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Posted: |
Sep 29, 2024 - 11:49 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In the 1968 film SPIRITS OF THE DEAD, three short stories by Edgar Allan Poe were adapted for the screen, each under the helm of a different filmmaker: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, and Roger Vadim. “William Wilson,” Louis Malle’s segment, takes place in the early 19th century when Northern Italy is under Austrian rule. An army officer named “William Wilson” (Alain Delon) rushes to confess to a priest (in a church of the "Città alta" of Bergamo) that he has committed murder. Wilson then relates the story of his cruel ways throughout his life. After playing cards all night against the courtesan “Giuseppina” (Brigitte Bardot), his doppelgänger, also named William Wilson, convinces people that Wilson has cheated. In a rage, the protagonist Wilson stabs the other to death with a dagger. After making his confession, Wilson takes yet another drastic action.
Alain Delon in the "William Wilson" segment of SPIRITS OF THE DEAD
Louis Malle said that he did not enjoy working with Delon. Malle wanted Florinda Bolkan for the female lead, but the producers insisted on someone more well known, and Bardot agreed to make the film. Malle thought she was miscast. Diego Masson’s score for the "William Wilson" segment has not had a release. SPIRITS OF THE DEAD was a poor performer at the U.S. box office, grossing just $1.2 million.
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In FAREWELL FRIEND (Adieu l'ami), after serving together in the French Foreign Legion, “Franz Propp” (Charles Bronson) and “Dr. Dino Barran” (Alain Delon) go their separate ways, only to be reunited by an extraordinary coincidence. Barran is persuaded by a friend to sneak into an underground bank vault and help return stolen bonds. While he is hiding, he comes upon Propp, who is actually there to rob the safe. After getting locked inside the vault, the two very different men strike up a powerful friendship that binds them together through a series of shocking developments—from a miraculous escape to being framed for murder.
Alain Delon and Charles Bronson in FAREWELL FRIEND
Jean Herman directed and co-wrote this 1968 release. Alain Delon was looking for an American actor to play his co-star in the film. He had first considered Richard Widmark. He admired Charles Bronson's acting, particularly in movies like Roger Corman’s MACHINE GUN KELLY (1958), one of Bronson’s first starring roles. Delon had producer Serge Silberman approach Bronson when he was in Europe making VILLA RIDES. Bronson's agent Paul Kohner later recalled:
“Silberman pitched Bronson on the fact that in the American film industry, all the money, all the publicity, goes to the pretty boy hero types. In Europe, he told him, the public is attracted by character, not face. Bronson had always resisted doing European films before ... This time he was only half convinced by Silberman's arguments, but I made the deal for him to do Adieu l'ami.”
Bronson was signed in December 1967. The film was shot in Marseilles and Paris. It was a big hit in France, earning around $6 million at the box office. Ironically, the film did not get an American release until 1973, after Bronson had become a bankable star in the U.S. with his 1972 films THE VALACHI PAPERS and THE MECHANIC. The picture grossed $2.6 million in the U.S.
Three tracks from François de Roubaix’s score were released on a French EP. Three somewhat different tracks were included in a 2003 Roubaix compilation CD from Disques Dreyfus.
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“Jean-Paul Leroy” (Alain Delon) and “Marianne” (Romy Schneider) spend lazy holidays around THE SWIMMING POOL at their villa in idyllic Southern France. However, when “Harry Lannier” (Maurice Ronet) and his attractive young daughter “Penelope” (Jane Birkin) show up, the dreamy summer days are suddenly filled with unspoken tension and jealousy.
Romy Schneider and Alain Delon in THE SWIMMING POOL ("La Piscine")
Jacques Deray directed and co-wrote the 1969 film, the first of nine films Delon and Deray made together, and the only one Delon didn't produce. Alain Delon and Romy Schneider had been romantically involved from 1958 to 1963. Delon ended the relationship with Schneider in 1963 and married French actress Nathalie Barthélémy. Schneider married German director and actor Harry Meyen in Berlin. Delon asked Deray to book Schneider for this role. He continuously pursued her, both before and after filming, with persistent attempts to reconcile. Despite Schneider's refusals, their shared history and emotional connection spilled onto the screen, infusing the film with raw authenticity. This was their fourth of five films together.
