Dreadful: A Critique of Jeanne De Requeville's English Translation Book "Rudolph Valentino"

Say what you will, this is just a sad affair all around.  The 'Publisher' who's native tongue is Italian is now translating a book in two languages not in his normal realm. It doesn't even matter.

The original book is about 2/3 fictional dialogue and would be considered an embarrassment to anyone who reads it.  It's no wonder this book is seldom quoted or sourced in ANY book about Rudolph Valentino.  It is awash with errors.

                                     The original version, left and the new reprint, right

Aside from a mountain of errors, let me make clear that this book is pure pablum. You will learn nothing new at all.

Examples of errors that the original author made and the "editor" Evelyn Zumaya, of the new edition didn't catch: (Keep in mind the 'editor's' sole role in this project was to make footnotes to point out errors or clarifications)

On page 25 on the 2nd paragraph the name Jean Acker is spoken.  Yet in the very next paragraph she is noted as "Joan" Acker.    Huh???

On Page 27 Jeanne, when talking about the movie The Married Virgin saying "they glue a monocle on his right eye and draw a thin mustache... he smokes a big cigar which contributes to his characters unpleasant appearance"  In truth in the movie the Married Virgin he uses NO monocle nor does he sport a mustache. In confusion the author is remembering "Isle Of Love'  Yet, Zumaya did not grasp  De Requeville's error nor make any 'footnote' of it. This is quite noteworthy because it exposes Zumaya's lack of Valentino knowledge early on.

 Rudy as he appeared throughout in 'The Married Virgin'. Do you see a monocle or mustache?

Rudy in 'Isle of Love'  How much research would it have taken for Evelyn Zumaya to right this wrong in the original edition?

On page 36 Evelyn Zumaya continues to misspell the street name of his home in Whitley Heights. I called her out on this some time ago, so you'd think it would be on her radar, but no.  Wedgewood is still misspelled as "Wedgwood"  This is the simplest of fixes.  This is noteworthy of how 'scholarly' this woman is.  She is NOT.

On page 48 The original author has Rudy filming Beyond The Rocks after the Rambova wedding, yet truth be told, Beyond The Rocks was released on May 7 and the marriage was on May 13th.  Some thing is wrong with her math! Does Evelyn Zumaya catch this error or make a foot note about it? NO.

Another error by Evelyn Zumaya is on page 53 footnote #100 which Zumaya says they were married on the first day of the tour.  No!  Tour's first date was March 17 in Omaha NB, NOT Crown Point where they were married in Indiana.

On page 87 Footnote #173  Evelyn Zumaya turns on the original author in a vicious way.  She says her comments are a "cruel invention of the author" Ouch.  The reason?  The original authors negative comments about Natacha Rambova. Oh, whats this?  Zumaya is selling a book about Rambova? Thus the snarky footnote #173.  Got it.

On page 127 the author says he was wearing slave bracelet in death and will take it to the grave.  Evelyn Zumaya makes NO effort to dispute this.   Maybe she doesn't know?

Page 131  The author says George Ullman and Charlie Chaplin were pall bearers at the Saint Malachy funeral. Charlie Chaplin was a pall bearer at the West Coast funeral held at the Church of the Good Shepherd.  Ullman was never a pall bearer. Did Evelyn Zumaya even notice this error?  There is no 'footnote' in the book, so I have to believe this went over her head. SAD.

Page 133    Alberto did not pay for burial spot.  B of A (as administrators) paid $800 on March 24, 1933. In the book it says it says this happened in 1936.  This is untrue. Evelyn Zumaya once again shows her lack of facts.

Page 179  Aspiration Statue  unveiling  The author says that Pola was there; "Pola Negri was asked to honor the event with her presence in a intimate ceremony which included about 10 photographers.  Pola came running, delighted to pose while she was removing the drape which covered the statue "

FACT:  it was actually Delores Del Rio who unveiled the Aspiration statue.  Not Pola.  In fact Pola was not even in the USA in 1930,  All of this was lost on Evelyn Zumaya.  She's scholarly?

Delores unveiling the Aspiration statue

Lets wrap up this mess with Frank Mennillo.   Author Jeanne De Recqueville mentions Mennillo ONCE.  Yet, due to footnotes by Evelyn Zymaya he is mentioned an astounding 13 times within the book!  In the index Mennillo is listed as being on pages 17, 19, 56, 109, 119-120.   The index is faulty - It doesn't mention Mennillo is also on pages 15, 121, 128

This book is a joke.   35% fictional dialogue and shows Recqueille is another yawn in the early bios of Rudy.  Who asked for this to be translated and reprinted?  There is nothing truthful nor any insight to be had.  They are charging $39 on Amazon.  Do you think this is a fair price?

Affairs Valentino Critique - False Quote

In the 2011 edition of Affairs Valentino the author Evelyn Zumaya tells of S. George Ullman standing on the deck with Rudolph Valentino in New York as they waved good bye to his brother Alberto, who had just boarded the ship to return to Italy.  Then Valentino turns to Ullman and says the below quote.  The author Evelyn Zumaya claimed this direct quote came from the (then) un-published 1975 Ullman manuscript.


