Hoezo in KINO

French cinema icon and all-round winner of the genetic lottery, Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon, passed away on August 18th. His controversial life and career merged in a near constant media storm of romances, scandals and even a political murder plot. His later life was plagued by loneliness (with only his many pet dogs as company) and some very questionable political ideology. But we conveniently separate the work from the man here, to exhibit two of his most exemplary films showcasing his radiant beauty (Plein Soleil) and stoic charisma (Le samouraï) at their absolute zenith. Director Jean-Pierre Melville wrote the script for Le samouraï with Alain Delon in mind and personally delivered the script to his doorstep. Delon read it and noticed he had no dialogue for the first ten minutes and immediately agreed to the part. He then proceeded to show Melville a room in his villa that was empty except for a single Katana mounted on the wall. The two got along famously after that and made three features together. But the Bushido loving duo never bettered this breathtakingly tense and stylized noir. A tantalizing masterclass in ‘less is more’ and of course in how to dress, drive and kill in style. French language with English subtitles.