Thursday, November 7, 2024

Renato Floris Writes

 * I recently found the following brilliant commentary and do not think it has been shared. This was written by Renato Floris sometime around 2018. Renato writes:

"The Politically Correct Weapon.

Admitting that I care very little about the sexuality of others, I will for the record clarify my position on Rudolph Valentino's sexuality.

I state that my position is not governed by prejudices of any kind. For many years, I worked in the world of entertainment and yes, ever since as an adolescent in 1958, when I tiptoed into that world. On my contract, "Child actor" was written and that qualification is what Tracy Ryan Terhune and David Bret find so laughable. Perhaps their reaction is due to the fact that their adolescences consisted of deadly boredom and as we know, envy is always the worst motive.

Well in the entertainment world, it is rare for someone to feel they ever needed to hide their sexual orientation and this is a positive thing when one realizes the many areas where such freedom is not allowed or accepted.

In my years in the entertainment world, (going on to act professionally in theater and then work in video and television) I have had many friends with sexual orientations different from mine. This fact never influenced or invalidated our friendships. I confess that many times I declined sexual advances which were not homogeneous with my sexuality but this never generated conflict.

In my many years of analyzing the character of Rudolph Valentino, I have been able to form an image of who he was which I consider quite precise and reliable; therefore I want to share my thoughts on this.

Let's jump to that fateful February 26, 2009, when Evelyn, invited by the University of Turin, delivered her lecture on Rodolfo Valentino's sexuality.

Evelyn, as an excellent researcher of historical "cold cases", found that there is no direct evidence of a homosexual or bisexual Valentino, a theory purported by Valentino biographer Emily Leider. From Evelyn's research, it was revealed that some self-appointed Valentino biographers contributed their fantasies to create the most beautiful man, Valentino.. into a gay icon, certainly a fate denied to Danny de Vito, Fernandel, Luis Guzmán, Marty Feldman or Clint Howard, just to name a few.

Valentino's beauty and charm are the number one reasons he was promoted to gay icon.

And this without taking into account the personal history of Rudy Valentino who, at the "venerable" age of 15 years, tells a friend how he likes to have fun with female artists of the variety shows and street prositutes... he had so much fun with them he contracted a venereal disease. It is not known if it was gonorrhea or syphilis but this is of little importance.

It seems to me that a fifteen-year-old boy fascinated by those charming and available girls, professional or not, doesn't have enough credential to become a gay icon.

And today as I was writing this, something happened to me.. a paper appeared as if fallen from heaven. Perhaps it was sent to me by the spirit of Rudy asking for ransom? It was a print out of a post dated October 29, 2003 by Emily Leider, where she states that Valentino was not "incapable of being bisexual"... This is truly what we Italians refer to as a “Jesuit” statement...double talk.

Ms. Leider writes verbatim: “I realize that I am not likely to persuade anyone who believes that Valentino was incapable of bisexuality to my point of view but my conviction that he (VALENTINO) had a relationship with André Daven is based on more than they shared fishing trip. Jacques Hébertot's letters and telegrams to Valentino are a prime source. Another indication that Daven had homosexual relationships comes from a book on the Swedish Ballet which mentions Daven's relationship (after he had ceased to be close to Valentino) with Rolf de Maré who was openly gay.”

So following her logic, anyone with a working relationship with a gay person must be gay by default? This is really a prejudice of a disheartening banality.

Jacques Hébertot who, among other things, personally declared to Jeanne De Recqueville that Valentino was not gay, which Robert Florey confirmed. Leider also develops a bold theory by writing that Daven, after having ceased his "relationship" with Valentino, and we now know the actual reason for that, had an emotional relationship with Rolf de Maré who was openly gay. Madame Leider ignores the fact Daven was an employee of de Maré as he partially took over from Hébertot in the managment of the Theatre des Champes Elysées.

Rolf de Maré was a Swedish entrepreneur and art collector who in 1920 founded, in Paris, with his life partner the Swedish dancer and actor Jean Börlin, the Ballets Suédois at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. De Maré and Börlin had a great and lasting relationship without the need for Daven's intrusions.

That André Daven who, in those same years, had an intense relationship with Yvonne Legeay which was followed by the great love of his life, Daniela Parola who he took as a wife and stayed with her until separated by death. I kindly invite Ms. Leider to review her claims, and if she can give me clear proof and documentation that she is right, I will accept her theory.

Now given that Evelyn was unaware of what David Bret's response would be to her examination of his undocumented tall tale boasting Valentino's homosexuality.. and she was unconscious as to what his reaction would be to her proving his anecdotes were only "witty inventions".

The result for her has been and is more than ten years of continuous attack by David Bret who, taking advantage of the climate of "politically correct" response to the very subject of homophobia, portrayed Evelyn everywhere as a liar and flawed homophobic and he did so by invoking political correctness. This was and is an unspeakable crime.

To this we must add that Evelyn was accused of unfair play by David Bret and Cindy Martin who pretend that an author can not criticize a fellow author... This despite the fact Bret was precisely doing this and still is in a terrible way to Evelyn. I think it should be a respectful exchange of fair play between honest authors but this would require a degree of intellectual correctness.

