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…

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…

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.…

Die Geschichte des talentierten Mr. Ripleys, der seinen reichen Freund umbringt, um dessen Identität anzunehmen, ist überaus faszinierend.

Die Faszination rührt vor allem daher, dass der raffinierte Kriminalplot extrem geschickt erzählt wird. Trotz des Umstandes, dass man als Zuschauer jederzeit alle Informationen hat, gerät das Geschehen nie fad oder gar vorhersehbar. Stattdessen weiß die Handlung über die gesamte Lauflänge zu fesseln, und die eigentlich recht geradlinige, stetig fortlaufende Geschichte wird zu einer spannenden Abhandlung über das Böse. Ein Großteil der Laufzeit ist man sich nämlich überhaupt nicht sicher, mit wem man hier eigentlich mitfiebern soll bzw. darf. Aus der großartigen Romanvorlage von Patricia Highsmith wird somit ein durchaus ebenbürtiges und herausforderndes Werk.

Abgesehen davon bietet "Purple Noon" wunderschöne Kulissen, eingefangen…