Alain Delon: forever immortalised as one of the late greats in the cinematic world. Coined a flesh and blood 'French monument' by French president Emmanuel Macron himself, the actor possessed an incredible spirit and fire that translated seamlessly in film. The actor has passed away at the age of 88 after a drawn out health complication that arose in 2019 following a stroke. He is survived by his three children, who announced his death yesterday from Douchy, in the french region of Val de Loire.
Delon abhorred his association as the 'French Frank Sinatra', and like many of the roles he portrayed, he never shied from his... less disputable associations with the underworld ringleaders of Marseilles.
"Most of them the gangsters I know … were my friends before I became an actor," Delon said. "I don't worry about what a friend does. Each is responsible for his own act. It doesn't matter what he does."
Delon, who climbed to recognition in French classics like Jean-Pierre Melville's 1967 Le Samurai and raunchy 1969 thriller La Piscine remained a cult figure of French cinema over the years. To commemorate the best way we know how, we are looking back at Delon's heyday in film. Join us as we round up the best of the best of Delon's storied career. Below, here's what to watch to find the best of the late great in our favourite flicks.
All right, Monsieur Delon, you're ready for your close-up.
Borsalino (1967)
An eye-opening, insight into the gang-embroiled Marseilles of the 1920s and 1930s. Delon as gangster Siffredi is in tiptop, curmudgeonly form as he clashes with violence, love, and honour.
Purple Noon (1960)
An odyssey by the sea. Delon's eyes are sparkling blue. I'm blushing madly at the laptop. That's about all you need to know about this wayfaring classic of romance and allure.
La Samurai (1967)
Some consider this the magnum opus of Delon's career. I am inclined to agree. Jeff Costello's refined killer instincts in a fedora and trench would be hard to upset. Director Jean-Pierre Melville's stylised, slick world of organised crime is one for the books in every way.
The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
Delon, Starring across American actress Shirley Maclaine and Ingrid Bergman led the allure behind this triptych of film stories. The medleys and misadventures of a singular vehicle, none other than a canary-yellow Rolls-Royce chortling across the European countryside opened many an eye to Delon's own knack for storytelling that is fickle and capricious at the same time.
La Piscine (1969)
I am of the ardent belief that this movie is what inspired the Blue Jeans video of Lana Del Rey's musicography. With a soundtrack and direction from Jacques Deray which brings any Sydneysider surviving winter to their knees, I would not watch this – unless you have some sort of Italian grotto to escape to.
Girl on a Motorcycle (1968)
This anglo-french psychedelic was the first of its kind. Housewife Rebecca is bored to death of her hackneyed, onerous life and trades in her white poplins for Harley Davidson leathers, jettisoning across greater Europe in pursuit of something she herself has yet to uncover. Who else but Delon to step into the role of her swaggering lover?
The Leopard (1963)
Soft tender kisses. A more American entry into the world of Alain Delon, with an aristocratic division between old blood and the new ways of the democratic republic. The Prince of Salina is stubborn to be moved from his old ways, and conformity and tradition collide in the face of the new world order.
Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
What could possibly go wrong in a cage fight amongst a rowdy band of brothers? Watch on to find out.
Half a Chance (1998)
This bumping crime comedy sees Delon go head to head with Vanessa Paradis, who plays an aspiring thief with no recollection of her father in her life. The Russian mafia gets involved, and the pair must eliminate threats in this battle of wit and espionage. Just perhaps this once, crookery is thicker than blood.
Plein Soleil (1970)
Betrayal on the Amalfi coast is never swift. Awash against one of the small towns dotted on the Italian shoreline, Delon gets swept up in a case of mixed identity and betrayals. The past comes crashing back, and its pull is magnetic. Delon's piercing stare is enough for me to press play.
The Return of Cassanova (1992)
The movie, inspired by the novel Casanova written by Arthur Schnitzler narragtes the life of a director who has lost sight of it all. After glory days and carousing ways, the grizzled Cassanova heads home in search of an answer amongst it all.
Is Paris Burning? (1966)
We've seen an entire category of WWII films flit past in the last decade, but this one makes a memorable case. The liberation of Paris in August of 1944 evocatively rakes through the Nazis, Allied Forces and even the internal ruptures between the Communists and the Gaullists. Delon is in the thick of it all, as the historic events unfold around him.
