Cobra
About Cobra
Count Rodrigo Torriani, an Italian noble who cannot refuse women, takes an antiques job in New York with his friend Jack Dorning. Jack's wife Elise tells Rodrigo she loves him, and they agree to meet at a hotel. Rodrigo leaves rather than betray Jack. That night the hotel burns and Elise dies. Rodrigo wants Jack's secretary Mary Drake, then turns her toward Jack and sails back to Europe.
Cast & crew
More about Cobra
Joseph Henabery directed. Anthony Coldeway wrote the script from Martin Brown's 1924 play Cobra. Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky produced it. Paramount released it on November 30, 1925. Wikipedia times it at 70 minutes, seven reels, 6,895 feet. Rudolph Valentino plays Rodrigo. Nita Naldi is billed as Elsie Van Zile; the plot calls her Elise. Casson Ferguson is Jack Dorning. Gertrude Olmstead is Mary Drake. The catalog calls the friend Jack McIntyre. Natacha Rambova appears uncredited as a dancer.
Themes
Making
Rambova, Valentino's wife, is in the film only as an uncredited dancer.
Look
Harry Fischbeck and Dev Jennings shot the New York interiors and the hotel night.
Preservation
A print survives. Wikipedia says copies have circulated on VHS and DVD.
Notes
- Wikipedia compares Rodrigo's weakness for women to the claim that a cobra mesmerizes its prey.
- The last shot has Rodrigo looking at the sea and the Statue of Liberty as he leaves.
- Harry Fischbeck and Dev Jennings (J. Devereaux Jennings) are the cinematographers. John H. Bonn edited.
- Valentino died in 1926. Wikipedia calls this one of his last romantic roles.
Scenes
- Rodrigo walks out of the hotel room rather than stay with Elise.
- The hotel burns that night and Elise is killed.
- Rodrigo sails past the Statue of Liberty.
Influenced by
- Martin Brown's play Cobra (1924)
Also available
- Internet Archive (Cobra_784)
