Alain Delon 1935-2024

The unbelievably handsome actor Alain Delon, 1935-2024.

The French actor Alain Delon died yesterday at the age of 88. Delon was an icon of European cinema, and a towering figure in French culture. True to his reputation as a lover of animals, the announcement of Delon’s death mentioned his dog as well as his children.  

Thanks to his striking good looks, Delon was offered a contract by producer David O. Selznick in 1957, but he turned it down. Delon forged his own path through cinema, and it did not often involve Hollywood. He quickly became a star in France, and 1960’s Plein Soleil (released in the United States as Purple Noon, even though the French translates to Full Sun) established Delon as an international star. Delon’s performance as Tom Ripley was a perfect blend of charm and danger. The contrast between Delon’s angelic looks and Ripley’s immoral actions was highly effective.  

No summary of Alain Delon’s life and career would be complete without mentioning his looks. To say that Alain Delon was handsome is not enough—it’s like saying the Louvre is just a museum, or the Beatles were just a band. Delon was often described as the most handsome man in the movies, and I would agree with that. Delon had a full head of black hair, piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones, and arched eyebrows that made his face very expressive. The camera loved Delon, and directors quickly figured out that he was an actor capable of delivering expressive performances even with minimal dialogue. A perfect example is the 1967 film Le Samourai. There’s no dialogue until about 10 minutes into the movie, and you don’t need any dialogue—Delon’s face tells the story and gives you all the information you need.  

Delon made several American films, starting with a role in the 1964 anthology film The Yellow Rolls-Royce. In 1965 and 1966, Delon made his biggest push in Hollywood, as he starred in Once a Thief, with Ann-Margret, Lost Command, with Anthony Quinn, George Segal, and frequent Delon co-star Maurice Ronet, and Texas Across the River, a Western with Dean Martin. None of these films were especially successful, partially because mid-1960's Hollywood didn’t know what to do with Alain Delon. So, Delon went back to France, and I don’t blame him. He wasn’t going to find a movie like Le Samourai or La Piscine in Hollywood.  

Delon kept churning out the hits in France, stylish crime thrillers like The Sicilian Clan, and Borsalino with fellow French heartthrob Jean-Paul Belmondo. One of Delon’s finest performances came in 1976’s Monsieur Klein, which features the theme of being someone’s double—also a key element in Plein Soleil and La Piscine. Delon was also a producer of many of his 1970’s films, and he eventually branched out into other ventures, such as men’s cologne.  

Controversy followed Delon numerous times. In 1968, Delon’s bodyguard Stevan Markovic was found dead in a garbage dump. Delon was questioned, but never charged with any crime. The case turned into a lurid tabloid scandal, as allegations were made that Markovic had photos of Prime Minister George Pompidou’s wife in compromising positions, and that Markovic was planning to blackmail Pompidou. The case only increased the French public’s fascination with Delon, and his career was unscathed. The Sicilian Clan and La Piscine were the third and fourth highest-grossing films in France for 1969. Even late in life, Delon still made headlines, as earlier in 2024 his children were pursuing legal actions against each other, regarding their father’s health and care. The life of an icon is not always an easy one.  

In the United States, Delon never became a household name, but more of a cult figure of cool. I first encountered Delon’s films when I saw Le Samourai at a revival movie house in 1997. It was a new print of the film, and upon seeing Le Samourai I immediately thought that Alain Delon was the coolest, most handsome guy I had ever seen. All these years later, I’d say that 16-year-old me hit the nail on the head.  

Thanks to DVD’s and streaming services, it’s never been easier for American fans to watch the masterpieces of Alain Delon’s lengthy career. Delon’s films continue to find audiences—in 2021, La Piscine was held over for 18 weeks at the Film Forum in New York City, a testament to that film’s beauty, and the performances by Delon, Romy Schneider, Maurice Ronet, and Jane Birkin.  

Delon’s romantic relationship with Romy Schneider had been over for years by the time they filmed La Piscine together in 1968. But watching the film, you see the deep emotional connection Delon and Schneider shared. One of my favorite extras of the Criterion Collection DVD of La Piscine is the footage of Delon greeting Schneider at the airport just before filming of the movie began. You can see the sheer joy and delight on their faces upon seeing each other again. And Delon speaks so highly of Schneider’s talent as an actress, and how he convinced director Jacques Deray that she was the perfect choice for the role.  

Alain Delon was always much more than a pretty face. Delon was a fantastic actor, and his performances are masterpieces of naturalism. Delon was also an avid art collector—much of his collection was sold in 2023 in an auction by Bonhams Paris, with the proceeds amounting to $8.8 million. Like his fellow French star and sex symbol Brigitte Bardot, Delon was a lover of animals, and he was especially devoted to his dogs. Alain Delon was truly a Renaissance man, and he will be missed by fans of cinema throughout the world. But I feel confident in saying that Delon’s legendary performances will live on through many generations.  

Movie Review: Le Samourai, Starring Alain Delon, Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (1967)

 

The cover of the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of Le Samourai, starring Alain Delon, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville.

Poster for the 1972 US release of Le Samourai, titled The Godson.

Alain Delon, as the stylish hitman Jef Costello.

Delon wearing the iconic trenchcoat and fedora combination that he sports throughout much of the film.

Alain Delon kisses his real-life wife, Nathalie Delon, on the set of Le Samourai, 1967. Director Jean-Pierre Melville is behind them, wearing sunglasses.

