For decades, with the exception of a one-minute portion, Beyond the Rocks (1922) was considered to be a lost film. It was a particularly tragic loss because the film portrayed the only time Silent greats Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson were paired together on screen. Miraculously, and with great applause from Film Historians, a nearly-complete print was found in an old rusty pile of film canisters in the Netherlands in 2003. Beyond the Rocks was restored by the Nederlands Filmmuseum, and was re-released in 2005... 83 years after it's initial debut.
Theodora's (Gloria Swanson) father, Captain Fitzgerald, is in need of money. Theodora resolves to marry a rich man in order to ensure her family's well-being. When Theodora falls overboard from her rowboat, she is rescued by the wealthy Lord Hector Bracondale (Rudolph Valentino). The two part ways, as Bracondale is "not the marrying kind"...
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| Beyond the Rocks: Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson |
Theodora marries a rich old man that she does not love, and on her honeymoon, fate intervenes again. Theodora falls during a mountain climbing excursion, and by coincidence, Hector is there to rescue her again...
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| Beyond the Rocks: Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson |
They part ways once more, but reconnect in Paris. This time, they acknowledge their mutual love, and begin an affair...
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| Beyond the Rocks: Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson |
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| Beyond the Rocks: Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson |
they even fantasize about their love existing in the past...
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| Beyond the Rocks: Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson |
But Theodora has made a vow to her husband, and is unsure whether or not her love for Hector is cause enough to break it...
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| Beyond the Rocks: Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson |
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| Beyond the Rocks: Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson |
a scene from "Beyond the Rocks" (1922)
