‎Purple Noon (1960) directed by René Clément • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Purple Noon

1960 ‘Plein soleil’ Directed by René Clément

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

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.

Alain Delon Maurice Ronet Marie Laforêt Erno Crisa Frank Latimore Ave Ninchi Viviane Chantel Billy Kearns Paul Müller Nerio Bernardi Elvire Popesco René Clément Walter Grant Romy Schneider Nino Vingelli

Alternative Titles

A pleno sol, Der Zeuge schweigt, Plein Soleil: Blazing Sun, O Sol por Testemunha, Kun solen var vidne, Kuuma aurinko, Gymnoi ston ilio, Ragyogó napfény, Cronaca di un delitto quasi perfetto commesso in pieno sole, Taeyangeun gadeukhi, 태양은 가득히, W pelnym sloncu, На ярком солнце

thriller drama crime

115 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Aaron Michael ★★★★ 3

There is a very long list of things I'd let Alain Delon do to me.
Review by georgina ★★★★½ 1

my favorite part was alain delons's face
Review by Antonomasia ★★★★★ 11

It may take a while for my reasoning faculties to return as they have been shut down by the sexy, lush atmosphere of this film and in particular the impossible beauty of young Alain Delon.
I've never liked Matt Damon anyway but this original adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley further emphasises how miscast he was. Delon's physical perfection makes Tom Ripley even more mysterious, as he should be ... I don't think he's a character whose inner workings are meant to be fully understood, and it makes it all the easier to understand how he fools others.And to be fooled; even in the Damon film I remember somehow being on Ripley's side, but this time no part of me…
Review by Emily Housel ★★★★½ 8

Alain Delon was in the running for The Most Handsome Man To Ever Exist and I think he just won
Review by Adam Cook ★★★½ 8

René Clément’s screen adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley is an enjoyably pulpy story of duplicitous characters, identity theft and murder. Alain Delon, appearing in a star-making role, is predictably magnetic as the blue-eyed con artist who worms his way into high society after offing his childhood friend.
Highsmith’s series of Ripley novels have proved popular with a whole host of filmmakers over the years and with obvious reason as the character is such a fascinating and amoral anti-hero. This, his first screen outing, is a film very much of its time but no less interesting to a modern audience. The sun dappled and history-filled cities are a wonderfully evocative location for this deceitful and suspenseful story to…
Review by Sarah Jane 🔪 ★★★★ 4

Purple Noon or Plein Soleil is based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Now, I'm pretty sure we're all aware of the 1999 remake starring Jude Law, Matt Damon, and Gwyneth Paltrow. You might not be aware of this one, though, but you should be as I think it is the better of the two.
Alain Delon AKA The most beautiful man on the planet stars as Tom Ripley. He's been tasked by his friend's father to bring him home from Italy back to San Francisco in exchange for $5,000. His friend, Phillipe Greenleaf, does not want to go back. He'd rather lounge around Italy doing fuck all, apart from Marge, that is. Phillipe has beaucoup money.…

Recent reviews

Review by eden ★★★½

alain delon’s eyes. that is all.
Review by Beemilia ★★★★

While the plot is good enough but rather standard, the cinematpgraphy and performance made this very enjoyable. That the settings were so beautiful did not do any harm either.
Review by Kevin Matthews ★★★★

René Clément directing. Alain Delon in the lead role. Adapting a Patricia Highsmith novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. If none of those things are enough to convince you that you're in for a treat then I don't know what is. This feels slight, but also quite wonderful.
Review by guylol ★★★★

If you want a film that makes you want to go to Italy, look no further.
Cinematography that is actually incrediblé.
Review by rebekah ★★★

Slow... very slow... but beautiful. Wish films were still filmed on film because, I mean, whoever lit and shot this were artistés. Want to file along with DONT LOOK NOW because i was bored and impressed - and know i am going 2 want to watch it again and think about it a lot and equally can't be arsed. Did Rob Lowe base his whole broody scheming performance of Benjamin in WAYNE'S WORLD off Ripley?
Review by Ben Hecking ★★★★★

Wahhh. That ending! Delon is SUPERB as Ripley in this, the first big screen outing for Patricia Highsmith’s anti-hero, and Delon really nails it. But then so does everyone else. Henri Decae’s photography is STUNNING to look at and Clement’s direction is as tight as a wire - there are just too many amazing sequences in this film.?
Loved it.
Review by Jake ★★★½

this would have been way better if the books ending was used
Review by HmmWoodcock ★★★

"crime"
Review by tyurye0 ★★★★

Where normally I’m hesitant to get into the aul french-language cinema, this film was gripping the entire way.
Visually gorgeous it captured a sense of romanticism and mysticism with all of the chills and thrills that it goes through.