Both French and English-language versions of the film were made, with the actors filmed speaking English for the international release, which was unusual at a time when movies were always either dubbed or subtitled. That 114-minute international release, 8 minutes shorter than the French version, also had slightly different editing, and differences such as Romy Schneider wearing a bikini top in the English version in scenes where she is topless in the French version.
THE SWIMMING POOL was the fourth most popular movie at the French box office in 1969. Upon its release in the U.S. in 1970, the film did modest business, grossing $2.3 million. Michel Legrand’s score was released on a United Artists LP, but only in Japan. In the U.S., three tracks from the score appeared on a Legrand compilation LP, “The Windmills of Your Mind.” Universal Music France released the complete score on CD in 2008.
Alain Delon said in an interview in 2011 that he could not watch the film again. Romy Schneider and good friend Maurice Ronet both died prematurely and under tragic circumstances. Revisiting the scenes was simply too painful for him. Schneider died in 1982, at age 43, of cardiac arrest due to a weakened heart caused by a kidney operation she had had months before. Ronet died of cancer in 1983, at age 55.
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Posted: |
Oct 1, 2024 - 11:24 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In Paris, notorious thief and cop killer “Roger Sartet” (Alain Delon) is sprung from a prison truck by THE SICILIAN CLAN, a highly-organized group of brothers following orders from their father, family patriarch “Vittorio Manalese” (Jean Gabin). The Manaleses own a pinball machine company, but Vittorio indulges in profitable crimes to allow him to buy land back in Sicily, so he can return to a glorious retirement. Roger's cellmate in prison is a security systems expert and has given him the alarm layout for an exhibition of fine jewelry. Interested in a deal for a new heist, Vittorio flies to Rome to check it out for himself, with his New York Mafia buddy “Tony Nicosia” (Amadeo Nazzari). Working overtime to recapture Sartet, the dogged “Inspector Le Goff” (Lino Ventura) leans hard on Roger's sister “Monique” (Danielle Volle), some passport forgers, and other underworld contacts.
Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, and Lino Ventura in THE SICILIAN CLAN
Henri Verneuil directed the 1969 film and co-wrote it with Alain Delon in mind for the part of Roger. The two had worked together before in 1963’s ANY NUMBER CAN WIN. Ennio Morricone’s score was released on a 20th Century Fox LP. It made its CD debut from CAM in 1993. Quartet released an expanded version in 2022. The $4 million picture grossed $3.4 million when it was released in the U.S. in 1970, and was moderately profitable worldwide.
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Posted: |
Oct 2, 2024 - 11:25 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Working again with director Jacques Deray, Alain Delon had Jean-Paul Belmondo as his co-star in BORSALINO. In the film, “Roch Siffredi” (Delon) is out of the big house and looking for his lover “Lola” (Catherine Rouvel). She’s now with “François Capella” (Belmondo), another criminal. Initially, they fight, but they soon become partners and attempt to rise to the top of the city’s gangdom.
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon in BORSALINO
Alain Delon wanted to produce the film because he was looking for a project in which to collaborate with Jean-Paul Belmondo. However, the relationship between the pair broke down after filming was completed. Director Jacques Deray noted that, "All through production Delon was impeccable, never interfered. But when the film was completed ‘Delon the producer’ stepped in and took it over.”
Under the terms of their contracts, Belmondo and Delon were required to have equal billing and the same number of close-ups. Belmondo later sued Delon over the manner in which their names were billed in the production. Belmondo was annoyed that the title card "An Alain Delon Production" appeared before his name in the credits. Delon's associate producer, Pierre Caro, said:
“If you ask me, I think Belmondo was afraid from the first to make a picture with Alain. He demanded the same number of close ups. Alain had to cancel a lot of his best scenes because they made him look better than Belmondo. My own feeling is that they will never work together again. Alain says they will, but he lies.”
Delon said while promoting the film in the US:
“We are still what you in America call pals or buddies. But we are not friends. There is a difference. He was my guest in the film but still he complained. I like him as an actor but as a person, he's a bit different. I think his reaction was a stupid reaction... almost like a female reaction. But I don't want to talk about him anymore.”
Claude Bolling’s score for the 1970 film was released on a Paramount LP. It was re-issued on CD by Milan in 1998. In 2019, Music Box released an expanded version of the score. The film was a big success at the French box office, breaking records throughout the country, and becoming the fourth most-watched film of the year. But in the U.S., the film struggled to a mediocre $1.5 million gross. It would be nearly 30 years before Delon and Belmondo worked together again.
