I also have a special memory related to Alain Delon: when I was a young girl, I discovered a magazine that was very popular among teenagers in the 80s because it featured a poster of Anthony Delon, Alain Delon's eldest son. My father scolded me because he thought it was inappropriate for a "good girl" to look at a naked man. In reality, I clearly remember that he was only shirtless. But still...
This is why I’m even more attached to the memory of Alain Delon, an icon of French and Italian cinema, and in the summer of his passing, one simply must rewatch "La Piscine" from 1969.
Alain Delon delivers a magnetic performance in Deray's film La Piscine. One of the most memorable scenes is during a party on the French Riviera when Jean-Paul (Alain Delon) is asked to open a bottle of rosé. In that simple yet tension-filled gesture, all the ambiguity and allure of a man torn between passion and jealousy are concentrated, while a subtle and intricate drama unfolds around him.
Delon's elegance and Jacques Deray's direction transform that moment not only into a symbol of the decadence and desire that pervades the entire film but also, for those who love wine like we do, into an icon of Mediterranean summer wines—rosé, the epitome of sun, beauty, and the perfection of an ice-cold bottle at a pool party that we all wish we could have attended, surrounded by such stunning people (Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Jane Birkin), except for poor Harry, who meets a tragic end in the pool.
I'm spoiling it, but you've had 55 years to watch it.
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