Cobra

As is true with silent films generally, there's a strong attention to visual presentation in 'Cobra.' Filming locations, set decoration, and costume design are fetching. For lack of sound and verbal dialogue, actors employ exaggerated facial expression and body language to convey emotion and communication, and to carry the film generally. I don't find the performances here especially remarkable, yet the cast ably realizes their parts with gratifying nuance. This particularly goes for stars Rudolph Valentino and Nita Naldi, both bearing just enough force of personality to liven the feature.

That small extra measure of vigor seems necessary. The narrative as it is written feels whole, yet in a feature of only 70 minutes, there's a fair deal of largely superfluous exposition in the first 20 minutes. Otherwise, too, 'Cobra' takes a while to go anywhere. Elements are introduced into the story to illustrate the character of the primary roles, yet these scenes almost distract from the plot more than add to it. What we get is a core dressed up with unneeded excess, and as a result the film as a whole feels underwhelming.

'Cobra' is hardly outright bad; I don't dislike it. But Anthony Coldeway's screenplay would have benefitted from more attention to the chief characters and the dynamics between them. This would also have bolstered the presence of Valentino and Naldi. Beyond that, it's worth pointing out the stereotypical disparity between how characters coded as male and female are treated when both demonstrate like patterns of behavior. Somehow the tale always ends more favorably for one than the other, and only one guess is needed as to which.

For all its imperfections, this is enjoyable. Still, in both Valentino's list of credits specifically, and throughout the era of silent films generally, other pictures were made that were definitely more solid and consistent. There's sufficient merit to 'Cobra' that it's a worthy view if you come across it, just keeping in mind that it's not the cream of the crop.

COBRA (Paramount, 1925), a Ritz-Carlton presentation directed by Joseph Henabery, offers an odd or misleading title to a love triangle starring the legendary Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) in one of his final screen performances. With its opening credits super imposed over that of a cobra, one would expect this product to be set somewhere in Burma where hunters fall victim to a dangerous and largest of all venomous snakes. The cobra in this case is a symbol, categorized later in the story to be one of the female characters depicted through a close up of a bronze sculptured cobra mesmerizing a tiger. Nita Naldi assumes the role of the temptress symbolizing the cobra while Valentino, the tiger, becoming its prey, and reciting these words, "You are infamous - you are poisonous, like a cobra!"

"There are times when friendship becomes the most important thing in a man's life, stronger than love, equal to any sacrifice -- even that of love itself," marks the first inter-title as the plot begins amusingly on the terrace of Cafe Del Mare as Victor Manardi (Hector V. Sarno) arrives looking for Rodrigo Torriani (Rudolph Valentino), a young Italian count who's been romancing his daughter, Rosa (Claire De Lorenz). Wanting to settle an account with him, he mistakes the visiting American, John "Jack" Dorning (Casson Ferguson), for the count. The disruption has Rodrigo entering the scene posing as an Italian interpreter, proving Dorning to be whom he is and not Torriani. Torriani then takes Jack with him to his debt-ridden palace where he tells of his life story and family history. Because his playboy lifestyle finds him with female complications, Jack helps him to forget women by inviting him to sail with him to New York where he's to become his partner at his antique shop, Dorning & Sonm which he readily accepts. Believing New York a great place to avoid female troubles, Rodrigo soon encounters Mrs. Huntington Palmer (Lillian Leighton), a dowager, who introduces him to her niece, Elise Van Zile (Nita Naldi), a fortune hunter. Learning Rodrigo to be penniless, Elise soon turns her affections towards Jack. Though Jack is loved by Mary Drake (Gertrude Olmstead), his loyal secretary, he marries the flirtatious vamp who, in turn, uses Rodrigo as her lover on the side. Arranging a secret rendezvous at the Van Cleve Hotel, Room 1002, Rodrigo, due to his loyalty towards Jack, rejects Elise's advances and leaves. The next day Rodrigo reads in the newspaper the startling news of the hotel burning down, claiming Elise and an unidentified man as victims. Guilt-stricken, Rodrigo is torn between telling Jack the truth about his unfaithful wife or keeping her illicit affairs a secret.

Seldom revived Valentino melodrama, COBRA has turned up on cable television's Nostalgia Channel as part of its Saturday night line-up of "When Silents Were Golden." In its March 19, 1994, broadcast, COBRA consisted of a print with piano sound score composed by Bob Mizzell (Copyright 1979 by Big Eopper Music/Mizzell Films). While it was commendable for Nostalgia Television's dedication to rare and hard to find feature films from the silent screen era, the series was regrettably handicapped by frequent and long-winded commercial breaks. Other video or DVD distributors as Kino Video and/Or Grapevine Video featured different scoring and time frames (70 to 75 minutes) while Image Home Entertainment contains average orchestral score by David Shepard (1998).

