Monsieur Klein, a gritty drama directed by resident Alain Delon, hits theaters on July 6. Did you know that this personal work caused great disappointment for the actor? Explanations.
Released on November 27, 1976, Monsieur Klein is set in Paris during the German occupation. Alain Delon plays Robert Klein, an Alsatian who buys works of art at low prices.
Redirected to his name, he received the newspaper Les Informations Juives, which was published only by subscription. He soon discovers that a fellow Jew is using his name. Klein then decides to follow the trail that will lead him to this stranger.
This feature film directed by American Joseph Los and Alain Delon won three Césars in 1977: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Decorations.
Costa-Gavras was originally expected to direct the film, but the latter preferred to shoot a special segment with the late Michael Lonsdale.
Successful cooperation
Mr. Klein marks the second collaboration between Alain Delon and Joseph Los. In 1972, the director directed the famous actor in Trotsky’s murder.
Alain Delon was very involved in the production of the film, wanting to break his image in order to play the real role of composition. Moreover, this heinous crime organized by the Vichy regime during the occupation was an extremely sensitive subject at the time, and Delon absolutely wanted to arrest him.
“I had to make this movie”Alain Delon sang at the microphone of Le Monde in 2003. In the biography written by Henri-Jean Servat, the comedian confides:
“The film only existed because of my will. The producer, Norbert Saada, called me to have Joseph Losey read the script. The latter called me right after the last page was closed to say he wanted to do it and asked me if I wanted the part.
I replied, “Of course.” That’s how I made the film, that’s how I got a big slap and lost then 300 million francs.The artist was worried.
In France, the work attracted only 700,000 viewers, a far cry from the actor’s previous films such as Zorro, Cop Story or Le Gitan. These works have all exceeded a million. In addition, his great rival at the time, Jean-Paul Belmondo, had won the year before with Peur sur la ville, which drew 4 million curious people.
Alain Delon is unhappy
Mr. Klein was in competition at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, as were Joseph Lose’s three previous features: Modesty Blaise, Accident (Grand Prix of the Special Jury in 1967) and Le Messager (Palme d’Or in 1971).
Despite his performance, Alain Delon did not receive any awards. The actor will feel very sorry for the verdict of the jury. “it hurts me a lot”He later admitted.
Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver won the Palme d’Or that year. Jose Luis Gómez will take the Best Actor award right under Delon’s nose for his performance in Ricardo Franco’s Pascual Duarte.
A few years later, in 1985, Alain Delon consoled himself with a Best Actor César (the only one of his career) for his role in Bertrand Blier’s Notre Dame.
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Source: allocine
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