Stolen Moments (1920 film)
| Stolen Moments | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James Vincent |
| Produced by | Jeffery Masino Tracy Ryan Terhune |
| Written by | H. Thompson Rich Richard Hall |
| Starring |
Marguerite Namara Rudolph Valentino |
| Music by | Jon Mirsalis |
| Distributed by | Pioneer Film Corporation |
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Release date
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Running time
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Six reels (original; now lost) 35 minutes (1922 re-release; surviving) |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent movie English intertitles |
Stolen Moments (1920) is a silent film starring Marguerite Namara with Rudolph Valentino playing a villain, the last film in which he played one. It was released in December 1920, just a few months before Valentino was elevated to stardom by his performance in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (released 6 March 1921). In fact, filming of Stolen Moments was expedited so that Valentino could make it to Hollywood before filming began on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Stolen Moments was filmed in St. Augustine, Florida and Savannah, Georgia, by American Cinema Corporation.
In its initial release in 1920, Stolen Moments was a six-reel feature vehicle for Marguerite Namara, a successful opera singer at the time. In November 1922, it was edited to a three-reel feature that emphasized Valentino's character and re-released by Select Pictures Corporation to capitalize on his stardom. The three-reel edit is the only version of the film known to exist today. The US television premiere of the shorter version was on Turner Classic Movies on 22 May 2006.
Valentino plays José Dalmarez, a Brazilian author who is also popular with readers in the United States.
In the opening scene, young Vera Blaine (Marguerite Namara) is walking through a park in Florida when she encounters Dalmarez. He gives her his photo, the back of which has a love poem. Enchanted, Vera later gives José a book that's similarly inscribed. José tells her he has to return to Brazil and invites her to accompany him. Excitedly, Vera reveals that she'll take her mother's wedding ring for the ceremony, but José clarifies that he was only inviting her to be his travel companion, not his wife.
Dalmarez proceeds to Brazil without Vera. In Brazil, he woos Inez Salles (Aileen Pringle, billed as Aileen Savage), the young daughter of a government official. Inez's protective brother, Alvarez, spies José and Inez kissing on a park bench; a fight ensues between the two men.
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