Rudolph Valentino

A wanted Russian lieutenant becomes a masked vigilante seeking vengeance upon the man who stole his family's land, only to fall for his charming daughter. Vladimir Dubrouvsky, a lieutenant in the Russian army, catches the eye of Czarina Catherine II. He spurns her advances and flees, and she puts out a warrant for his arrest, dead or alive. Vladimir learns that his father's lands have been taken by the evil Kyrilla Troekouroff, and his father dies. He dons a black mask, and becomes the outlaw The Black Eagle. He enters the Troekouroff household disguised as a French instructor for Kyrilla's daughter Mascha. He is after vengeance, but instead falls in love with Mascha. —John Oswalt <jao@jao.com> When the horses of a coach with two ladies speed after a shot, the Czarina Catherine II sees the young Lieutenant Vladimir Dubrovsky rescuing the ladies. She invites Dubrovsky to have dinner with her, but he is sexually harassed by the czarina and flees from the palace. He receives a letter from his father telling that he had been evicted from his lands by the corrupt Kyrilla Troekouroff. Meanwhile the czarina issues an arrest warrant authorizing the arrest of Dubrovsky dead or alive. Dubrovsky heads to his home town, but his father dies and he promises revenge against Kyrilla. He wears a mask and is called "The Black Eagle", and leads a group of unsatisfied men to fight against Kyrilla, stealing from the riches to deliver to the poor. However, when he meets Kyrilla's daughter Miss Mascha Troekouroff, Dubrovsky falls in love with her. Dubrovsky needs to rethink and choose between "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" and his love for Mascha. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil After a dashing young Lieutenant in Czarina Catherine's Imperial Guard catches her eye, he is invited to join her for dinner. Vladimir Dubrovsky is honored by her invitation but when he rejects her advances, she accuses him of desertion and he goes on the run. He soon learns however that his father has lost the family estate to the crooked Kyrilla Troekouroff. Vladimir returns to home and takes on the persona of the Black Eagle, who protects the poor and the innocent. He also swears vengeance on Kyrilla and his entire family though he has fallen in love with Kyrilla's daughter Mascha. —garykmcd

A toreador's (Rudolph Valentino) familial and social life is threatened when he has an affair. Juan (Rudolph Valentino) is the son of a poor widow in Seville. Against his mother's wishes he pursues a career as toreador. He rapidly gains national prominence, and takes his childhood sweetheart Carmen (Lila Lee) as his bride. He meets the Marquis' daughter Dona Sol (Nita Naldi), and finds himself in the awkward position of being in love with two women, which threatens the stability of his family and his position in society. He finds interesting parallels in the life of the infamous bandit Plumitas (Walter Long) when they eventually meet by chance. —Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

A young woman marries an older millionaire and then falls in love with a handsome nobleman on her honeymoon. Love, duty, and the scent of narcissus. Theodora, a penniless young aristocrat, marries a much-older man, self-made millionaire grocer Josiah Brown, so that her father and spinster sisters can live comfortably. Soon after the wedding, she finds herself falling in love with Hector, the 10th Earl of Bracondale, a playboy she encounters on the social circuit of the very rich--in the Swiss Alps, Paris, London, and the English countryside. Hector is attracted to her as well. Theodora must choose between love and duty, then Josiah and Hector must make their own choices. —<jhailey@hotmail.com>