Purple Noon (1960) René Clément

Barry Germansky
Staff Writer
Purple Noon, a French version of The Talented Mr. Ripley, is arguably the greatest film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel. Directed by René Clément, it is also one of the most unjustly forgotten thrillers of the 1960s.
The film’s plot concerns a poor, young American tourist named Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) who, after discovering his homoerotic attraction for his rich friend Philippe (Maurice Ronet) is not mutual, decides to literally become him. While vacationing in Italy, Ripley kills Philippe on a yacht and spends the remainder of the film using his many “talents” to evade the police and maintain his “Philippe” facade. Ripley also winds up seducing Philippe’s girlfriend, Marge (Marie Laforêt), once he finds out that she inherited her murdered boyfriend’s vast fortune.
Alain Delon is pitch-perfect as Ripley, concealing his inner demons with a handsome, cat-like appearance. It’s a subtle performance in which a single alteration of Delon’s lips can turn a smile into a charming expression or a subtle hint that warns of his homicidal tendencies. As good as Matt Damon was as Ripley in the 1999 Anthony Minghella remake, Delon’s contrast between superficial suaveness and cold-blooded killer is more perceptive and nuanced.
René Clément should be commended for insisting on the remoteness of Ripley, and changing the ending from Highsmith’s novel. Clément presents a major twist at the film’s conclusion that is horrific, satirically ironic and intriguingly ambiguous in equal measure. Clément also has an exquisite eye for detail, capturing the rich colour and grandeur of his Italian locations.
The greatest scene in Purple Noon is also its most intimate. After watching Philippe make out with Marge on their living room couch, Ripley quietly leaves the scene and enters Philippe’s bedroom. There, he puts on Philippe’s clothes and talks into the mirror, speaking as Philippe and attempting to seduce Marge as a stand-in for himself. Suddenly, Ripley notices Philippe in the mirror standing behind him. He realizes that his friend has watched his whole routine and tries to suppress his embarrassment as he turns around to face him. It’s one of the best caught-in-the-act scenes ever filmed.
Contrasting current methods of impersonal cyber identity theft, it’s fascinating and reinvigorating to explore the process on a face-to-face basis. Purple Noon examines modern society’s promotion of superficial relationships and the materialistic competition that ensues.