Death of Alain Delon: “He’s someone we’ve always lived with,” recall Parisian film buffs

Actor Alain Delon died at the age of 88 on Sunday. He leaves behind a colossal cultural legacy, and film fans who grew up with his films.

Icon, immense actor, prince of cinema … Tributes have been pouring in since the announcement of the death of Alain Delon at the age of 88, Sunday August 18. Known for his roles in The Cheetah, The Samurai or even The Swimming Poolthe actor died at his home in Douchy in the Loiret. He “passed away peacefully” surrounded by his family, his children announced in a statement. In the Latin Quarter, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, the name of Alain Delon was on the lips of many moviegoers on Sunday.

Sitting at his cash register since this morning, Aurélien, from the Latin Quarter Film Library, noticed that the customers were talking about Alain Delon. And he listened. “They said he was someone important. They also talked a little about his problematic side, but especially about his films which had a big impact on everyone.”

Starting with him. This cinema enthusiast really liked Full Sun, The Cheetah… But for him, if there was only one film to remember, “It would be The Samurai”. “It’s a very brilliant film in terms of direction, in terms of acting which is sober, but at the same time which creates a certain emotion at certain moments and which is very subtle. Or otherwise, La Piscine, where there is the slightly unhealthy side of the character that we feel.”

The Latin Quarter Film Library will pay tribute to Alain Delon with a retrospective starting Wednesday, “with mainly his masterpieces, his most important films in cinema”explains Marc, a projectionist since 1987. Films with Alain Delon, “I’ve projected quite a few”he remembers.

“It’s not the fact that it fits into the canons of beauty, it’s that it pierces the screen.”

Marc, projectionist at the Latin Quarter Film Library

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And one thing struck him about the actor. “This magnetic side is even beyond beauty. And that is fascinating. And some directors use it very well. For example, in ‘Notre Histoire’, he is extraordinary. Bertrand Blier knew how to capture the most impressive side of Alain Delon.”

Dominique, a regular at the Latin Quarter cinemas, already misses the actor because with him, an entire era of French cinema is dying.

“We can’t transpose that era to today. But it’s an era that will last. These are films that we’ll go and see again. I’m part of the generation born in the 60s and, in fact, he’s someone we’ve always lived with in a way.”

The septuagenarian took a photo of the front of the Le Champo cinema, where we can see a poster of the film The Leopard with Alain Delon. She took a photo of it and sent it to a friend with this message: “a star has passed away, but a legend never dies”.