Few European male actors have been as iconic and influential for generations of filmgoers as Alain Delon. Emblematic of a modern, European masculinity, Delon’s appeal spanned cultures and continents, reaching as far afield as East Asia, where groups of young men imitated his look and mannerisms. From his break-through as the first on-screen Tom Ripley in Rene Clement’s Purple Noon (Plein soleil, 1960), through two legendary performances for Luchino Visconti in Rocco and HisBrothers (Rocco e i suoi fratelli, 1960) and The Leopard (Il Gattopardo, 1963) to his roles as the cool anti-heroes in three of Jean-Pierre Melville’s most celebrated films noirs – Le Samourai(1967), Le Cercle Rouge (1970) and Un flic (1972) – Delon came to embody the flair and stylishness of the European thriller. His appearances in popular crime thrillers opposite Jean Gabin in Henri Verneuil’s The Big Snatch (Melodie en sous-sol, 1963) and Le Clan des Siciliens (1969), and alongside Jean-Paul Belmondo in Jacques Deray’s nostalgic revision of the Marseille criminal underworld of the 1930s Borsalino (1970), bolstered his image as one of France’s most recognizable male stars. This collection extends this important scholarship on the screen star’s image to include both textual and contextual readings of Delon’s career, including particular focus on the star in the context of transnational cinema culture and on the global reception of his films, performances and star image. Hence, the collection will include contributions, not only on Delon’s iconic performances, his famous affiliations and cool masculine image, but also on less well-known aspects of his persona and career.

Alain Delon: Style, Stardom and Masculinity PDF

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