Plein soleil (1960)

Director:

René Clément

Writers:

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

Release Date:

10 March 1960 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Moocher | Police | Typewriter | Famous Score | Poker

Awards:

1 win

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

Also Known As:

Purple Noon (UK) (USA)
Blazing Sun (UK)
Delitto in pieno sole (Italy)
Full Sun (Australia) (literal English title)
Lust for Evil (USA) (reissue title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for momentary violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

112 min | Argentina:115 min | France:115 min | Hungary:110 min | UK:118 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | Italian | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Ischia Island, Naples, Campania, Italy

Company:

Robert et Raymond Hakim

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."

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the boom on the sailboat.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nouvelle vague (1990)

Delon shows his stuff!

Up until he starred in this movie, Alain Delon was considered a light romantic lead--not surprising at all since his breathtaking good looks would naturally lend itself to that sort of matinee idol typecasting. It was only when director Rene Clement tapped into the dangerous undercurrent held in reserve behind the placid, beautiful surface that Delon's wholly unique, dark, sociopathic persona would emerge--the persona which would put him on the map and he would forever be identified with. In "Plein Soleil" AKA "Purple Noon," Delon exudes all the stealth and sleekness of a panther--dark-haired, riveting gaze, smoldering, seductive and sinister. And like a panther, he proves himself to be just as lethal. Delon stars as Tom Ripley, a pretty-but-poor young man who takes off to Rome as an errand boy to fetch the wayward Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet), and bring him back home to San Francisco to his impatient, rich father in exchange for $5000. Not surprisingly, the spoiled, unsupervised Philippe doesn't want to return and give up his profligate, libertine lifestyle, and neither does Tom, when he gets a taste of how the other half lives. And he soon determines he doesn't have to, when he concocts to take over Phillippe's money, his beautiful girlfriend Marge Duval (Marie Laforet), his identity. But of course, even in a perfect scheme devised by a cunning mind, one can't plan for everything and things eventually go south for our man Ripley.

I haven't read the Patricia Highsmith book on which this is based, but I've seen the other film version of it, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" so I have only that to compare it with. First the titles: The latter one gets right to the point and is intriguing for that; the original has a certain romantic appeal, but is sinister behind the pretty sound of it--it portends of dark (purple) clouds (of evil) converging upon a bright sunlit horizon. The latter film has outward homoerotic aspects that is very latent in this version (so much so that those expecting it to be overt will probably not notice--but it had to be given the era in which the movie was released), but it's there all right. Tom is ostensibly supposed to covet Marge, but even when she's in a scene with him and Phillippe, the tension and electricity fairly crackles between the two intense young men, but not with her. Another difference, and I understand the latter version to be faithful to the book in this way, is Marge is not affluent, which rather puts her more in Tom's position as she is also at the mercy of Phillippe's money and volatile moods, and that lends another aspect to the film. These differences I found negligible and didn't take away anything for either movie to me.

However, I must say I found Delon's Ripley far more appealing than Matt Damon's one. Not taking anything away from Mr. Damon as he is a capable actor and an attractive man, but he simply is not in Delon's league, either in the looks or magnetism department. Damon really downplayed his pleasant looks for the role, and I really think that was a minus--he not only looks, but acts so unsettling that even a new born babe wouldn't take candy from this man. Delon, on the other hand, is a much more refreshing villian and, strangely enough, more believable. Refreshing because he's such a change from the usual villians that you would peg right from looking at them they're a heavy--they look unsavory (or at the very least not attractive). Believable because despite whatever sinister intentions Delon's Tom might emit, he's outwardly likeable and what's more, is so devastatingly handsome that it's easy to see how people would not take their instincts about such a person seriously and would let their guard down. Ronet is fine in his portrayal as the not-so-nice rich boy Phillippe, but Laforet as Marie--to me she came across like an afterthought, she's bland and forgettable, but that's ok because the dynamics are between the two men, and later with how Tom handles his predicament. This being said, I didn't care much for the pat crime-doesn't-pay finale in this one and thought the latter version far more satisfying in that respect. Both are excellent movies in their own respective ways, I don't know if anyone can really say one vastly outdoes the other, but see this one if you want to see Delon unleashed.

P.S. Look for Romy Schneider, Delon's fiancee at the time, in the beginning of the movie as one of Phillippe's companions. The beautiful, Austrian-born Ms. Schneider followed Delon back to France after she fell in love with him during the making of "Christine."