Beyond The Rocks (1922)
Directed By: Sam Wood
Starring: Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson
Length: 81 min
This film had been lost until April 2003 when a copy was found in a private collection in the Netherlands.
This romance was based on a 1906 novel written by Elinor Glyn.
The plot has become a well known storyline to me. A poor, attractive girl named Theodora (Gloria Swanson) marries a wealthy man. She does it not out of love, but to help her sick father. He can not afford medical attention, but with the rich man's money, she can help her dad. She basically gets forced into the marriage by her greedy sisters.
On the honeymoon, however, she meets Lord Hector Bracondale (Rudolph Valentino). They fall in love, but do not allow the relationship to flourish. As time goes on, they can not help it. They must see each other, but know it is wrong.
And that's essentially the film. Scene after scene of them being together, but knowing they shouldn't. It was, to me, in a word: boring. Seriously, it was just flat out boring. I usually don't go for romances, but this movie was just a constant flow of scenes where they get close, pull away, get close, pull away, get close, pull away....enough already.
At least it was short...
Entertainment Rating: 2/10
Historical Rating: 5/10