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Leonardo DiCaprio regards Alain Delon as one of the "coolest actors in the history of cinema". The Canadian actor Keanu Reeves asserts that Delon is his role model as an actor: "He's such a charismatic actor. I think he has something in him between tension and melancholy." British director Matthew Vaughn compares actor Michael Caine to Alain Delon, suggesting the unique cinematic influence of these two actors in their respective countries. British actor Clive Owen says he is fascinated by Alain Delon's "natural grace", considering Le Samouraï and La Piscine among his favorite films. Joseph Losey, an American director, expressed his admiration for Alain Delon, saying, "Alain is one of those rare talents who can be honored as being difficult. To me, this word means professionalism, demand, dedication to work, warmth, and love. He's not a man to play with, but a man you can rely on." American producer Robert Evans paid tribute to Delon in his memoirs The Kid Stays in the Picture – Hyperion Books, 1994, considering him as his "brother in life as in cinema" and "the most beautiful actor in Europe".
Cinematic influence
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Alain Delon's interpretations have influenced many colleagues, both in France and internationally, especially thanks to his role in Le Samouraï (The Samurai), often cited as one of the most influential films in history. Director Jean-Pierre Melville wrote the film for Alain Delon and describes the genesis of this film:
Suddenly, [Delon] looked at his watch and stopped me: "You've been reading the script for seven-and-a-half minutes and there hasn't been a word of dialogue … that's good enough for me. I'll do the film. What's the title?" Le samouraï I told him … and he then led me to his bedroom: all it contained was a leather couch and a samurai lance, his sword and dagger.
Director Bertrand Blier speculates that the meeting between Alain Delon and the filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, "historic, charged with a mutual fascination", was at the origin of the success of this classic: "The Samurai was a completely bizarre film. There has only been one film made like this in France. And it's so much like Delon, this film: a mute, completely narcissistic role, where practically nothing happens. Delon sits in front of a mirror for an hour correcting the position of his hat! It had a lot of charm, it was a fascinating film. It was an extraordinary analysis of these two men, a formidable joint portrait of Melville / Delon".
Stephen Teo calls Le Samouraï "possibly the most influential French crime thriller ever made, a mixture of a police procedural (le film policier) and a suspenseful action thriller concentrated on a professional hit man, Jef (spelled with one "f") Costello, played by Alain Delon, giving the definitive performance of his career".
Delon and Melville crystallize a film cited as one of the most influential in history, which will become an essential reference for many filmmakers. Many New Hollywood films and critical successes such as William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971) and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974) contain explicit references to Le Samouraï and the character of Jef Costello played by Delon.
Personal and stylistic influence
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Alain Delon is cited as one of the most beautiful actors in the history of cinema. His on-screen presence and physical appearance have earned him the status of an "icon" and a "legend" of cinema, both in France and internationally. His fame, linked as much to his looks as to his acting, has inspired and continues to influence many international actors.
Only a few films draw more inspiration from Delon's distinctive style and personality rather than his acting performance.
European productions
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The German film Liebe ist kälter als der Tod pays tribute to French cinema masters such as Claude Chabrol and Éric Rohmer. Furthermore, the directing style is inspired by Melville's Le Samouraï, while the artwork on the poster resembles the silhouette of Alain Delon in Le Samouraï. The character Bruno (Ulli Lommel) is also inspired by the character portrayed by Delon.
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The influence of French cinema on Italian cinema is significant, particularly in the neo-noir or poliziottesco genre. This cinematic movement found in Alain Delon a representative figure of the cold, methodical hitman. The character of Jef Costello, portrayed by Delon in Le Samouraï (1967), had a major impact on Fernando Di Leo and his Milieu Trilogy (Caliber 9, The Italian Connection, Il Boss).
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Luc Besson drew inspiration from Jef Costello (played by Delon in Le Samouraï) to create Léon, the titular character embodied by Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional.
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The protagonist of Bad Education (La mala educación), played by Gael García Bernal, was inspired by Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley, as portrayed by Alain Delon in René Clément's Purple Noon (Plein Soleil). He stated that the performance he most sought to emulate was Delon's interpretation of Ripley in Purple Noon.
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In The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito), Pedro Almodóvar instructed Antonio Banderas to draw inspiration from Alain Delon's performance in Le Cercle Rouge, aiming for a portrayal that was “icy, calculating, restrained, and economical.”
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Richard Ayoade cites The Samurai as a major inspiration for his films. In Submarine, Oliver Tate's character wears the same costume as Delon in The Samurai and displays a poster of the film in his room, out of admiration for the character he plays. Some scenes in the film are directly inspired by the French classic.
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The film Final Cut : Mesdames et Messieurs by György Pálfi combines scenes from over 450 international movies, including one in which Alain Delon is seen exchanging glances with Marilyn Monroe.
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Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza, in Salvo, sought to recreate the aura of French film noir and specifically drew inspiration from Delon for their protagonist. Their choice of Saleh Bakri to play Salvo, a Sicilian hitman, stemmed from this vision: “We wanted a strong physical presence that would dominate the screen with charisma, thinking of Jean-Pierre Melville, French film noir, and actors like Alain Delon.”
