Le Samouraï (1967)

If there is one film where Jarmusch got his inspiration from for his the Limits of Control it must be this classic from Jean-Pierre Melville. Alain Delon stars as Jeff Costello: the ultimate cool and loyal modern day 'samouraï' in the streets of Paris, complete the mission and don't ask any questions. Until he's been setup and there is no one to trust for him anymore.

Jeff Costello outfit is as complete as can be with his beige Burberry trenchcoat, the two-piece suit with a button-down white shirt, his light colored Fedora hat and his Baume & Mercier watch. No shortage of coats here, with all kinds of woolen and cotton overcoats. Not to mention the good taste for interiors Melville shows here.

Soleil Rouge (1971)

Still Stile is dedicated to style in cinema. It's focus is primary on men's style consisting of clothing and accessories like hats, ties, gloves, glasses and watches. To broaden this framework I will add to it other style attributes like cars, cigarettes, guns, facial expressions, movements and postures.

The discussion to whether style is subject to subjectivity will always continue, the same as there is on paintings and other art forms. For me the over-quoted quote by Coco Chanel: "Fashion fades, only style remains the same" is very pertinent. Although I think style is still very socially constructed and therefore interconnected with economic status and culture. So I think style can be divided in different ranges and it's my intent to cover them all. Ten still images from one feature-length film a week.

I will start off with a first series of still images captured from the 1971 western Soleil Rouge directed by Terence Young, famous for directing the first James Bond movie Dr. No. A feature-length film with a blend of American (Charles Bronson), French (Alain Delon) and Japanese actors. Western styles, Americana looks and of course the iconic Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune in his classical samurai outfit. Enjoy.