Who was Natacha Rambova, the woman often referred to as "Hollywood's most hated woman"? As the despised wife of silent film heart-throb Rudolph Valentino, she never censored her hatred of Hollywood although she achieved renown there as an art director. Despite the success of her Art Deco set designs, her beguiling beauty and alleged control over Valentino was the subject of his fans' boisterous outrage. When Rambova left Valentino in 1925 to file for divorce, she was savaged by accusations that his death a few months later was her fault.

"Natacha Rambova, the name carries with it...