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The image depicts an interior long shot of the handsome Italian Count Rodrigo Torriani (Rudolph Valentino) as he looks at a man lying dead on the floor as two other men survey the situation. This particular set design features an Art Deco motif by William Cameron Menzies consisting of a rounded arched doorway that is reminiscent of the highly stylized Art Deco sets from Camille (with Valentino and Alla Nazimova), which were designed by Valentino's wife, Natacha Rambova. It is in fair+ to good- condition only with a vertical crease down the center; a 2 in. vertical scratch to the right of the crease in the background area; a 1 in. chip along the bottom of the right border; some light blue ink smudges and a handwritten "x" in the left border; and random signs of wear in the borders. The image quality is razor-sharp and features very nice contrast. Cobra was the first film from the production company of star Rudolph Valentino and his wife, Natacha Rambova, who had a small part. Reportedly, Rambova began to rewrite the script almost immediately after filming began, and made such a mess of it that the studio called in veteran screenwriter June Mathis to do a complete rewrite. Rambova was initially brought on to design sets and costumes but became "bored" and left to work on another project. Director Joseph Henabery later admitted that none of the cast members of this film would have been his first choices, had he been given any say in the matter. He also didn't like the script and was very sick throughout the production due to the lack of heating at the studio. Cobra; Paramount Pictures; 1925; dir: Joseph Henabery, cast: Rudolph Valentino, Nita Naldi, Casson Ferguson, Gertrude Olmstead, Hector V. Sarno, Claire de Lorez, Eileen Percy, Lillian Langdon, Henry A. Barrows, Rosa Rosanova. |