PURPLE NOON / Plein Soleil -- The Talented Mr. Ripley from a French perspective (SPOILERS!)
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- Опубліковано 16 кві 2021
- I mention A Place in the Sun. You can find my video on that film here: • A Place in the Sun (19...
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WARNING! Spoilers for Purple Noon (1960) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). A look at Purple Noon as a French adaptation concerning the idle rich of America.
Disclaimers: I am not a film scholar and am presenting only my own observations, for what they're worth. While I hope some may find my insights interesting, I do not claim they are definitive or exhaustive.
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This is intended for viewers who are familiar with the film, but if spoilers are not a deterrent, it is not necessary to have seen the movie to follow this video.
All clips taken from Purple Noon (1960), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and A Place in the Sun (1951). This video was made for the purpose of film appreciation/criticism and I believe these contents fall under fair use IP laws. - Фільми й анімація
Thank you for your insights and analysis. I believe you're on point with what you've mentioned here regarding the film/s. While I initially preferred the modern adaptation, after watching Clement's version a few more times, I came to appreciate its subtle beauty even more, and I believe it is ultimately the superior adaptation.
Patricia Highsmith’s _Talented Mr. Ripley_ contains all of the qualities of a fascinating character study. It is a novel that takes care not to admonish Tom for his pathological yearning, aiming instead to absorb the reader into its world, making them volitionally complicit in Ripley’s murderous desires and envies.
While Minghella’s adaptation remained true to certain elements of the novel, such as Tom’s subtle yet apparent homosexuality, Clément presented Tom as heterosexual. In the novel, Tom sees Marge has an encumbrance, yet in _Purple Noon,_ she becomes an object of desire.
Clément’s adaptation of Highsmith’s novel is, through and through, American in every sense of the word. What we see is that _Purple Noon_ is undoubtedly a beautiful film, encapsulating the culmination of America’s soul, with all of its signification. It is a film that captured the postwar American meridian. The audience may indubitably view the film and hearken back to the “civilizational peak” of America, disregarding that it was during this period that materialism and self-actualization were considered the highest goals of life.
Tom Ripley embodies this postwar American maxim, completely solidified through Delon's beauty and further bulwarked by his perennial yearning toward material prosperity-absent morality. Set against the backdrop of an untainted Italian paradise; its virgin-like qualities perfectly align with Protestant and Catholic virtues. The idealism here is second-to-none, and the film's aesthetic intentionally brings about feelings of equanimity, lust, and pining.
In film noir, shades of grey, dark shadows, and low and Dutch angles augment seediness and immorality in the narrative; yet despite the contents of the film, _Purple Noon_ is ubiquitously baked in sunlight. There are no “murky labyrinths” or confined spaces; all is open and colorful, inviting the viewer to enter and savior what is shown on screen. The film is saturated with affluence and opulence: color values, textures, location, wardrobe, and even Delon, the perfect distillation of Protestant beauty and values. Clément bombards the viewer with lavish landscapes of Italy, accentuating a beauty that is seemingly vast and abundant. Italy itself is presented as “underpopulated and unpolluted, a paradise for footloose Americans” (O’Brien, 2012).
Clément’s adaptation of the novel takes some liberty with its ending, perhaps understandably so given the time it was made, but despite this, there is still a moment of triumph as Tom Ripley basks in the sunlight, even as he approaches his impending end. The cinematography here is superlative, emphasizing the visceral summer heat, as if the ambient temperature were melting away the facade of civility and revealing the narcissistic firmament beneath.
In the end, Alain Delon’s portrayal of Ripley as empty sublimely showcases the spirit of amorality. Ripley’s pursuit of hedonistic pleasure is uncurbed. At moments throughout the film, the audience can feel some compassion for Tom as an individual whose poverty is as circumstantial as the wealth of Dickie. In his relentless pursuit for the very best that life has to offer, the audience begins to feel that the only thing that will justify Tom’s choice in murdering Dickie, is success itself.
With regard to the overall message, one cannot help but take away Geoffrey O'Brien's remarks about the film, where he wrote, "you really can have whatever you want, as long as you’re willing to kill people and are clever enough to cover up your crimes."
Haha - which Ripley is not in this version. Yes, I approached this with very little existing knowledge, and have struggled with being inadequately informed to speak meaningfully about it, but hoped my video might encourage some discussion or new viewership. It's evident right away that there's more to the film than immediately struck me, and I already feel like I should have delved deeper. However, I'm on a bit of a schedule. I may one day revisit the subject. For now, thanks for your comments!