Not quite an important film in a sense of greatness, COBRA still owes some of its modest degree to the short-lived leading man status of Rudolph Valentino. Nita Naldi might be another reason for her title-influenced characterization. Naldi, who vamped Valentino most famously in BLOOD AND SAND (Paramount, 1922), does the same here, but not so memorably this time around. Her career as a silent screen vamp would soon come to a close before the end the decade. Cemented into his image as a great lover, COBRA offers Valentino one of his few chances to enact a portrayal true to his Italian origin as well as appearing in a product in contemporary setting as opposed to others taken from another time or place. Often categorized as a disappointing Valentino melodrama, it somehow works on a level of choice, whether accepting COBRA for what it is or simply laugh at its outdated acting style and material. Casson Ferguson (1891-1929), a name nobody knows, who, like Valentino, succumbed too early in life, dying from pneumonia four years after the release of COBRA. Ferguson's role of an American business owner who hires the Italian count to be the expert on Italian antiques is acceptable but forgettable in its final result. Gertrude Olmstead (1987-1975) gives an commendable performance as the secretary who comes to a decision which man she truly wants. Also featured in the cast are Eileen Percy (Sophie Binner, the blackmailer, "Believe it or not, she's a lady"); Henry Barrows (Henry Madison, Manager of Dorning & Son); and Rosa Rosanova playing Marie.

While the COBRA title had been used a couple of times subsequently, the basis from this story were never remade, not even as the 1986 action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone. For this 1925 edition, no cobras here, just fine actors doing what they do best, rising above an average story scripted by Anthony Coldeway, adapted from the Martin Brown play, some venom by Nita Naldi, the presence of Rudolph Valentino and the films for which he appeared that have survived through the passage of time. (**)

I had some doubts when I first watching "Cobra" as I seem to recall long ago, a negative reaction to watching one of Valentino's movies. But hey, guess what, despite some odd things, I actually liked it!

Valentino plays Rodrigo, a sex obsessed man who's actually had it up to HERE with women coming on to him all the time (and vice versa!) he meets up with a antiques dealer from the US who persuades to come work for him. Believe me, I could actually predict what was going to happen a mile away.

Anyways, Valentino plunges into his work, ignoring every woman that comes his way. When his antiques partner marries a woman that was trying to woo Valentino, (which is surpising in itself, as it looked for a while that he was appearing to be an "unwritten gay character" the woman keeps trying, even trying to woo Valentino up to a hotel room. From this point, things take a laughably unpredictable turn (you don't see it coming) which leads us to the sad ending. Awww.

The acting here is good for the period, but tends to rely on, as it always does with silent dramas, with too many people looking glum, and looking off to the side. (you know what I mean). Valentino is quite good in this actually. Worth a look.

While Valentino is good and the parts where he satirizes his public image as a great lover are priceless, it isn't hard to see why Cobra (1925) flopped at the box office when it was first released. The story is creaky (even by 1925 standards) and the one-dimensional characters are not interesting. As a result, you find yourself uninvolved in all of their troubles and heartache. The production is stage-bound. The direction is unimaginative. Sometimes the film feels like a product of the mid-1910s rather than one made at the height of the Roaring Twenties.

Only Valentino or Nita Naldi completion-ists will be interested in this mediocre film.

In Italy, handsome nobleman Rudolph Valentino (as Rodrigo "Rod" Torriani) has difficulty managing creditors and lovesick female admirers. While avoiding a creditor and daughter, Mr. Valentino comes to the assistance of wrongly accused American antique dealer Casson Ferguson (as Jack Dorning), who has been mistaken for Valentino. The men become fast friends, and Mr. Ferguson brings Valentino to live and work with him in America. Valentino wants to curb his promiscuity, and Ferguson promises to help...

In New York, most women find Valentino irresistible. He is immediately attracted to Ferguson's secretary Gertrude Olmstead (as Mary Drake), though she is secretly in love with her boss. Valentino is startled to discover New York City is full of desirable and available women. He soon returns to his promiscuous ways. Out on the town, Valentino meets alluring gold-digger Nita Naldi (as Elise Van Zile). She pursues Ferguson for money and Valentino for sex. A hotel room is the meeting place for Naldi and several men. This threatens the friendship between Valentino and Ferguson. It may also mean tragedy...

"Cobra" (referring to the predatory characters played by both Valentino and Ms. Naldi) was another production which increased the control Valentino had over his films. At the time, many considered it a disappointment, thinking the star and companion Natacha Rambova had lost touch. The story centered around men's friendship instead of passionate romance, and Valentino kept his clothes on. But, it was nicely produced, Naldi added her usual spark, and Valentino got his desired chance to emote during the closing minutes.

This film was produced instead of "The Hooded Falcon", and completed before "The Eagle" (1925).

***** Cobra (11/30/25) Joseph Henabery ~ Rudolph Valentino, Casson Ferguson, Gertrude Olmstead, Nita Naldi