Purple Noon (1960)

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
Marie Laforêt	...	Marge Duval (as Marie Laforet)
Maurice Ronet	...	Philippe Greenleaf
Erno Crisa	...	Inspector Ricordi
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	...	Mr. Greenleaf
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. However, he will need all his conman abilities to keep afloat.

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Plot Keywords:

anti hero | class differences | vacation | betrayal | corpse | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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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:

Maronti Beach, Sant'Angelo, Ischia Island, Naples, Campania, Italy

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$98,030

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

Alain Delon's belt goes over the middle belt loop on the back of his white Levis about eight minutes into the film. A couple of minutes later, the belt goes through the loop, though the action was continuous, with no possibility of him having removed his belt to correct this fashion fumble.

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Quotes

Marge Duval: You don't love me.
Philippe Greenleaf: What's your problem? My feelings for you have nothing to do with Fra Angelico!

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Connections

Referenced in Totò d'Arabia (1965)

User Reviews

Chilling Original of The Talented Mister Ripley

Purple Noon with Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet,and Marie Laforêt, is the chilling original to The Talented Mister Ripley. The blindingly beautiful Mediterranean background serves as a stark contrast to the lives of three spoiled and amoral characters on holiday in Italy. This original of The Talented Mr. Ripley is far different from the more recent movie, with Delon being more believable as Tom Ripley, his unbelievably handsome face hiding an evil mind, willing to do whatever it takes to trade places with Philippe Greenleaf.

There are some gratuitous shots here for 1960, and I wasn't real impressed with Maurice Ronet,who seemed too old for the part of Philippe, but on the whole, an enjoyable experience with great plot development and cinematography. The movie pulled you in like a day in the Riviera.