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Umberto Paolo Quintavalle (often referred to as Umberto with out an M) was an Italian writer and journalist born in Milan on November 1st, 1926. Quintavalle is a descendant of a long long of Italian aristocrats dating back to 480 BC. He was the son of Bruno Antonio, 1st Count of Monasterolo d'Adda and due to their noble status, the family are written in the Golden Book of Italian Nobility. As a child, he cultivated a passionate interest in journalism as well as Italian literature.
By the late 1940's, Umberto began working for the newspaper Corriere della Sera before publishing his debut novel La Festa, in 1953. When employed
Umberto Paolo Quintavalle (often referred to as Umberto with out an M) was an Italian writer and journalist born in Milan on November 1st, 1926. Quintavalle is a descendant of a long long of Italian aristocrats dating back to 480 BC. He was the son of Bruno Antonio, 1st Count of Monasterolo d'Adda and due to their noble status, the family are written in the Golden Book of Italian Nobility. As a child, he cultivated a passionate interest in journalism as well as Italian literature.
By the late 1940's, Umberto began working for the newspaper Corriere della Sera before publishing his debut novel La Festa, in 1953. When employed as a journalist for Corriere he met filmmaker and author Pier Paolo Pasolini, who initially informed Umberto about his plans to make a film called Salò, or 120 Days of Sodom. Based loosely on Marquis De Sade's French book, Pasolini's plot takes place in 1944, and centres around 4 libertines realising they will undoubtedly be killed by the time the war ends, and decide to indulge in human depravity by bringing in 18 teenagers into a mansion and subjecting 16 of them to various kinds of mental, physical, and emotional torture for 120 days. 2 of them survive and after a female victim is shot for attempting to escape, 12 of them are brought out to the courtyard and are all killed in inhumane ways.
When interviewed on set, Umberto stated that Pasolini thought Umberto's occupation would suit the part of one of the four libertines in this movie, stating, "for your physical aspect, which is perfect for the role of a decadent intellectual, which I need". His portrayal as 'His Excellency' would be Umberto's only acting role. You will recognise Quintavalle as the one who is bald at the top of his hair, wears a moustache, and marries the male victim Sergio. He was voiced by Aurelio Roncaglia.
A few months after Salò premiered he wrote a book called GIORNATE DI SODOMA, which details his perspective on the movie as well as giving various insights to what happened behind the scenes. You can listen to his interview here [Link removed - login to see] from 10:31 to 12:03.
Umberto's co-star Hélène Surgère recalls him to be a man with the 'seriousness of the intellectuals, and rigidity of the bourgeois". He began working on his artistic activities again in the 80s after an almost decade of retirement and continued so until his death. In total he published 18 known novels and collaborated with other authors to help contribute to books such as Crónicas de Italia and Amore all' italiana. As for his personal life, he married an English woman named Josephine Quintavalle, a pro-lifer who is anti-abortion. She and Umberto had three sons and two daughters. On November 3rd, 1997, Umberto died in New York City of a heart attack, two days after his 71st birthday. He is survived by his wife and sons.
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