I see so many actors in Alain Delon's face. Mostly James Dean, but also pretty boys Ricky Nelson and Rob Lowe with a bit of Matt Bomer at times. When he raises his eyebrow, Ryan Gosling and when he smiles, Ewan McGregor. Just a classic Hollywood look, even though he's French.
Excellent video! The Talented Mr Ripley is one of my favourite films of all time. Like you, I have seen both movies without reading the source novel. I always love movies about characters who become obsessed with other characters in the story, and The Talented Mr Ripley is one of my favourite examples of such an obsession. That is the element that so appeals to me in Minghella's version. I also love all the performances in the movie.
I am a Former English teacher who has had a long love affair with Film Noir. It's how I found Highsmith and Ripley....actually Ripley, then Highsmith.
Having always enjoyed the gritty, grainy context of Film Noir films I first saw TTMR and enjoyed it but knew nothing of its origins.
So I began my research and was elated to find all the other Ripley movies. Then when I realized that John Malkovich portrayed Ripley I found myself fence- sitting, because JM had never been a favorite of mine. Don't get me wrong, I liked him in some things but not so much in others. Although I'll admit that he is a unique actor with an uncanny style. And his acting pedigree does wind like a vine, through a great many classic and obscure Hollywood movies. I just never quite knew how to feel about him I suppose. Maybe that is what makes him a noteworthy actor. When he appeared in the new Netflix Ripley, I felt completely different about him than I did in the earlier iterations. I actually felt that his cameo's lent a massive amount of credibility to the new Ripley and I was glad to see his familiar face in it. It was like this new younger Ripley was approved by the former and even coaxed into his role a little...almost like a father and son or a mentor/mentee relationship.
So last night I watched the entire season of the new Netflix Ripley. Honestly, I was just so happy to find it. I mean, WOW! I tried to explain it to my sister and my nephew, but I don't think they had any idea what I found so fascinating about the story. They were not at all enthusiastic about the story based upon my description. And even though my sister had seen the movie, she knew nothing of the original story, backstory or the books author.
I am yet to completely watch Purple. I began watching it once, a long time ago, after I watched TTMR, but got busy or lost interest...I really can't remember. So I'm watching it this evening. I think Ripley is a great story and Highsmith a great writer. I've listened to the audiobook at least a dozen times as well.
None the less, when I was teaching high-school English. I used TTMR for my Advanced G-11 and G-12 Movies as English mini-course. The story is a great story and when broken down by chapter, with an in-class reading and acting component, it was a big hit with the students. Another key aspect of both the book and the movie is that it has nearly -0- cursing or nudity. There's one butt scene of Dickie getting out of the tub and like 2 minor curse words, so it fell within the guidelines of the admins. directives for outside content to be used in class.
As I said, I'm revisiting Purple tonight to try and finish it up. I had almost forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder.
Ciao' Everyone!
I'd be interested in what you think of it. My understanding is that many fans of the book don't like this version because it doesn't accord with Highsmith's thematic intent and presents a fairly straightforward morality tale. It may be that familiarity with the source material could be a detriment to enjoyment of the film. I hope you'll share your thoughts after watching.
I really love this channel! Thanks so much!
Thank you!
I know it’s not a movie, but are you considering looking at the new Netflix Ripley?
Also, I’d love to see your thoughts on Double Indemnity (which is one of my favorite movies, but doesn’t strike me as a true noir in quite the nihilistic way of, say, Out of the Past).
I love Double Indemnity. I'm not sure if I would have anything to say that hasn't been said about it, but I'll definitely consider it as a subject. The Ripley show, I'm not that interested in. I've never read the books and maybe that would be a better next-step.
Wow that guy around 4:16 looks just like Jude Law
Maybe because I saw the 1999 version first, I felt that Delon was too beautiful to be Ripley and that he would have been a better Greenleaf.
I know what you mean, but I'm assuming it was a matter more of who was available and maybe what Delon preferred. It makes sense to me that Greenleaf would be the older, more self-assured of the two, so ultimately this cast works for me. However, I guess you could also say that Delon's Ripley really has everything going for him except wealth, which sort of narrows his envy to a singular focus that doesn't really accord with the character. He wants everything Greenleaf has, not just his money.
Great movie, i was young once 😂
Touch of Evil
Read the books. How can Matt Damon look like Jude Law?
Ha - well, this is why in the newer version he makes a point of avoiding being seen by anyone who might know Greenleaf. I also recall American Psycho, in which the wealthy idle are so interchangeable that they believe they recognize one-another even when they don't. (Many people seem to miss in that movie the fact that it emphatically doesn't matter whether Patrick really killed Paul Allen or not.) They all sort of blur together - maybe there's similar intent here.
I'd like to read them - something to add to a long to-do list.