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When Heath Ledger died so unexpected I came to think of some of all the other young men in films who died premature deaths. Rudolph Valentino died in 1926 at 31 years and the whole world went berserk. That is that part of the world that consists of women with an eye for the latino charm. The rest talked of hysteria over an undersized Italian of an ambiguous sexuality.
To treat Rudolph like that was close to sacrilege as the fans would vouch. I should say that even today some part of the allure is valid. His special masculine assertiveness combined with tenderness, which is not without its points even in our times, may have more fans than should be expected.
Someone like e.g. River Phoenix died when his life should have taken off to new heights. The same goes for James Dean. Some fans didn't even believe that he was dead because how could anyone that vigorous, that talented and that blessed by gods for looks and aura die? When I see him today, I don't feel that he could have survived Hollywood for long, but that may be because I confuse him with his three roles as the prototype of the unhappy, young man of his times. Was he really that vulnerable?
Many rumours told the story of several sexual stigmas that never left him, not even when he was out with the presumed love of his life, Pier Angeli. That affair was a lie, I suppose, but that was only part of it. He was reputed to be a tortured soul, but so were the characters he played: it was his image and perhaps also the truth, or part of the truth.
Two other young men who were lost were the wonderfully handsome Marlon Brando and Elvis Presley, who both lost to the scales. To think of the animal beauty of the characters of Marlon Brando's first movies and what he became is like watching a commercial for slim products, only he never used them, but disappeared - was gorged up - by fat. Orson Welles knew how to use his bulk, but Marlon Brando wasn't that fortunate.
More: http://www.hsengine.com/s?w=rudolph+valentino
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