Purple Noon (1960)
Plein soleil (original title)

Tom Ripley is a talented mimic, moocher, forger and all-around criminal improviser; but there's more to Tom Ripley than even he can guess.

Director:

René Clément

Writers:

Patricia Highsmith (novel), René Clément (adaptation),

Stars:

Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforêt

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alain Delon	...	Tom Ripley / Philippe Greenleaf
Maurice Ronet	...	Philippe Greenleaf
Marie Laforêt	...	Marge Duval
Erno Crisa	...	Riccordi
Frank Latimore	...	O'Brien
Billy Kearns	...	Freddy Miles (as Bill Kearns)
Ave Ninchi	...	Signora Gianna
Viviane Chantel	...	The Belgian lady
Nerio Bernardi	...	Agency Director
Barbel Fanger
Lily Romanelli	...	Housekeeper
Nicolas Petrov	...	Boris
Elvire Popesco	...	Mrs. Popova

Storyline

Tom Ripley is sent to Europe by Mr. Greenleaf to fetch his spoiled, playboy son, Philippe, and bring him back home to the States. In return, Tom will receive $5,000. Philippe toys with Tom, pretending he will go back home, but has no intentions of leaving his bride to be, Marge, and honoring his father's wishes. After some time passes, Mr. Greenleaf considers the mission a failure and cuts Tom off. Tom, in desperation, kills Philippe, assumes his identity, and lives the life of a rich playboy. However, he will need all his conman abilities to keep Philippe's friends and the police off the trail.

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Plot Keywords:

Mimic | Moocher | Forger | Police | Stabbed In The Chest | 

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Taglines:

Passion at ten. Envy at eleven. Murder at noon.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for momentary violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French Italian English

Release Date:

10 March 1960 (France)

Also Known As:

Lust for Evil

Filming Locations:

Ischia Island, Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert et Raymond Hakim, Paris Film, Paritalia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Author Patricia Highsmith, on whose novel "Plein soleil" was based, expressed satisfaction with the film, which she called "very beautiful to the eye and interesting for the intellect," and with Alain Delon's performance as Tom Ripley. She was, however, disappointed with the film's ending, calling it "a terrible concession to so-called public morality."

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Goofs

The position of the boom on the sailboat.

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Connections

Referenced in Coming Apart (1969)
The protagonist's Mediterranean loafers are a direct reference to these worn in Purple Noon.

User Reviews

Better Cast than Damon, et. al.

I found this film more interesting than the recent Minghella opus because the people were more disturbing.

Alain Delon is too good-looking to be dismissed as the geeky wannabee Matt Damon plays. His insanity in a pretty package is as unsettling as Gene Tierney's in "Leave Her to Heaven." Delon looks like Maurice Ronet's brother, and you can see him wonder why if he's just as handsome as the other guy, why doesn't he have as much money? Ronet is more unpredictable than Jude Law as the whimsical rich boy and his death is every bit as shocking.

I can't imagine that Anthony Minghella hadn't seen this version before making his own. He probably regrets Scorsese's reconstruction of Rene Clement's film so we can all make the comparison. Some scenes play like a shot-for-shot remake. Billy Kearns's brutal Freddy Miles is an obvious template for Philip Seymour Hoffman's more calculated and less powerful performance, and Gwyneth Paltrow's final breakdown is VERY close to that of Marie Laforet's.

All through the 1999 film, I kept wondering why everybody couldn't see what was wrong with the toad-like Damon. In this one, Delon's plausible, even glamorous exterior made the success of his deceptions more understandable, and more frightening.