'Purple' Pros
By Eric Brace
Washington Post Staff Writer
July 05, 1996
Hollywood has forgotten that the creepiest movies are those that quietly crawl
under your skin, making you look at your neighbor and nervously wonder what's
going on in his head. Modern thrillers are all action and gore, but the 1960 French film
"Purple Noon," which has just been re-released, is a thriller of the old school, its
horror unfolding slowly with every quiet conversation.
"Purple Noon" ("Plein Soleil"), is an adaptation of "The Talented Mr. Ripley," the
brilliant 1955 novel by the late Patricia Highsmith. It's the tale of one Tom Ripley,
played by a sleek and beautiful Alain Delon, who's commissioned by a San Francisco
industrialist to travel to Europe, find his prodigal son and bring him home. Ripley
tracks down Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) in the Italian port town of
Mongibello, near Naples. He takes to the glorious sun-soaked Mediterranean life,
and instead of convincing Greenleaf to return home, befriends him and settles in to
stay, putting off the father's requests for updates.
The friendship takes a chilling turn when the father cuts off Ripley's funds and Ripley
decides to maintain his new lifestyle at any cost. His envy of Greenleaf's perfect life --
including his engagement to the lovely Marge (Marie Laforet) -- turns to a quiet
psychotic jealousy, and on a sailing trip, the stakes are raised irrevocably.
As Ripley's plan unfolds, you wonder how long it can continue before crumbling.
Every move is coolly calculated, based on a near total lack of scruples. The tension is
pushed to an almost unbearable level. In capturing the Ripley of Highsmith's novel,
Delon gives a spine-tingling performance, one that is underscored by Nino Rota's
sparkling and eerie soundtrack. Director Rene Clement altered the book's ending, but
still created a masterpiece of a psychological thriller, one that'll give you the creeps.
PURPLE NOON -- (PG-13) Contains a couple of not-very-explicit killings, one
awkward, clothes-on, love scene, and no nudity.
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