                               

                                              Source: Photo of Affairs Valentino page 422


Fast forward three years.  In 2014 the same author, Evelyn Zumaya published the 1975 S. George Ullman memoir from which she had, in Affairs Valentino stated as her source for the above "quote"



                                   

   Source: Photo of S. George Ullman memoir page 70

Apparently the "quote" in Affairs Valentino was altered with damaging fake words being put by the author Evelyn Zumaya into the deceased Mr. Ullmans mouth. 

                        

Affairs Valentino Book Critique: - A Work Of Fan Fiction? ***UPDATED****

UPDATE: 

After writing a stinging rebuke on the many errors and calling out the horiffic and outrageous "A Forewarning" in the front of the book. Affairs Valentino author responded by posting this on Twitter


             "I must have done a great job on Affairs Valentino..."
                                                                           - Evelyn Zumaya August 12, 2018


Un-believeable!!


Is Affairs Valentino fan fiction?  Reams of quotes and dialogue were created by the books author Evelyn Zumaya.  She does not source her quotes or where she has relayed what people were thinking in their minds back in the 1920's.  Yet, that doesn't stop the author from presenting fictional dialogue as true quotes.

As I have pointed out in a previous post she used "quotes" but admitting (later) that she faked the quote of Rudy on the dock.  In the true Ullman manuscript the quote was "I hope I never see him again"  In her book Affairs Valentino, Zumaya altered the quote to read  "I hope I never see the bastard again"  She used "quotes" in both books.  Serious red-flag here.

Now on page 457 of Affairs Valentino the author Evelyn Zumaya purports to tell us not only that Rudy was "dreaming" on his death bed, she EVEN TELLS US WHAT HE WAS DREAMING ABOUT!

  In the literary world this kind of writing is called fan fiction.

Valentino death bed "dream"
 in Affairs Valentino Page 457

She  claimed Rudy frolicked at the Marion Davis Beach house.  Wrong!  It was built 2 years after Valentino's passing.

She claimed the slave bracelet was welded to his wrist.  Wrong!  I proved that was not true.

She didnt know how to spell the name of the street he lived on.

She thought the Lasky Ranch was Jessie Lasky's personal ranch.

She bungled the Disneyland lawsuit by Jean Valentino

She got the time of day he died wrong!

She got the date wrong on the Valentino/Jean Acker divorce

She wrongly stated Rex Ingram was an "unknown" when directing the 4 Horseman

How many examples of errors will I have to post to prove the vast lack of Valentino knowledge of the author of Affairs Valentino.  The simplest of details are lost upon the author.

"The Infancy Of The Myth" Book Critique - Affairs Valentino Publisher

   My copy of "Infancy of the Myth"

The Infancy of the Myth is the title of a book that covers Rudolph Valentino's time in Castellaneta from birth until the family moved to Taranto a span of about nine years.  Written by Castellaneta historian, Aurelio Miccoli, often called "the professor"

The book is paperback and clocks in at 255 pages although Amazon lists the book in error at 294 pages.  It has many color photographs of vintage structures in Castellaneta, including churches and street-ways and of course Valentino's noted birth home.  To me the photographs were the best part of the book.  

The book is being marketed as a straight forward biography of Rudolph Valentino's first nine years of life.  On Amazon the publisher has tried to sweeten the deal by describing it as a "scholarly study" and says it is a "stunning, accurate narrative".  No, sadly, it is not even close to that wishful description the publisher, Viale Industria Publication put on Amazon.

If the book had been marketed as "historical fiction"  I would award the author ***** five stars on Amazon.  However as a "scholarly study" it comes up with * star.  

Why?  Fictional dialogue.  A whopping 90% of the book is fictional dialogue. 

                                    

This is an example where the author completely invents dialogue, actions, glances, touching.

Here the author tells the reader what Alberto and Rodolfo were thinking, as well as what their fathers actions were.  All fabricated.

Here the author tells us what Rodolfo was thinking and felt; pain, humiliation and anger.  All fabricated.

Here the author fabricates an entire interaction with the local priest along with back and forth fictional dialogue.  All untrue.

                          

 The author has provided no citations as to where he is pulling the dialogue from, and therefore there is no way for him to know from 1895 to 1904 as to what Valentino's mother, father, brother, priest was thinking, or saying.  Yet he tells us page after page of what they were thinking, he quotes them in casual dialogue.  

The premise of the book is true;  Castellaneta is the real town where Valentino was born and yes his father, Giovanni, his mother Gabrielle, his brother Alberto all were real people. The author in his introduction said his aim of the book was to outline the real events.  This he accomplished, but just reader be wary -  everything outside of that framework has been created out of thin air.   It reads like historical fiction and if that is fine by you, then by all means add this book to your library.   Just know that it is not a "scholarly study" nor is it a "stunning, accurate narrative" as the publisher has described.