L'insoumis (1964)

L'insoumis (1964) or The Unvanquished (in Engish) an early gem in Delon's filmography, little seen but famous for one shot in pop culture, The Smiths' album cover The Queen is Dead (1986).

A political thriller/film noir/doomed existential love story by arthouse auteur Alain Cavalier (Therese), and the only film Delon did with him. It is the first from Delon's production company (his first too, Delbeau) and it seems the film was a flop then and AD had an injury during filming, so he wasn't so happy with it at that time. But the film grew-given the further influence of a final shot into an iconic cover I suggest you to go for it. This is a one to (re)visit, especially now with the final dissapearence of "Le fauve", le Grand Delon.

I found it on youtube in a very good copy, with burned English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7L4y9KduN8

There is a little bummer, this cut has 101 mins, and the original cut is supposed to have 114 mins.  I understand the cuts were made by the French then, this is the film released by MGM, with whom Delon had a 5 picture deal at the time. Alternate English title, Have I the Right To Kill.

Written by Cavalier with Jean Cau, based on a real story, though they said it's not (and got sued by the real judge person).

Exquisite black and white Cinematography by Claude Renoir.

Great music score by Georges Delerue.

1961. Delon is Thomas, a Luxembourgois Legionnaire, deserter from the Algerian war (still superhot at that time, this is even before Battle of Algiers-1966), is recruited by the OAS to kidnap a young judge (Lea Massari) that came from Lyon to Alger to defend two Arabic "terrorists". And he somehow falls for it...

cool review & info here

8 out of 10 / 4 out of 5

1 minute of making of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2jicS4Zfl0

RIP Alain Delon

 Le Samourai est parti definitivment....il est le dernier de son temps perdu...legende.

88 years Alain Delon roamed the world, changing cinema, loving women, breaking hearts, making friends out of making enemies, loving integrity, creating outrage, playing cops, flics, private dicks, gangsters, doctors, gitans...He is considered by many the most handsome man ever on the silver screen. 

He and Bebel were France incarnated on the screen and in person, old France, younger than Gabin, Ventura, but old lions. The Leopards. La race des seigneurs.

Le clan des siciliens, Plein Soleil, La Piscine, L'insoumis, Jeff, La tulipe noire, Les Aventuriers, Borsalino, Le Cercle Rouge, Flic Story, Pour la peau d'un flic, Zorro, Mr. Klein, La mort d'un pourri, Notre Histoire. Oui, Antonioni et Visconti aussi.

I met him at TIFF in 2017, it was an honor ! 

Can't say more now, listen to him singing a cheesy song about moviemaking, "Comme au Cinema".  I just love it...

In his own words here.

https://x.com/CinemaOnSundays/status/1825084162522382441

Adieu l'ami...

RIP Gena Rowlands

John Cassavetes' muse (and wife and partner) is gone now at 94...

Gena Rowlands

Gloria ...A Woman Under the Influence...Minnie (& Moskovitz)

Alien: Romulus (2024)

"ANDY: Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut?... He needed a little space."

In Space no one hears you laugh. Or sneeze. Or does it?

Now finally out in theaters (it was first to premiere on streaming on Hulu). Saw it last night on the avan-premiere. The lighting, sound, sound fx, music, design, all it's super well done, on an A budget (shot on the Origo studios in Budapest). But too many references and beaten paths, a lot of plants but no payoffs, and a shorter running time (15 minutes easily less instead of 119) would've helped the pacing. I would've dropped the last act-or the final bit of the third act- in setting that for another film, also the premise on the Jackson colony planet, gritty and grim, with rain, poverty and darkness reminded me of the colony in Outland (1981) or the Mars environment in Total Recall (1990).  That could've been used more imo.

Alien: Romulus is a reboot, a sequel, set on the timeline between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), and functioning on the mythology of the Prometheus (my thoughts here) and Alien: Covenant (my thoughts here), these two movies existing now in the Alien universe before the original Alien.

Weyland-Yutani are everywhere, as is the Romulus/Remus theme (children Raised by Wolves), another theme Ridley introduced in his 2020 series that were mixing the Blade Runner android themes with the Alien Synthetic beings-that being and remaining Ridley's obsession-"More Human Than Human" (Tyrell being in the same universe as Peter Weyland's "Building better Worlds").

Uruguayan Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead 2013 remake, Don't Breathe), a good choice for directing, was chosen by Ridley who supervised the film and gave him notes. Alvarez and his buddy, Rodo Sayages (also director of Don't Breathe 2) wrote the script but took their notes and nods to all the franchise tropes.

The characters though are like pawns, younger actors, some annoying, ready to be sacrificed for the more important Directive, the WY priority. Just think of the original Alien cast and weep...Obvious cue, Rain (Cailee Spaeny from Civil War) is all and all from Ripley. 

The Andy Android (David Jonsson) is a step (& color) forward, instead of good/bad you get two chips, different sides of the same coin.

Another link to THE Alien (the 1979 film that is) is the Rook character, based on Ash, due to the Ian Holm regeneration on CGI & AI symbiosis. 

The music score, (key word: Pounding!) by Benjamin Wallfisch (partner of Hans Zimmer on Dunkirk & Blade Runner 2049, solo on It and The Flash) has the most references to the iconic score of Jerry Goldsmith for Alien, then James Horner for Aliens and Hans Gregson-Williams for Prometheus, plus a rendition of The Rheingold/Valkyrie Richard Wagner's anthem used in Alien: Covenant. 

“Dear Fede, Good luck. Good health. Good hunting. Don’t f–k up. Very best wishes, Ridley Scott.”

A great conversation between Ridley and Fede Alvarez here. Very cool.

But this is no longer (sir) Ridley's toy, neither is Fox's, its boss being now Disney (where the Alien films can now be streamed, on +!!!)  and that's Weyland-Yutani Industries in the Real world making Science Fiction just science 1.0.1. And horror tru. But No One hears whoever Scream. 

So, Romulus it's not innovative cinema but it's well done, some good practical FX, as opposed to only CGI, nice camerawork, claustrophobic widescreen (2.39: 1), Galo Olivares' 1st major credit, he did Gretel & Hansel for Osgood Perkins in 2000), and as I said lights & strobes, shadows, colors, flashes, fast movements- effective filmmaking. I reckon it will be a box office tie, at 80 million $ budget plus marketing and publicity costs this should make at least $300 mill to get a sequel.

But hey, we got one coming up ! The Alien Hulu F/X series led by Noah Hawley (the creator of Fargo series, so there's some hope ;). Streaming in 2025. 

3 out of 5, 6 out of 10 (for the qualities mentioned above). 

At least it's Rated R ;) Also, it's been Seven long years (und a Pandemic) since the last Alien film on the big screen. 

-also to be seen on the big screen. Full sound and scope.