Plein soleil (Purple Noon) (Blazing Sun) (Full Sun) (Lust for Evil) (1960)
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100% of critics liked it
(24 reviews) -
89% of users liked it
(2,670 ratings)
René Clément's thriller Purple Noon stars Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, an American who travels to Europe on an all-expenses-paid mission to convince his friend, the errant playboy Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet), to travel to San Francisco at the request of the wealthy Greenleaf family.… More René Clément's thriller Purple Noon stars Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, an American who travels to Europe on an all-expenses-paid mission to convince his friend, the errant playboy Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet), to travel to San Francisco at the request of the wealthy Greenleaf family. Initially, the pair enjoy the good life in Italy, often to the anger and dismay of Philippe's much put-upon fiancee Marge (Marie Laforet). However, as Tom's funds begin to run dry, it becomes more and more apparent that Philippe has no intentions of returning to the U.S., forcing Tom to consider more nefarious means of maintaining his extravagant lifestyle. Purple Noon is adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, and like Alfred Hitchcock's classic Strangers on a Train, also based on Highsmith's work, the theme of identity transference is dominant. The subject even extends to the homoerotic undercurrents which simmer below the surface of Tom and Philippe's relationship, setting into motion a love/hate tension which explodes during a high seas journey. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Directed By
- René Clément
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Jun 28, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- Criterion Collection
Critic Reviews
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Mike Clark, USA Today
Rene Clement's subversive direction makes us root for Delon to pull off a tricky tightrope disguise as suspicious police pursue him from hotel to apartment and town to town.
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Eric Melin, Scene-Stealers.com
Clément's strategy is to film Ripley's actions with little editorializing and the film is both laid-back and taut at the same time, especially in the second half of the film as the stakes get higher and it becomes more of a thriller.
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Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine
Purple Noon is a French macaroon full of arsenic, and all the more tempting in Criterion's 1080p transfer.
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Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
Having just discovered its existence, I was interested to see this 1960 French adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel which Anthony Minghella also adapted in 1999, as The Talented Mr Ripley
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The sinister occurs within the confines of the beautiful, like a disease eating away a beautiful tree from the inside.
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Alain Delon
as Tom Ripley
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Maurice Ronet
as Philippe Greenleaf
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Marie Laforêt
as Marge Duval
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Elvire Popesco
as Mme. Popova
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Erno Crisa
as Inspector Riccordi
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Frank Latimore
as O'Brien
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Billy Kearns
as Freddy
- Nerio Bernardi
- Jess Hahn
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Ave Ninchi
as Signora Gianna