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Posted: |
Oct 3, 2024 - 12:23 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Alain Delon’s second film with director Jean-Pierre Melville was LE CERCLE ROUGE. The film follows four men: “Corey” (Delon), just released from prison, heading for Paris with insider information on a jewelry store in his head, and angry gangsters on his tail; “Vogel” (Gian Maria Volonté), a criminal suspect who has escaped his police escort and is on the run; “Mattei” (André Bourvil), the police inspector determined to recapture Vogel at any cost; and “Jansen” (Yves Montand), an ex-police sharpshooter looking for redemption from his self-imposed alcoholic hell. These four may start from different places, but their fortunes are inevitably destined to converge.
Yves Montand, Gian Maria Volente, and Alain Delon in LE CERCLE ROUGE
Writer-director Melville had originally written the part of “Vogel” for Jean-Paul Belmondo, but after the issues on BORSALINO, Belmondo and Delon were not willing to work together. Michel Legrand’s score for the 1970 film was rejected and replaced with one by Eric Demarsan. Demarsan’s score was released on LPs in France, Spain, and Italy. In 2000, Universal France released an expanded version on CD.
LE CERCLE ROUGE was the fifth most popular film of the year in France, but did not appear in the U.S. until 5 November 1976 when it had a one-time showing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Contemporary French Film series. It didn’t open in New York until 1993.
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Alain Delon and Charles Bronson teamed up again for the “East meets West” western RED SUN. As opposed to their pairing in 1968’s FAREWELL FRIEND, this 1971 film found Bronson top-billed.
Toshiro Mifune plays “Kuroda Jubei,” a samurai guard protecting the Japanese ambassador, who is traveling across the frontier of 19th-century America to meet President Ulysses S. Grant and bring him a special katana (Japanese ceremonial sword) as a gift. When bandits overtake their train, and a ruthless outlaw named “Gauche” (Alain Delon) steals the sword, Jubei is forced to team up with Gauche’s former partner, “Link Stuart” (Charles Bronson), to get the sword back. But there’s a twist. Jubei has only one week to return the sword to the ambassador, or he’ll be forced to commit harakiri (aka seppuku – a Japanese form of suicide) for dishonoring his country. During the quest, the two must deal with “Cristina” (Ursula Andress), Gauche’s love interest, and a small army of Comanche Indians.
Charles Bronson, Alain Delon, and George Lycan in RED SUN
Terence Young directed the 1971 film, which was shot in Spain. The film was the second of a three-picture deal that Young had with Charles Bronson, which had previously yielded COLD SWEAT (1970) and would also include THE VALACHI PAPERS (1972).
The busy schedules of Alain Delon and supporting actress Capucine meant that they flew back to France and Switzerland, respectively, for weekends, and were helicoptered back to the location each Monday. Maurice Jarre’s score had LP releases in Europe and Japan, but not the U.S. The LP was re-issued on CD by Japan’s Soundtrack Listeners Communications in 1995 and by Universal France in 2001.
Bronson was extremely popular in Japanese theaters at this time, and RED SUN set an attendance record in Tokyo, playing for a record 35 weeks in its first run engagements. The film also did well in the U.S., grossing $6.7 million.
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Posted: |
Oct 5, 2024 - 11:47 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Alain Delon played Frank Jacson, the man who carried out THE ASSASSINATION OF TROTSKY in director Joseph Losey’s 1972 film. From half a world away, Stalin considered Leon Trotsky, living in exile in Mexico and writing provocative columns, to be a threat to a Russia staring down Hitler’s armies, so he had to go. We see Jacson meet with a handler who urges him on, but otherwise provides little facilitation. We watch Trotsky (Richard Burton) reciting passages from his writings into a Dictaphone, and passing time with his loving wife (Valentina Cortese). And we see Jacson’s girlfriend and Trotsky acolyte, Gita Samuels (Romy Schneider), attempt unsuccessfully to penetrate the taciturn mind of Jacson.
Richard Burton and Alain Delon in THE ASSASSINATION OF TROTSKY
THE ASSASSINATION OF TROTSKY would prove to be the last of Delon’s and Schneider’s five films together. Egisto Macchi’s score for the film was released by Beat Records in 1990. The $2.5 million picture garnered poor reviews and was a bomb at the U.S. box office, grossing only $200,000.
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