''Purple Noon'' (french: Plein soleil; it, Delitto in pieno sole; also known as ''Full Sun'', ''Blazing Sun'', ''Lust for Evil'', and ''Talented Mr. Ripley'')
is a 1960
crime thriller film
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
directed by
René Clément
René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...
, loosely based on the 1955 novel ''
The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
'' by
Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley.
She wrote 22 novel ...
. The
French/
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
international co-production
A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production companie ...
stars
Alain Delon in his first major film, along with
Maurice Ronet
Maurice Ronet (13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer.
Early life
Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile Rob ...
(as Philippe Greenleaf) and
Marie Laforêt
Marie Laforêt (born Maïtena Marie Brigitte Doumenach; 5 October 1939 – 2 November 2019) was a French singer and actress, particularly well known for her work during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, she moved to Geneva, and acquired Swiss citize ...
(as Marge);
Billy Kearns
Billy Kearns (17 February 1923 – 28 November 1992) was an American actor.
Biography
During World War II, Kearns fought in the Army's newly founded 10th Mountain Division created for fighting in mountainous areas. His acting career took place ...
(an expatriate American actor well-liked in France) plays Greenleaf's friend Freddy Miles, and
Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider (; born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach; 23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982) was a German-French actress. She began her career in the German genre in the early 1950s when she was 15. From 1955 to 1957, she played the central chara ...
appears briefly in an uncredited role as Freddie Miles' companion. The film, principally in French, contains brief sequences in Italian and English.
Screenwriter
Paul Gégauff
Paul Gégauff (10 August 1922 – 24 December 1983) was a French screenwriter, actor, and director. He collaborated with director Claude Chabrol on 14 films. Among his films are ''Les Biches'', ''Plein Soleil'' and the autobiographical '' Une ...
wrote a variation on the same story in 1968 when he worked on ''
Les biches
''Les biches'' () ("The Hinds" or "The Does", or "The Darlings") is a one-act ballet to music by Francis Poulenc, choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska and premiered by the Ballets Russes on 6 January 1924 at the Salle Garnier in Monte Carlo. Ni ...
'' for
Claude Chabrol. Highsmith's source novel was adapted again in 1999 under the original title, ''
The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
''.
Plot
The American
Tom Ripley
Thomas Ripley is a fictional character in a series of crime novels by American novelist Patricia Highsmith, as well as several film adaptations. He is a career criminal, con artist, and serial killer who always gets away with his crimes. The f ...
(Alain Delon) has been sent to Italy to persuade the wealthy Philippe Greenleaf (
Maurice Ronet
Maurice Ronet (13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer.
Early life
Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile Rob ...
) to return to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and take over his father's business. Philippe intends to do no such thing and the impoverished Tom enjoys living a life of luxury, so the two men essentially spend money all day and carouse all night. Tom is fixated on Philippe and his girlfriend, Marge (
Marie Laforêt
Marie Laforêt (born Maïtena Marie Brigitte Doumenach; 5 October 1939 – 2 November 2019) was a French singer and actress, particularly well known for her work during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, she moved to Geneva, and acquired Swiss citize ...
), and covets the other man's life. Philippe eventually grows bored with Ripley's fawning and becomes cruel and abusive to him. The final straw is when, during a
yachting
Yachting is the use of recreational boats and ships called ''yachts'' for racing or cruising. Yachts are distinguished from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. "Yacht" derives from the Dutch word '' jacht'' ("hunt"). With sailboats, ...
trip, Philippe strands Tom in the
dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...
and leaves him to lie in the sun for hours.
Back on board, Tom hatches a plan to kill Philippe and
steal his identity. First, he leaves evidence of Philippe's philandering for an outraged Marge to find. After Marge goes ashore, Philippe confronts Tom, who admits his plan quite casually. Philippe, believing it to be a joke, plays along and asks Tom for the plan's details. Suddenly frightened, Philippe offers Tom a substantial sum to leave him and Marge alone, but Tom states that he can obtain this sum anyway and far more. At last, pretending to accept his offer, Tom stabs Philippe as the latter screams Marge's name. He casts the body overboard and returns to port.
Upon returning to shore, Tom informs Marge that Philippe has decided to stay behind. He then goes travelling around Italy using Philippe's name and bank account, flawlessly mimicking his voice and mannerisms; in effect, Tom has ''become'' Philippe, even affixing his own photo, with seal, in Philippe's passport. He rents a large suite in a Rome hotel.
