A Commentary from Renato Floris:
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 and documented 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. I refer to those false "truths" which have been sadly legitimized, while deprived of any logic and presented 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 Valentino's truth supported by our exceptional documentation... we are called counterfeiters 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 far 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.
