Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face of an angel"

2024-08-18 15:35:00, Kulturë CNA

Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face

After a long career that brought him legions of fans, and plenty of critics, French actor Alain Delon passed away this Sunday at the age of 88.

Delon leaves behind a rich legacy in film, including some of the great classics of world cinema. A dark acting style, coupled with the looks that earned him the nickname "angel face", characterized a steady body of work, although Delon's reputation was at times marred by his often troubled private life.

Soon after gaining fame in his early film roles, Delon was called upon by some of the greatest European film directors, who would cast him in some of the most revered works in cinema history.

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In 1960, Italian director Luchino Visconti cast him in Rocco and His Brothers, a deeply social-realist work about a family from rural southern Italy trying to make it to the industrial north, a film that won the prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Two years later, an even better-known Italian director, Michelangelo Antonioni, took Delon to Eclipse, winning another Grand Jury Prize, this time at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1963, Delon starred in "Prince of Salina". This time, the film won the Palme d'Or.?

Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face

In the same year, Delon worked for the first time with actor Jean Gabin in "Any Number Can Win". The film not only won critical acclaim, but also commercial success – selling 3.5 million tickets. However, when Delon tried to make it to the US, his three Hollywood films met with commercial failure, despite the presence of celebrities such as Dean Martin. Uninspired by the projects that were then proposed to him, the French star returned to Europe.

It was the beginning of his collaboration with the titan Jean-Pierre Melville that produced the most remarkable film of Delon's career: the masterpiece "The Samurai", in which his "angel-faced" appearance contrasted strongly with the role of the assassin of lonely.

Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face

But despite undoubted professional success throughout, Delon was beset by unpleasant personal events, starting in 1968. That year his bodyguard Stevan Markovic was found dead.

A letter from Markovic to his brother was later found, saying "if they kill me, it's 100 percent the fault of Delon and his godfather François Marcantoni", the latter a Corsican gangster. Although police had long suspected their involvement in Markovic's murder, Delon and his then-wife Nathalie were never prosecuted. By the late 1980s, Delon already had a thirty-year career.

Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face

During the 1990s he starred in several commercial films, such as "Dancing Machine" and "The Return of Casanova". After several failures, Delon announced his retirement from cinema in 1997, although he continued to take roles from time to time. However, it was during this period that Delon was honored with some of the most prestigious awards that political and cultural institutions can offer. In 1991, then French President François Mitterrand made him a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Fourteen years later, Mitterrand's successor Jacques Chirac elevated him to the rank of commander for his "contribution to the art of world cinema".

It was not only the French state that paid tribute to him. In 1995, the Berlin Film Festival awarded him the "Golden Bear" award. Then, in 2019, the Cannes Film Festival awarded him the "Palm of Honor". The Cannes Film Festival's decision to honor him provoked an uproar in particular from feminist organisations, which criticized Delon for publicly making "racist, misogynistic and homophobic" comments.

Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face

Indeed, much of the public fell out of favor with Delon after his alleged ties to the underworld, alleged friendship with former National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen and reactionary statements about women and gays significantly affected his reputation.

In 2008, he appeared on the big screen for the last time, in the fantasy comedy "Asterix at the Olympic Games".

Despite being a controversial figure, Delon remains an icon in artistic circles, in the same group of notable figures as Sofia Coppola, Quentin Tarantino, Madonna and Marianne Faithfull.

Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face

In French popular culture, he is still considered one of the giants of world cinema, thanks to the hypnotic and enigmatic beauty of his performances, qualities that have helped to commercialize his image, especially in the case of Dior, a brand that used the image of of him in cologne ads, as well as the brand of cigarettes sold in Cambodia bearing his name for years.

It seems that Delon was aware of his iconic status, given his occasional tendency to refer to himself in the third person. But he spoke in the first person when he looked back on his career as he accepted the Palme d'Honour: “When I started my career, I knew that the hardest thing was to last, and it lasted 62 years. Now I know that the hardest thing is to leave, because I know that's what I'm going to do," he said in tears./ CNA

Who was Alain Delon?/ The enigmatic icon of French cinema, "with the face