Stolen Moments (1920), is one of the early Rudolph Valentino silents in which, before his breakthrough into romantic leading roles with The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), he plays the villain. Looking back on this period of his career in an "autobiography" written for a publication called Movie Weekly in 1922, the star considered that "I was selected for villains because of my dark complexion and somewhat foreign aspect, I presume. This was a cause of regret to me, for I realized that the 'heavy' man has usually slight chance of attaining the most profitable and desirable positions in motion picture acting, in spite of the artistic effort frequently needed for such roles."

Stolen Moments stars Marguerite Namara as Vera, an impulsive young woman who becomes infatuated with Valentino as a Brazilian novelist called Jose Dalmarez and writes a love note to him. When he is called back to South America, Jose invites Vera to come along. She readily accepts, assuming that marriage is part of the plan. After Jose laughs off this idea, she rejects him and marries another man -- only to have Jose attempt to blackmail her with the love note. After a struggle with a knife, Jose is found dead and Vera is the chief suspect.

The movie, in which the future star was billed as Rudolph Valentine, was filmed in New York, with some location shooting in St. Augustine, Fla. and Savannah, Ga. It may have been more significant in Valentino's career than was at first apparent, since it is probable that he met June Mathis while in New York. She was the screenwriter who adapted The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for film, and was responsible for Valentino being cast in his star-making role.

Stolen Moments, which exists only as a recut version done after Valentino became a star, is being given its television premiere on TCM.

Director: James Vincent
Screenplay: Richard Hall, from story by H. Thompson Rich
Cast: Marguerite Namara (Vera Blaine), Rudolph Valentino, billed as Rudolph Valentine (Jose Dalmarez), Albert L. Barrett (Hugh Conway), Henrietta Simpson (Hugh's mother), Arthur Earl (Carlos, the butler), Walter Chapin (Richard Huntley).
BW-60m.

by Roger Fristoe