MONSIEUR DELON: The Films of Alain Delon

(January 31 - April 24)

The epitome of gallic beauty, style, golden boy charm and bad boy charisma, Alain Delon (1935–2024) carved a singular path in world cinema as one of France's biggest stars of the 20th century. Embracing both the mainstream and the arthouse, he made a career working with auteurs such as Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard, Luchino Visconti, Michelangelo Antonioni and Louis Malle, while also enjoying an unparalleled status as an international sex symbol and bankable star. After a hardscrabble upbringing and a stint as a paratrooper, Delon came to acting almost by chance — and without any training — after being spotted by a representative of Hollywood mogul David O. Selznick at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. His breakout roles came in 1960 with René Clément's PURPLE NOON and Luchino Visconti's ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS, which open this retrospective. His six-decade career comprised over 90 films and countless unforgettable performances in iconic films like Melville's LE SAMOURAÏ, LE CERCLE ROUGE and UN FLIC; Visconti's THE LEOPARD, Antonioni's L’ECLISSE and Jacques Deray's LA PISCINE — all featured in this series. We also spotlight Delon's work as an actor/producer on Deray's BORSALINO and Joseph Losey's MR. KLEIN, as well as his roles in cult classics RED SUN — co-starring Toshirô Mifune and Charles Bronson — and THE GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE, directed by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Join us as we bid adieu and merci to the incomparable Monsieur Delon.

Lineup below and at AFI.com/Silver

SOLEIL ROUGE (Red Sun)

Fri, April 18, 2:30 p.m.; Mon, April 21, 9:00 p.m.; Tue, April 22, 2:30 p.m.; Wed, April 23, 1:45 p.m.; Thurs, April 24, 2:30 p.m.

It is the 1970s, and the holy trinity of masculinity is vying for a priceless ceremonial sword intended as a gift for President Grant from the Japanese ambassador. Kuroda (Toshirô Mifune) has one week to recover the sword, or he and the ambassador must commit hara-kiri for having lost their honor. He is aided by Link (Charles Bronson), one of the bandits responsible for the theft who was double-crossed by his nasty partner, Gauche (Alain Delon). The unlikely duo of Link and Kuroda kidnap Gauche’s girlfriend (former Bond girl Ursula Andress) in exchange for their bounty. An international co-production between France and Italy, shot in Spain, RED SUN is a pulpy, East-meets-West action fest (tagline: “The first East-meets-West Western!”) spinning numerous plates but saved by a crack production team featuring director Terence Young (known for his Bond pictures, including DR. NO) and screenwriter William Roberts (famous for adapting SEVEN SAMURAI into THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN). DIR Terence Young; SCR Denne Bart Petitclerc, William Roberts, Lawrence Roman; PROD Ted Richmond. France/Italy/Spain, 1971, color, 112 min. In English, Spanish and Japanese with English subtitles. RATED PG