Oh No Not Alain Delon
Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 11:40AM 
JA from MNPP here with some upsetting news - famed French beauty Alain Delon (who I could have sworn was openly bisexual way back in the day) has spoken out against homosexuality in France, calling it "unnatural" and saying that men "are here to love a woman, to woo a woman, not to flirt with or get picked up by guys." French writer Claude Serraute hysterically responded, “It is against nature to love yourself as much as he does.” Anyway Delon says he doesn't give a damn about gay marriage, but that he's against the adoption of children by gay couples.
Am I going to have to burn my copy of Purple Noon now, you guys? I really don't want to burn my copy of Purple Noon. And Rocco and His Brothers! I loved that shower scene so much. And what to do about my cherished memories of the way he and Jean-Paul Belmondo were always hanging on each other? Am I supposed to forget all that? This is a travesty. With one bigoted pile of big-mouth bullcrap so many of my favorite movie fantasies have been dashed. Damn him. It's like how I can't watch Contempt anymore without thinking of Brigitte Bardot's homophobic comments. Can old French actors just shut up and stop ruining classics? At least we'll always have Saint Deneuve. (Oh wait.)
Alain Deloin
Reader Comments (15)
I just finished watching Purple Noon this past week. You know what? I can give up on Alain Delon no problem (since he's given up on me. :-) Purple Noon is great but it's really about the movie, not Alain Delon. I have no problem throwing him on the ash heap with the likes of Gerard Depardieu. (And we'll always have Jude & Matt to focus on).
Why do old French movie stars have to get so crabby when they get older? Can someone help me out and tell me if there are any French stars who actually got sweeter and more loving in their old age?
I wouldn't say Delon was openly bisexual back in the day, the right expression being "gay-for-pay" (or more to the point, "gay-for-leading-roles-in-Visconti-films")
I gave up on Alain Delon years ago. He's been a right-wing bigot for decades.
I love this quote: French writer Claude Serraute hysterically responded, “It is against nature to love yourself as much as he does.”
I can forgive old people for being stuck in the mud and actors more than most. Actors are so self centric, that they don't always see the world realistically. Plus, if we avoided watching films with actors who have made stupid, offensive comments, we wouldn't have very many films to watch. They all need to follow Seth Rogan's advice to Zac Efron. "Just stand there with no shirt and keep your pretty mouth shut."
Maybe Mr. Delon was traumatized while filming Airport 79 by the way George Kennedy said cockpit.
This is one of the reasons why I really try to separate the artist from their work. This doesn't always work. But I love Le Samourai and Purple Noon too much to let this bigot ruin my enjoyment of them as films.
I already knew Jean-Pierre Melville was pretty right-wing and let that pass (given he let secular existentialism be so prominent in his movies) but with Delon this seems so hypocritical that a man who became a star working with gay directors to act like they are unnatural or unfit for anything.
Correct me if I'm wrong Francophiles, but France has always struck me as a country and a culture that is very embedded in traditional male/female gender roles, and underneath the seemingly libertine exterior has very rigid codes about sex. (THIS is what MEN do, THIS is what WOMEN do, don't ask questions...) Again, as in the Middle East, I think a lot of French men wouldn't object to a guy getting bj's or even topping a man now and again (only if a woman isn't around), but they object to the idea of a man who's regularly willing to "bottom" and thus be seen by the unenlightened as "the woman." And again, we see the intersection of sexism and homophobia: any man who would willingly "debase" himself by embracing what society sees as "femininity" is a traitor or a joke. (Think about the mincing Albin in "La Cage Aux Folles"--the actor's comedic brilliance transcended the tired stereotype.)
Dback
I am not gay ... but we have an apt. in Nice and have spent much time all over France and you are ABSOLUTELY correct in your comments.
I have had numerous arguments with the French we have known and I ALWAYS lose and defer to their country's beliefs They are lovely people.. but again "When in Rome"....
if they had to answer your "can't they shut up" question let's generalize and imagine them saying the following:
"I am French, so I'll say whatever I want to say"
I remember meeting a French person sometime last year who could not stop bitching about how "France has to wait for other countries to develop"
the moment I asked the "So France did not have colonies and they were absolutely never a part of her development?" question, he truly and ultimately shut his trap.
If France is so butch, then where did the expressions "Have you been to Paree?" or "Gay Paree" originate? LOL
Delon was a beautiful young man and I'm sure Visconti did not cast him for his acting ability.
No, say it ain't so, Alain! I can't even bear it. I'm just going to pretend I never read this.
Gorgeous man..Amazing actor..A good bio needs to be written in English.
Lots of gays here to comment about the iconic french actor Alain Delon.
You retarded bastards, the homosexuality is against nature, go fuck yourselves at your homes,
and never ever should be a child adopted by gay devils. Please argue only if you were born
from gay couples, otherwise shut up your dirty mouths.