When Philippe's friend, Freddie Miles (Billy Kearns), comes to the hotel to see Philippe and begins to suspect the truth, Tom murders him as well. Freddie's body is soon found and the Italian police become involved. Tom continues his charade, switching between his identity and Philippe's, depending on what the situation demands. After carrying out an elaborate scheme to implicate Philippe in Freddie's murder, Tom
forges a
suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide.
A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depe ...
and a
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
, leaving the Greenleaf fortune to Marge.
Tom survives a long string of close shaves, throwing the Italian police off his trail and seemingly having outwitted everyone. He even succeeds in seducing Marge, with whom he begins openly cohabiting. When Philippe's yacht is being pulled out of the water for inspection by a buyer, his canvas-wrapped body is found attached to the boat because the anchor cable it was wrapped in had become tangled around the propeller. The film ends with Tom being unknowingly called toward the police.
Cast
*
Alain Delon as
Tom Ripley
Thomas Ripley is a fictional character in a series of crime novels by American novelist Patricia Highsmith, as well as several film adaptations. He is a career criminal, con artist, and serial killer who always gets away with his crimes. The f ...
*
Maurice Ronet
Maurice Ronet (13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer.
Early life
Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice, Alpes Maritimes. He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile Rob ...
as Philippe Greenleaf
*
Marie Laforêt
Marie Laforêt (born Maïtena Marie Brigitte Doumenach; 5 October 1939 – 2 November 2019) was a French singer and actress, particularly well known for her work during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, she moved to Geneva, and acquired Swiss citize ...
as Marge Duval
*
Erno Crisa
Erno Crisa (10 March 1914 – 4 April 1968) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1944 and 1968. His last film was the spaghetti western ''Sugar Colt''.
Partial filmography
* ''Croisières sidérales'' (1942) ...
as Inspector Riccordi
*
Billy Kearns
Billy Kearns (17 February 1923 – 28 November 1992) was an American actor.
Biography
During World War II, Kearns fought in the Army's newly founded 10th Mountain Division created for fighting in mountainous areas. His acting career took place ...
as Freddy Miles
*
Frank Latimore
Franklin Latimore (born Franklin Latimore Kline, September 28, 1925 – November 29, 1998) was an American actor.
Life and career
Latimore was born in Darien, Connecticut. He came from a well-to-do family, and was able to trace his lineage ba ...
as O'Brien
*
Elvire Popesco
Elvira Popescu (; in French, Elvire Popesco; 10 May 1894 – 11 December 1993) was a Romanian- French stage and film actress and theatre director. During the 1930s and 1940s, she starred in a number of French comedy films.
Life and career
P ...
as Madame Popova
* Nicolas Petrov as Boris the dancer
*
Ave Ninchi
Ave Maria Ninchi (14 December 1914 – 10 November 1997) was an Italian supporting actress who played character roles on stage, television, and in over 98 feature films that included ''Tomorrow Is Too Late'' (1949) and Louis Malle's ''Murmur ...
as Signora Gianna, landlady in Rome
* Lily Romanelli as Greenleaf's Housekeeper in
Mongibello
*
Nerio Bernardi
Nerio Bernardi (23 July 1899 – 12 January 1971) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1918 and 1970. He was born in Bologna, Italy and died in Rome, Italy.
Selected filmography
* ''Nero'' (1922)
* '' The Shep ...
as the Ship's Agency Director
* as The Belgian Lady
*
Paul Muller as The Blind Man (uncredited)
*
René Clément
René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...
as a servant (uncredited cameo appearance)
*
Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider (; born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach; 23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982) was a German-French actress. She began her career in the German genre in the early 1950s when she was 15. From 1955 to 1957, she played the central chara ...
as Freddy's companion (uncredited cameo appearance; Schneider was Delon's girlfriend at that time)
Production
Delon was cast after the director saw him in ''
Women Are Weak
''Women are Weak'' (french: Faibles femmes, it, Le donne sono deboli) is a 1959 French-Italian film featuring Alain Delon. It was one of his first roles and was crucial to launching him as a star. It was also known as ''Three Murderesses''.
The ...
'' (1959).
["New Dream for Alain Delon", Thomas, Kevin. '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', 18 December 1965, p. a12.
Reception
''Purple Noon'' was lauded by critics, and made Delon a star. In 1962, Clément and Paul Gégauff won an
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
from the
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the Edgar Award ...
for Best Foreign Film Screenplay. It enjoys a loyal
cult following
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
even today, with fans including film director
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...
.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave ''Purple Noon'' three stars (compared to the four-star review he gave to
the 1999 version), writing that "the best thing about the film is the way the plot devises a way for Ripley to create a perfect cover-up", but criticized the "less than satisfactory ending", feeling that "''Purple Noon'' ends as it does only because Clement doesn't have Highsmith's iron nerve".
