First, this is a meeting between two 20's personalities, not 30's. Secondly, Valentino would have never have admitted he was a homosexual, because that was the very thing he went to see Mencken about, and, contrary to what people may want to believe, he was heterosexual. The rumor about him being homosexual came from a film, and the costume he wore, in which he was called a pink powder puff. Valentino, being from Italy, had that machismo, and was deeply offended and crushed by the newspaper article that described him as less than a he-man, although, he wasn't much of a he-man. More Importantly, American men were threatened by Valentino because American woman were in love with his image, and men were jealous. Douglas Fairbanks was very rude to Valentino: couldn't stand him. There was a lot of rivalry. Valentino himself was awed by his power, liked it, but was ambivalent about it. I don't think Mencken was exactly correct.
There are a couple of reviews that are noteworthy about this film, but please avoid these two, obviously written by two people who didn't understand what they were watching.
There are a couple of reviews that are noteworthy about this film, but please avoid these two, obviously written by two people who didn't understand what they were watching.