(Paris) In the wake of the death of Alain Delon, which gave rise to a shower of tributes beyond its borders, from Italy to Japan, France is preparing its farewells to one of the icons of French cinema in the world.
Anthony, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien Delon, his three children, will have to lead the funeral of the legend of the 7e art.
Will a tribute be organized or will the funeral be held in strict privacy, with relatives or professionals?
Delon wanted to be buried at home, near his dogs, on his property in Douchy, in central France, where he died. He had taken steps to this effect and the prefecture gave its agreement in principle.
PHOTO GUILLAUME SOUVANT, FRANCE-PRESS AGENCY
Gendarmes stand guard in front of Alain Delon’s property in Douchy.
A ceremony in Douchy is possible if that is the “will” of the star’s three children, the town’s mayor, Abel Martin, said on Monday. But “it’s a small church and it would be complicated to leave people outside,” he told AFP. “If that’s their decision, we’ll do it.”
In front of the domain where the legend of 7e art has died down, people were still laying flowers on Monday, although the excitement has died down somewhat.
“He was my idol,” said Nadine Delavaud, who came early Monday from a village 4 kilometers away to lay a rose. “Now, it was his request that he be buried here and it would be nice if that were respected and that his children all accepted that wish.”
” Rough ”
Actor of the Cheetah and of Samurai who was almost unanimously popular, but also a personality who divided through his reactionary positions, his ego and his machismo, Delon fascinated and divided at the same time.
“This man was rough, to say the least, but despite everything, I had a lot of affection, sincerely, for him,” confided Monday on RTL the French filmmaker Patrice Leconte who had him work with Jean-Paul Belmondo in One in two chance (1998).
Actress Nathalie Baye, who was his partner in Our story (1984), the film that earned Delon his only César, spoke on franceinfo of “someone very secretive”. “He wasn’t the funniest man, but he was very endearing.”
With his death, a page in the history of French cinema from the 1960s to the 1980s, all-powerful and internationally envied, has been turned.
Delon left after most of those he loved or worked with, Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura, Romy Schneider – one of his great love stories –, the Italian directors Luchino Visconti and Michelangelo Antonioni.
After the death of her friend, the immensely popular Jean-Paul Belmondo in 2021 and that of Delon, the last living French legend of this era remains Brigitte Bardot, 89 years old, retired for decades from the profession.
Delon leaves “an abysmal void that nothing and no one can fill,” she wrote in a message to AFP.
World Press
A sign that his aura continued to extend far beyond borders, the international press devoted a large amount of space to his death.
In the United States, the New York TimesTHE Washington Post or even the New York Post devoted obituaries to him.
In the UK, the BBC praised an actor who “set fans’ hearts racing in every role, from an assassin to a charismatic crook.”
“Handsome and hypnotic, Alain Delon was one of the most mysterious stars in cinema,” summed up the critic of the Guardian Peter Bradshaw.
For the Spiegel (Germany) he was “the European James Dean”.
His other favorite country, Italy, where he spent part of the early part of his career, also made headlines for him.
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, who lives in Hollywood, was one of the first to say goodbye to him. American independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch greeted the “angel-faced gangster” on Instagram.
And his influence doesn’t stop there. “He was idolized in Japan for his charm and his gestures in his films,” recalls the Japanese broadcaster NHK on its website.
In France, all the national dailies devote their front page to him. The Figaroas The Parisian salute “the last samurai”, Release headlined “Full Sleep” over a black and white photo of the actor, cigarette in mouth.