By Robert Bellissimo
The world has lost a legend, who will surely be missed.
I first heard of Alain Delon in 2010. I was visiting a friend who had a coffee table book about him and was struck by how interesting his face was. Not only was he extremely handsome, but he also had a dark, intense and brooding look. My friend said he’s like the “French James Dean”. He had that intense quality that James Dean had, as well as Marlon Brando and Paul Newman. All are men who are very handsome, but beneath their good looks, they seem troubled, which always appealed to me.
The first film I saw with Delon was Rocco And His Brothers (1960), directed by Luchino Visconti, which has become one of my favourite movies. He plays Rocco, an Italian boxer, who will do anything to keep his family unit together, despite the fact that one of his brothers is a horrible person. He brings to the role a strong sense of honour, dignity, intensity, pain and sorrow. It’s a stunning performance, which proved his range as an actor. I felt that the character he played, Rocco, was like a lot of men in my family who are hard-working, loving, loyal, yet extremely stubborn.
Delon didn’t often play roles where he would have to show such a range of feelings. Like Steve McQueen, be became an incredible reactor, who could do more with a look, than a page of dialogue. It gave his characters mystery, nuance and a sense of a man who has his share of demons.
Over the next few years I saw many of his most iconic movies, such as “Purple Noon (1960)”, “L’eclisse (1962)”, “The Leopard (1963)”, “Any Number Can Win (1963)”, “Le Samouraï (1967)”, “La Piscine (1969)”, “Le Cercle Rouge (1970)”, “Un Flic (1972)”, “Mr. Klein (1976)”, among many others.
Hollywood producer Robert Evans tried to make him a Hollywood star and even wanted him to play Michael Corleone in “The Godfather (1972)”, but he never quite became one, despite doing his share of movies in Hollywood. Evans felt that American audiences couldn’t fully embrace a French actor as a Hollywood star, but he certainly was one of the biggest and best stars in France. His incredible performances in many masterpieces will live on for us all to see and see again, as well as to be discovered by passionate film lovers to come.
Robert also has his own YouTube channel as well, called ‘Robert Bellissimo at the Movies’. You can check him out, including his various reviews of films starring Alain Delon here.