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli (born September 25, 1967) is an American film critic and former engineer. His reviews are mainly published on his blog ''ReelViews.'' Approved as a critic by the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, he has published two collections of r ...
rated ''Purple Noon'' higher than ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'', giving it a four-star review (compared to two and a half stars for ''The Talented Mr. Ripley''). Berardinelli praised Delon's acting, saying that "Tom is fascinating because Delon makes him so" and also complimented the film for "expert camerawork and crisp direction." Berardinelli placed ''Purple Noon'' on his All-Time 100 list and compared it to the 1999 film: "The remake went back to the source material, Patricia Highsmith's ''The Talented Mr. Ripley''. The result, while arguably truer to the events of Highsmith's book, is vastly inferior. To say it suffers by comparison to ''Purple Noon'' is an understatement. Almost every aspect of Rene Clement's 1960 motion picture is superior to that of
Minghella's 1999 version, from the cinematography to the acting to the screenplay.
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...
might make a credible Tom Ripley but only for those who never experienced Alain Delon's portrayal." Nandini Ramnath wrote for Scroll.in, "The definitive portrayal of crime novelist Patricia Highsmith's most enduring creation was as early as 1960. Damon and Hopper come close to conveying the ruthlessness and ambition of Tom Ripley, but Delon effortless captures his mystique."
Highsmith's opinion of the film was mixed. She felt that Alain Delon was "excellent" in the role of Tom Ripley
[Interview with Patricia Highsmith](_blank)
by Gerald Peary Gerald Peary (born October 30, 1944) is an American film critic, filmmaker, editor of the University Press of Mississippi, and a former curator of the Harvard Film Archive.
Early life and education
Peary graduated from Rider University in 1964, w ...
and described the film overall as "very beautiful to the eye and interesting for the intellect",
but criticized the ending in which it is implied that Ripley is to be caught by the police: "
was a terrible concession to so-called public morality that the criminal had to be caught."
Restoration and re-release
In 2012
StudioCanal
StudioCanal S.A.S. (formerly known as Le Studio Canal+, Canal Plus, Canal+ Distribution, Canal+ D.A., Canal+ Production, and Canal+ Image and also known as StudioCanal International) is a French film production and distribution company that owns ...
funded a
restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
of the movie by the laboratory, a restoration being all the more warranted as part of the film's atmosphere is due to the sun-drenched scenes mentioned in the film's original title. The restored version was to be shown at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival as part of an
homage to Delon's career, prior to re-release in France at least.
On 4 December 2012,
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...
released the high-definition digital restoration of ''Purple Noon'' on Blu-ray and DVD. Special features include an interview with René Clément scholar and author Denitza Bantcheva, archival interviews with Alain Delon and Patricia Highsmith, the film's original English-language trailer, a booklet featuring an essay by film critic
Geoffrey O'Brien
Geoffrey O'Brien (born 1948 New York City, New York) is an American poet, editor, book and film critic, translator, and cultural historian. In 1992, he joined the staff of the Library of America as executive editor, becoming editor-in-chief in 19 ...
and excerpts from a 1981 interview with Clément.
''Purple Noon''
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...
The film has also been released on Blu-ray in the UK and Germany (Studiocanal, 2013), and Japan (Kinokuniya, 2011).
References
External links
*
*
*
*
''Purple Noon: In Broad Sunlight''
an essay by Geoffrey O'Brien
Geoffrey O'Brien (born 1948 New York City, New York) is an American poet, editor, book and film critic, translator, and cultural historian. In 1992, he joined the staff of the Library of America as executive editor, becoming editor-in-chief in 19 ...
at The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...
Article about the yacht ''Marge''
at Sea Independent
{{Patricia Highsmith, state=autocollapse
1960 films
1960 crime films
1960 crime drama films
1960s crime thriller films
1960s psychological thriller films
1960s thriller drama films
Edgar Award-winning works
Films about con artists
Films about identity theft
Films based on American crime novels
Films based on works by Patricia Highsmith
Films directed by René Clément
Films produced by Robert and Raymond Hakim
Films scored by Nino Rota
Films set in Rome
Films set in the Mediterranean Sea
Films shot in Naples
Films shot in Rome
Films with screenplays by Paul Gégauff
French crime drama films
French crime thriller films
1960s French-language films
French psychological thriller films
Italian crime drama films
Italian crime thriller films
Italian thriller drama films
Italian psychological thriller films
Seafaring films
Titanus films
1960s Italian films
1960s French films