Evelyn has and has always had intellectual honestly while those who preach a gay Valentino, with no documentation...demonstrate very little of that honesty.

In closing; if I declare Pope Francis is not muslim this doesn't mean I'm islamophobic. I simply state that the Pope is not muslim and that's all... but this is exacty what happened to Evelyn when she said there is no evidence Valentino was homosexual which does not mean she's homophobic.

Political correctness is an important achievement of our culture but it can become a weapon, a double-edged sword if used in a way misrepresenting the reality of the facts, therefore we must pay a lot of attention when some people misuse political correctness in targeting a scapegoat.

Think people think and I wish a happy intellectual honesty to y'all!"


Friday, October 25, 2024

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

The Will

It appears "Pasionaria" (read Renato's October 7th post "Regarding the Truth") is about to become an expert on Valentino's will and the estate settlement. A load of material has been downloaded from this blog on the subject and by them. I am always happy when the truth is spread but Pasionaria is known for taking full credit for my discoveries.

Might I advise they get the story right this time and not sell it to a readership who could not imagine anyone could be so brazen. So take it easy Pasionaria, share my material and give credit where credit is due. 

I discovered the court records, while Pasionaria told the world I forged them all. I unraveled the documents and found the only publicly available copy of Rudolph Valentino's contract with United Artists. Just a reminder as Pasionaria claimed she did. 

The same people who just spent a decade in the grips of a campaign to ruin me, my late husband Renato and all our books are now posting our discoveries as their own. Reader beware. 


Saturday, October 12, 2024

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Regarding the Truth About Our Integrity and Professionalism by Renato Floris

 * I came across this piece written by Renato and I do not think it was ever published. Renato writes:

“I commend Evelyn for how she is able to face, quite stoically, the daily insults and bullying attacks attempting to force her to close her blog.

A blog where she deals with the topic of “Rudolph Valentino's life” in a scientific way. There she shares her methods which are typical of serious researchers and a thousand miles away from the false truths about the subject of Valentino. Those false truths which have been legitimized, deprived of any logic and without even the slightest intellectual honesty and actual documented evidence.

Intellectual honesty always guides us in our work as it does for all sincere and honest researchers.

The arguments used by those who want us and our work dead and buried, silenced forever, are evidence of their dreamed goal.

But we do not give up so easily and I can also say that if there had not been all these attacks, for years, we might be devoting our time to other research. Their miserable arrogance forced us to continue to work with the seriousness which distinguishes us and on an interesting and truly complex character to which we are not emotionally linked.

Emotions and prejudices are the enemies of any serious search for truth.

The first argument used against us is that we are deceivers. This is because as their last resort, in the face of exceptional documentation... we are branded to be counterfeiters or pushers of false truths and all our documents are branded to be "by default" false and created by us.

There is also a “Pasionaria” who acts as if she were a forensic technician. She pathetically tries to demonstrate that the documents we present are our masterful inventions which she can prove false.

I would advise that lady to devote herself to more useful activities and not let herself be guided only by envy. I know she would like to be Evelyn, but I'm sorry this is a mission impossible because that position is already occupied.

Last but not least, I also remind the "Pasionaria" that insults are not opinions.

The primary weapon used to keep people interested in Valentino's life away from us, is to possess and exhibit Valentino relics. Owning these relics entitles the owner to utter any nonsense. Owning relics does not mean you own or even know the history. All this reminds me of the perfidious practices of the early colonizers who waved colored necklaces and shining trinkets about to steal the good faith of the naive honest natives.

Lastly, I share my clarification that in the famous photograph, taken in Deauville which we used as the image for our most recent podcast, the gentleman to Valentino's left is not André Daven but René Clair. It doesn't take a lot of science to figure out Rene Clair isn't Daven.

I wanted the legitimacy of my discovery to be verified professionally and I asked the highest French authority in cinema for their affirmation this was Rene Clair. I contacted the curator of the iconography section of the Cinémathèque Française, who, without ifs, ands or buts, confirmed the validity of my discovery. .

I am very sorry for these people's provocations as they reject the obvious, because their obstinacy prevents them from learning something new about Rudolph Valentino.

Less bullying and more healthy intellectual honesty.”

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Standing Up

There are heroes and villains in everyone's lives and in my life they are clearly defined. When someone commits villainy at my expense, I seldom/never allow them to inch the tiniest measure towards hero. I am a Cancerian and am by nature unforgiving.

If someone hurts me, or attempts to, I forget them and try to have nothing more to do with them. I share this as explanation to one Cindy Martin because I want her to know I will never open her email response to my post of last week. She sought me out through my website www.zumayawinslawsuit.com and I replied. It's done. 

I am not engaging in a conversation with any villains in my life, which she sure is. So not opening it and not replying. I will know if she made amends.

I prefer to spend my time with heroes, family and friends and I will always defend them, and myself, from villains.

It's called standing up.