Director Jean-Pierre Melville and actor Alain Delon on the set of Un Flic. Here you can see the distinctive way that Melville wears his wristwatch.

Le Samourai is one of Alain Delon’s most iconic roles. As the trench coat wearing hitman Jef Costello, Delon delivered a cool, detached performance that is a classic of screen minimalism. Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, Le Samourai is one of the masterpieces of the French New Wave of the 1960’s.

I first saw Le Samourai when it was re-released in the United States in March of 1997. The first U.S. release of Le Samourai was in 1972, 5 years after it was released in France. Capitalizing on the success of The Godfather, it was released in the U.S. as The Godson. Ironically enough, the 1997 re-release of Le Samourai occurred just weeks before the 25^th anniversary re-release of The Godfather.

I was at least aware of who Alain Delon was before I saw Le Samourai in 1997. I may have already seen Delon as the pilot in The Concorde Airport ’79. (I was oddly obsessed with the Airport movie series, probably because the spoof Airplane! has been one of my favorite movies since I was a little kid.) I knew that Alain Delon was a handsome French leading man. Then I saw Le Samourai, and Alain Delon became the coolest, most handsome guy I’d ever seen.

Le Samourai was heavily influenced by American film noir, and even though Le Samourai was filmed in color, Melville’s color palette is so limited that it’s almost a black and white film. The movie opens with a shot of a room, and Delon blends in so much with his surroundings that we barely even notice him lying on the bed. Jef’s room is all black and gray, and it looks like it could be the bleak setting of a Samuel Beckett play. I don’t know if Melville was influenced by Beckett or not, but Le Samourai exhibits a fatalistic minimalism that wouldn’t be out of place in Beckett’s work.

The first word of dialogue isn’t spoken until 10 minutes into the movie. Yet the film pulls you in, and the first 10 minutes are a great example of establishing character and mood without using dialogue. We don’t need any dialogue, we just watch Jef, and Delon’s eyes tell us everything we need to know about his character.

Alain Delon is fantastic at conveying so much emotion without words. In Le Samourai, La Piscine, and Plein Soleil, (Purple Noon) Delon draws the viewer in with minimum effort. Yes, Delon commands attention because he’s extremely good-looking, but he’s much more than just a pretty face. In Le Samourai Delon has pared everything down to the bare minimum. There are no extraneous movements or busyness in Jef’s actions or movements. It’s a remarkable performance.

To discuss the plot of Le Samourai would be superfluous, since it’s really all about the style of the film. The supporting performances are excellent, including Delon’s then-wife Nathalie Delon, making her film debut. Nathalie Delon looks gorgeous—there’s something about those mid-60’s European women with their long, straight hair that gets me every time. Nathalie’s character wears a brown leather coat to the police station at 4AM, looking impossibly sexy.

Another newcomer to film was Cathy Rosier, a fashion model who plays the pianist in the nightclub. Rosier does an excellent job, as she needs to be interesting enough to draw the attention of the solitary Jef.

Francois Perier plays the police superintendent, and he’s fantastic. He brings a bustling energy to the role that contrasts sharply with Delon’s minimalism. The lengths that the superintendent goes to try and track down Costello are ridiculous.

The Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of Le Samourai is a gorgeous presentation of the film, and there are a generous selection of extras. There’s an interesting 1970 interview with Melville in which he says: “I’d like viewers to come away from my films unsure whether they’ve understood them. I want to leave them wondering.” That’s an interesting statement for a director to make—elsewhere, Melville talks of the filmmaker’s obligation to make popular art. But maybe part of what Melville meant is that he wants people to discuss his movies after they’ve seen them—he wants to give them something to think about on the way home.

Melville was obsessed with hats, and one of his assistant directors tells us that he and Delon spent an hour going over the exact gestures with which Jef would put on his fedora and run his hand over the brim. They practiced until it became not merely an actor repeating a gesture, but the inevitable performance of a ritual for Jef.

As I was watching Le Samourai, I noticed that Delon wears his wristwatch on his right wrist, with the watch face on the inside of his arm, rather than the outside, as most people do. I notice things like this because I’m left-handed, and I wear my watch on my right wrist, as most left-handed people tend to do. I was filled with excitement for a brief moment—is Alain Delon left-handed, just like me? A quick Google search confirmed that he’s not. Delon signs autographs with his right hand, and most of the time wears his watch on his left wrist, like most right-handers do. But the extras on the Blu-Ray showed me that Jean-Pierre Melville wore his wristwatch on his right wrist, with the watch face on the inside of his arm. For a director as attuned to detail as Melville was, he no doubt instructed Delon to wear his watch that way. I’m not sure if Melville was left-handed or right-handed, though.

Le Samourai was the first movie Delon made with Melville, and they made two more movies together: 1970’s Le Cercle Rouge, and 1972’s Un Flic. One of the documentaries included was a 2011 short film titled Melville Delon: Of Honor and Of Night, directed by Olivier Bohler. One of Melville’s nephews tells the story that Delon and Melville had a falling out after the filming of Un Flic. When Delon heard that Melville had suffered a heart attack, he wanted to fly back to Paris, but the weather was too poor. Instead, he had his chauffeur drive him back to Paris. When Melville’s nephew told Delon that Melville was dead, Delon collapsed in tears. Delon helped Melville’s widow and family after Melville’s death, indicating the strong bond that the two men shared.

Le Samourai is a cinematic masterpiece, and it’s one of the key movies in the screen career of the legendary Alain Delon.