The SamuraiSummit meeting between Alain Delon and Jean-Pierre Melville
Jean-Pierre Melville remains one of the greatest French directors in history and Alain Delon a true beast of cinema with multiple important roles. The meeting between the two could only give rise to a significant work. It is on The Samurai who sign their first collaboration. There will be three in total, including the magnificent and the desperate A policeman. In The SamuraiAlain Delon plays Jef Costello, a hitman who is very efficient in his work.
One of his missions goes awry and the police begin to suspect him of being responsible for the murder of a jazz club owner. At the same time, someone else wants his life and is trying to have him murdered. The Samurai East a fantastic movie in which Asian references have been infused, while remaining in a very French environment.
A fire broke out without warning
The shooting of this cult feature film could have turned into a drama and perhaps would not have even finished. In 1967, after several days of work, the team had the unpleasant surprise of seeing Jenner Studios is attacked by flames. This is where the production took place because the premises belonged to the director. After discovering a large abandoned warehouse, in the mid-1940s he decided to become the owner of the premises to shoot his own films. A rare independence in the environment that allowed him to enjoy true freedom during filming.
The place will also become his home as he will settle there. Like a baker who has his apartment above his shop. But Jenner Studios will not be used to host all of Paris. Only Jean-Pierre Melville will shoot on location. It will start with The terrible children and will return there regularly for his subsequent works. Until The Samurai with this terrible fire that devastated the premises located in Rue Jenner.
The location was absolutely essential, that was where Jef’s apartment was located. A setting that in itself characterized the main character. On the night between June 28 and 29, 1967, a fire broke out on the site. Jean-Pierre Melville, who was sleeping there, emerged unharmed. He watched in amazement as a place he loved so much was destroyed. Aside from the bird in Jef’s apartment, no one was hurt or killed by the flames. But this incident will pose a major problem for the rest of the operation. Jean-Pierre Melville suspected that the competition had caused the fire out of jealousy. The end of the story was never known, although there was talk of an electrical fault.
The miraculous resumption of filming
Following this tragedy, the film’s production was able to recover almost unexpectedly thanks to François de Lamothe. The decorator intends to save The Samurai and rented a huge set at the Saint-Maur studios. In just two weeks, it brings new furniture to life with the help of a team dedicated to the cause. An undertaking that we do not realize by watching the film. An extraordinary anecdote, which completes the sculpture of the legend of The Samurai. A film whose strength has been recognized all over the world and by the greatest. Including Asian cinema and a certain John Woo, of course
Source: Cine Serie
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