''Paolo il caldo'' ( in English: ''Hot Paolo'') is a novel by

Vitaliano Brancati Vitaliano Brancati (; 24 July 1907 – 25 September 1954) was an Italian novelist, dramatist, poet and screenwriter. Biography Born in Pachino, Syracuse, Brancati studied in Catania, where he graduated in letters and where he spent the most pa ...

, and also of a 1974

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

film based on that novel.

Novel

The novel is set in

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also b ...

and in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

around the time of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It tells the story of a Sicilian baron who gives in to desires of the flesh, beginning at an early age and continuing through his adulthood, when he realizes what an empty life he has led. The book explores the themes of sexual passion and of

lust Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It ...

, sometimes unbridled and morbid. The novel was published in 1955, a year after the author's death. Its publication was authorized in a note that Brancati penned two days before his passing, in which he explained that the planned two final chapters of the novel had not been written.

Movie

''The Sensual Man'' ( it, Paolo il caldo) is loosely based on Brancati's novel, with the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

written by

Marco Vicario Marco Vicario (20 September 1925 – 10 September 2020) was an Italian film actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He appeared in 23 films between 1950 and 1958. He also wrote for 13 films, produced 12 and directed a further 11. He ...

. Vicario also directed the movie, that was played by

Giancarlo Giannini Giancarlo Giannini (born 1 August 1942) is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Love and Anarchy'' (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for '' Seven Beauties ...

in the role of Paolo and Rossana Podestà as Lilia.

References

External links

* 20th-century Italian novels 1974 films 1977 films Novels set in Italy Catania Novels set in Rome 1955 novels Novels published posthumously {{1970s-romance-novel-stub