Under an eternal sun
With the death of Alain Delon, which occurred on August 18, 2024, a legendary actor dies. With him, the last “sacred monster” of French and European cinema of the 20th century, a page in the history of “classic” cinema finally closes. That of a cinema of icons, of the 1950s, where the epic is found as much in the fun adventures as in the astonishing figures of beauty glorified by the cameras. The greatest star of post-war French cinema, Alain Delon will forever embody this cinema in Europe. After the world tragedies of the first half of the 20th century, the public wanted to see more on the big screen. modernity, romanticism and vertigo, youth and beauty.
In other words, the public wants Alain Delon.
But in 1960, at the age of 25, the actor had only a handful of roles under his belt, and the public only perceived his difference. Alain Delon is a young prime minister, a promising newcomer like his colleague Jean-Paul Belmondo, and if he is popular it is above all due to his highly publicized relationship with the international star Romy Schneider. His sixth feature film, Full sunjust three years after his big screen debut in When the woman gets involvedpublished in 1957, would change everything.
The Birth of the Alain Delon Style
The story of Full sun It is very well known. It is in fact that of Tom Ripleycon man, forger, murderer and psychopath with superior powers of seduction. Patricia Highsmith created the character in 1955 in her novel Mr. Ripleyand the character immediately establishes himself as one of the most skilled “bad guys” in fiction. Full sun It is his first film adaptation, directed by René Clément and, with some liberties, is faithful to the work of the American novelist.
Tom Ripley is commissioned by an American billionaire, Mr. Greenleaf, to bring back to San Francisco his son Philippe who is spending a too long vacation in Italy with his lover Marge. Tom then enters into the couple’s intimacy and becomes Philippe’s handyman who makes him a participant in all his adventures without ceasing to despise him…
Playing the role of Tom Ripley, Alain Delon does much more than shine under the Italian sun. He radiates. With his unique plasticity, his penetrating, seductive and dangerous blue gaze, he gives a burning and fascinating flesh to the character. René Clément’s camera adores him and cannot resist him, like the characters of Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) and Marge Duval (Marie Laforêt), who cannot help but succumb to his incomparable charm.
His incarnation of this character is characterized by extreme moral ambiguity: a character to be considered even amoral – it is ideal and contributes to the “perfection” of this thriller by René Clément. The journalist and critic Michel Azzopardi wrote about it on the occasion of its successful release:
It is very difficult to talk about such a perfect film: the most laudatory epithets express only very imperfectly the admiration we feel for this Plein Soleil which can be considered the work of a team.
The legend begins
Henri Decaë’s photography, Nino Rota’s music, René Clément’s direction and of course the performances of his cast are acclaimed. In a single performance, Alain Delon reveals the entire register that he will later explore, that of the young “thug” protagonist, as handsome as he is menacing, possessing a charm made of an elusive vice, and therefore “irreproachable”. Both an angel and a perfect demon, the actor was initially supposed to play Philippe Greenleaf. But he declines the offer and insists: he wants to play Tom Ripley, ensuring share with the character his delinquent nature. As he would repeat throughout his career, Alain Delon does not “interpret” his roles, but “lives” them. He won the case and this was the beginning of his legend.
Become an international star with the success of Full suncontinues directly with the filming of Rocco and his brothers by Luchino Visconti. It then went on tour in 1962 under the direction of Michelangelo Antonioni (The eclipse) and plays with his idol Jean Gabin Melody in the Basement in 1963. In the same year, he reunited with Luchino Visconti for another masterpiece: The CheetahPalme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. At the age of 28, Alain Delon has definitively established himself, as well as his influence on world cinema.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
