Alain Delon used to say that he did not act, but “lived” his roles. The sacred monster of French and world cinema, has almost eighty films in his record, some of which are masterpieces and numerous popular successes.
Alain Delon, in the film The Clan of the Sicilians PHOTO: Profimedia
According to LeMonde, Delon became an actor by accident, learning film by film along the way. He would say that he does not act, but “lives” his roles. The result is an exceptional career.
“Plein soleil”: The birth of a star
The film directed by René Clément in 1959 in Italy marks the birth of Alain Delon as a star: the 23-year-old, an unknown, becomes famous overnight for his beauty “of the devil”writes Le Monde. The film is based on Patricia Highsmith’s book, The Talented Mr. Ripley, about a psychopath.
In order to bring back to America his son, Philipe, who was living a glittering and useless existence in the company of his girlfriend, Marge, an American billionaire sends a young man to Italy to convince him to return home. Humiliated by Philipe, he realizes that he will never be able to bring the boy back, losing the $5,000 reward promised by his father. And then, it is decided to resort to radical methods.
“Il Gattopardo” (“The Cheetah”)
The Italian director Luchino Visconti sees in the young Delon a talent with whom he wants to continue working. First distribute it in “Rocco and his brothers”then in “the cheetah” (with Burt Lancaster), at which time he gained international fame, and the Delon-Claudia Cardinale couple became a classic.
“The Cheetah” is an adaptation of the novel written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and presents the Italian society of 1860, during the time of Garibaldi, with the aristocracy in decline.
The film tells the story of the decline of a Sicilian noble family during the Italian unification (Risorgimento) of the mid-19th century and the rise of the bourgeoisie on the Italian political scene. The cast includes Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale, Serge Reggiani, Mario Girotti and Pierre Clementi.
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costumes, won the Palme d’Or trophy at the Cannes Film Festival and 3 more awards from the National Association of Italian Film Journalists — image, costumes and scenography.
“L’Insoumis” (“The Unconquered”), spirit wounded by the conflict in Algeria
It is one of the lesser known films in which Alain Delon starred, directed by Alain Cavalier (1964). The film talks about the violence of the colonial war in Algeria and is also related to the biography of the actor, who was enlisted in the French Navy from the age of 17 and also served in the First Indochina War.
“Le clan des Siciliens” (“The Clan of the Sicilians”): With another legend of the cinema, Jean Gabin
In 1969, Henri Verneuil brought together again Gabin and Delon, but also Lino Ventura, in “Clan of the Sicilians”. Delon had played with Gabin for the first time in 1963, in “Mélodie en sous-sol” and will play next to him in “Deux hommes dans la ville”.
“Le cercle rouge” (“The Red Circle”): “The Son” by Jean-Pierre Melville
In 1970, this director at the height of his career works with the star: the relationship between them is “a fusion”, notes Le Monde. This was not the first collaboration between the two: their connection had been formed since “Le Samourai” (“Samurai”), from 1967, a film about the professional killer Jeff Costello.
“Red Circle” is a detective film with a strong cast: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté and Yves Montand. It is known for the heist sequence, which is almost half an hour long.
The ghostly actor-samurai with his blue eyes
“Samurai” is a French crime/drama/thriller film made by French director and producer Jean-Pierre Melville in 1967. The protagonist of the film, the character Jef Costello, is played by Alain Delon.
The film is the story of Jef Costello, a notorious professional killer, and his silent struggle for survival. The actor appears ghostly, obsessed with control, with his irresistible blue eyes.
“Monsieur Klein”, twice ambiguous
Actor and producer Alain Delon was involved in Monsier Klein (1976) as an unscrupulous art dealer who is mistaken for a Jew and deported after the 1942 Winter Velodrome Raid.
