michelle Phillips
as Natasha Rambova
Carol Kane
as Fatty's Girl
Felicity Kendal
as June Mathis
Seymour Cassel
as George Ullman
Peter Vaughan
as Rory O'Neil
Huntz Hall
as Jesse Lasky
David de Keyser
as Joseph Schenck
Alfred Marks
as Richard Rowland

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Valentino?

Movies like Valentino include Crimes of Passion (1984), The Bling Ring (2013) and Babylon (2022). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films by Ken Russell, and most are films set in the 1920s.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Valentino?

4.5K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: satire or spoof. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.