Myriam Nys A superbly atmospheric thriller with an excellent plot and a dream cast. The indisputable star of the show is Alain Delon, more beautiful than ever, who gives the performance of his life as an amoral drifter with a liking for the high life. The expressions on his face may shift and vary but his eyes tend to maintain their blank emptiness, hinting at an almost reptilian otherness. One can easily believe that he is some kind of vampire, killing people and stealing their identity because this is the only way of propping up an hollow interior.Delon's Tom may be a monster, but he is not the only one behaving monstrously : there's a lot of bad behavior going on, fed by such unlovely fuels as entitlement, class consciousness, lack of imagination and unacknowledged homoerotic longing. The satire may be ferocious, but it's also ferociously accurate, showing the dark underside of this whole "having a gap year and bumming around Europe at daddy's expense" phenomenon. (Well, in this case we're talking more about having a gap decade, but you know what I mean.) There is a considerable contrast between the vibrant, generous beauty of the natural environment and the vile shenanigans going on between the humans. This gives the movie a surprising depth and grandeur : it almost becomes a sermon, condensing and recapitulating the Fall of Man, who was given every possible physical and mental advantage, who was offered a place of innocence and plenty, and who still succeeded in finding perdition. Milton would have loved it.The ending, I seem to remember, differs from the ending in the book which is the movie's source material. I can only say that it works well for the movie, giving the whole a final and satisfying twist.

blanche-2 Alain Delon stars as Tom Ripley in "Purple Noon," an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley." There is another filming of the same book in 1999 starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow, which I didn't care for.Patricia Highsmith was happy with all of this film except for the ending, which differs from her book, the first of a series. She really liked Delon as Ripley, and it's clear why. He does an excellent job as the suave, charming Tom who hides all of his amorality beneath the veil of a chiseled face and beautiful smile. Delon is one of the great matinée idols, really at the height of his fabulous looks here.Unlike the Minghella version, which I found preposterous, this story makes more sense and becomes absolutely riveting once Ripley gets rid of his rival Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) and steals his identity. Rene Clement is a wonderful director, and the scene in the restaurant where Tom makes sure he is overheard talking to Marge (Marie Laforet) is especially good. The camera work is excellent throughout and a little unusual.I, too, did not care for the ending, which was not Highsmith's.One thing i've never bought about this story is the fact that Ripley hung around the same area as Marge and Philippe's friends after becoming him. That to me was a big problem in the Minghella film, which was made worse by some dumb scenes. Though I still don't understand it, it was easier to take in this film.Like the Minghella version, Purple Noon is glorious to look at, with a more European flavor than The Talented Mr. Ripley. Highly recommended.

moonspinner55 Sun-swept adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel "Monsieur Ripley" involves two French playboys in Rome--one a millionaire's son, the other a ne'er-do-well who worships money and the people who have it--who come to an impasse at sea, resulting in tragedy and an elaborate cover-up. Hitchcockian drama presents a whirlpool of murder and deceit in exquisitely beautiful visual terms, with luscious color cinematography and locations. Like Alfred Hitchcock, director René Clément is more interested in the How rather than the Why; the film doesn't run so much on emotion as it does on a rather far-fetched level of logic (though the final twist is really pressing things). The film's American counterpart, 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley", played up the thriller aspects of Highsmith's story, while Clément is more interested in letting the scenes unfold through careful pacing and detail. It's often extraordinary--and, by the end, extraordinarily empty. **1/2 from ****

Terrell-4 Admit it. At feeding time wouldn't we rather be the snake than the mouse? Even though we might be revolted by the snake's single-minded swallowing, without benefit of a knife and fork, don't we merely shiver a bit and keep watching? Tom Ripley enjoys a good meal, too. He wants all the good things in life. He doesn't mind causing a little death now and then to get them and to keep them. He takes exception to being looked down upon. Along with Ripley's charm, good nature, easy manners and handsome looks, he has a complete lack of conscience, which combines well with his desire to enjoy what others have. Patricia Highsmith's intelligent thriller, The Talented Mr. Ripley, first introduced us to Tom. He was poor then but willing to be rich. He was the order-taking, money-holding, envious hanger-on to an over-bearing, arrogant rich young man about his own age. The death of this man, plus a spot of impersonation and forgery, some quick thinking and resourcefulness, put Tom on his path to riches. Of course, it was Tom who did the deed to his friend. Forty minutes into Plein Soleil and Tom Ripley is on his way. Rene Clement's Plein Soleil (Purple Noon), with an incredibly young and handsome Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, was the first filming of Tom's murderous and successful career. In time we also came to know Tom in Wim Wenders' The American Friend (Ripley's Game) in 1977 with Dennis Hopper as Tom; Anthony Minghella's version of The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), with Matt Damon as Tom, then Liliana Cavani's Ripley's Game in 2002 with John Malkovich as Tom. They all are fine in their own satisfyingly nasty ways, although Wim Wenders' version owes more to Wenders than to Highsmith, and Dennis Hopper as Tom is, in my opinion, a stretch. Alain Delon not only makes a completely believable young, poor, envious and callow Tom Ripley, he makes us think twice about those quaint ideas of right and wrong. Ripley plots his killings. In the case of Philippe Greenleaf, his first, Greenleaf is so arrogantly wealthy it's a pleasure to reach the moment, on a small yacht in the middle of a sun-drenched Mediterranean, when we know Tom is going to do something about it. Delon (and Clement) entice us into the conspiracy. Tom takes over Greenleaf's identity as well as a good-sized portion of Greenleaf's money, deals with Greenleaf's lover, disposes of loose ends, some alive but one soon to be dead, and deals with the police. But Tom also is an improviser, at his best when he must act or lose everything. Tension bounces back and forth between Ripley's careful planning and then his ability to act, his instincts, his resourcefulness and his luck. Ripley not only is matter-of-fact murderous, he's clever. But be prepared (and this is not a spoiler): The last two minutes are a complete cop-out. We might be a bit revolted at Tom's activities, but just as we watch that snake in the zoo, we can't help but hope Tom Ripley successfully digests all he attempts to swallow. So which Tom Ripley of the four versions do you like? Me? Damon does a fine job as the young Tom, but Delon is superb. For the older and more assured Tom, it's Malkovich in a class by himself over the incongruously cast Dennis Hopper.