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The film A Bigger Splash, directed by Luca Guadagnino, is a modern adaptation of the French thriller La Piscine by Jacques Deray. A loose adaptation of the French film, Guadagnino has soaked up the atmosphere and erotic tension that Delon and Romy Schneider represented in 1969. Matthias Schoenaerts takes over the role played by Delon.
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Pierre Niney in A Perfect Man works to recreate a resemblance to the character played by Delon in Purple Noon.
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In A Whale by Pablo Hernando, the main character, played by Ingrid García-Jonsson (a hitwoman), is inspired by Jef Costello. The director confirms this influence: "I understand the comparisons, but I didn't mix references. The only one I used was the archetype of Alain Delon's lone hitman (...)." Additionally, the name of the main antagonist, Melville, is a tribute to Jean-Pierre Melville, the director of Le Samouraï.
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Saul Nanni takes over the role of Tancredi Falconeri in the series The Leopard, previously played by Alain Delon in 1963. The actor says he is honored to play such an "iconic" character and to be able to follow in the footsteps of an actor as "incredible" as Delon, without being afraid of being confronted with this "icon". To prepare for the role of Tancredi, he reread Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel and rewatched Visconti's film, trying to understand the twists and turns of the family and social dynamics of the Sicilian aristocracy of the 1860s.
American productions
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The overall atmosphere, character development, and narrative style of the American film The French Connection are largely influenced by Le Samouraï (1967) by Jean-Pierre Melville. William Friedkin also drew inspiration from the character played by Alain Delon—a solitary and methodical hitman—to shape the character of Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman). Moreover, the subway chase scene in The French Connection is directly inspired by Bullitt and Le Samouraï.
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Through his portrayal of Jef Costello, Alain Delon established the archetype of the "silent and stoic antihero." Ryan O'Neal's character in The Driver is almost entirely based on Jef Costello. The Driver is also considered an unofficial adaptation of Le Samouraï.
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In Rocco and His Brothers, Delon plays the character of Rocco Parondi, a tormented young man, a street wrestler who has become famous and has a tumultuous career in an Italian family in the 1940s. The film influenced a number of filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, who closely studied Visconti's directing, especially the way the fight scenes are filmed, a technique he later integrated into his Raging Bull. In addition, Scorsese was inspired for this same film by the character of Rocco (Delon) to help shape Robert De Niro's interpretation of Jake LaMotta. Scorsese also noted that Jef Costello, played by Delon in Le Samouraï, served as an inspiration for the creation of Travis Bickle, the protagonist of Taxi Driver (a role that was offered to Alain Delon).
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While filming American Gigolo, screenwriter and director Paul Schrader had Richard Gere watch several films starring Delon to draw inspiration from his performance: “I screened Purple Noon for Richard Gere before American Gigolo. I said: ‘Watch this guy [Alain Delon]. The way he walks. He knows the room is a better place just because he's walked into it.’” Richard Gere also cites the French actor as a source of inspiration: “It was by watching Alain Delon's films that I learned how to play seducers on screen. Alain Delon truly inspired me to portray that kind of character.”
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Le Samouraï is one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films. In a 1992 interview, Tarantino said he liked the title Reservoir Dogs because “it sounds like it's from an Alain Delon film by Jean-Pierre Melville... I could picture Alain Delon in a black suit saying: ‘I'm Mr. Blonde.’” The French classic influenced his creation of the world of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. In this regard, the costume design for Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction stemmed from a discussion between Tarantino and costume designer Betsy Heimann about French noir films featuring Alain Delon.
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Michael Mann, for Heat (just like for Collateral), creates the character of Neil McCauley, played by Robert De Niro, drawing inspiration from the minimalist and detached style of Delon in Le Samouraï and the various protagonists Melville portrays in Le Cercle Rouge. The line "I am alone, not lonely" from McCauley (De Niro in Heat) directly echoes the one from Jeff Costello (Delon in Le Samouraï) : "I never lose, never really".
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Forest Whitaker also drew inspiration from Delon's role as Jef Costello in Le Samouraï for his performance in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai by Jim Jarmusch : “As part of my preparation, I watched this masterpiece with Alain Delon. Thanks to him, I understood the virtue of silence.” The film's ending openly pays homage to Le Samouraï, as both Alain Delon and Ghost Dog carry an unloaded firearm in a scenario where they are fully aware of their impending fate. Whitaker would later reprise a role originally played by Alain Delon in Deux Hommes dans la ville (Two Men in Town), adapting it to a contemporary setting.
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To prepare for his role as Vincent in Collateral, Tom Cruise stated that he “first watched several films about professional killers, including Le Samouraï by Jean-Pierre Melville with Alain Delon. I was [Tom Cruise] deeply fascinated by his solitary and melancholic charisma in carrying out his ruthless business.” Cruise's appearance and demeanor in the film strongly recall Jef Costello from Le Samouraï.
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The film by Anton Corbijn, The American (inspired by Melville's Le Samouraï) stars George Clooney as an assassin, who resembles Costello. Clooney also draws inspiration from Delon for his role in Out of Sight.
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Delon's influence also extends to films such as Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn and Baby Driver by Edgar Wright. Both directors drew inspiration from Le Samouraï, crafting protagonists—played by Ryan Gosling and Ansel Elgort, respectively—who are taciturn yet charismatic getaway drivers, reminiscent of Jef Costello. Ryan Gosling has stated that his acting in Drive was influenced by Delon's performance in Le Samouraï .
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