Purple Noon [Criterion Collection]

Director: René Clément René Clément

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/04/2012
UPC:	0715515090216
Original Release:	1960
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:57:00
Sales rank:	1,084

Special Features

New Interview with René Clément scholar and author Denitza Bantcheva; Archival Interviews with actor Alain Delon and Novelist Patricia Highsmith, on whose book The Talented Mr. Ripley the film is based; ; Original English-language trailer; ; Plus: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien and excerpts from a 1981 interview with Clément

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Alain Delon	Tom Ripley
Marie Laforêt	Marge Duval
Maurice Ronet	Philippe Greenleaf
Erno Crisa	Inspector Riccordi
Frank Latimore	O'Brien
Bill Kearns	Freddy Miles
Ave Ninchi	Signora Gianna
Viviane Chantel	The Belgian Lady
Nerio Bernardi	Agency Director
Barbel Fanger	Mr. Greenleaf
Lily Romanelli	Housekeeper
Nicolas Petrov	Boris
Elvire Popesco	Mrs. Popova
Romy Schneider	Freddy's Companion
Paul Müller	Blind Man
René Clément	The clumsy waiter
Walter Grant	Purchaser of the yacht
Jess Hahn	Actor
Nino Vingelli	Actor
Nino Rota	Composer

Technical Credits

René Clément

Paul Gégauff

René Clément	Director,Screenwriter
Paul Gégauff	Screenwriter
Raymond Hakim	Producer,Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Purple Noon
1. An Escort To San Francisco [6:02]
2. "A Blind Man Runs No Risks" [4:53]
3. "All Is Vanity" [6:50]
4. Sailing To Taormina [5:15]
5. A Taste Of Exile [5:23]
6. Bad Sunstroke [3:01]
7. Souvenir From Rome [6:01]
8. In Broad Daylight [4:36]
9. Pious Burial [4:27]
10. Philippe's Things [6:04]
11. Preparations [5:50]
12. Deceiving Marge [4:16]
13. The Old Quarter [1:55]
14. Greenleaf's New Home [2:48]
15. Freddy's Visit [6:43]
16. In The Clear [4:41]
17. Transaction [6:09]
18. Hotel Paradiso [2:46]
19. Bad Time To Die [4:27]
20. "Your Genius Is Within" [5:37]
21. "Police Still Hunt For Philippe Greenleaf" [3:14]
22. Tom Returns To Mongibello [6:50]
23. Marge Plays For Tom [6:26]
24. "The Best You Have" [4:06]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Purple Noon
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
      Color Bars
   Supplements
      Denitza Bantcheva On René Clément
         Play
      Alain Delon
         Play
      Patricia Highsmith
         Play
      Trailer
   Subtitles
      Subtitles: On
      Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

In plot and tone, René Clément's Purple Noon is closer to the spirit of Patricia Highsmith than Anthony Minghella's high profile 1999 adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Where Minghella attempted to give the characters psychological motivation, Clement presents Tom Ripley has nothing other than a self-serving killer. Henri Decaë's cinematography is as pathologically removed from the action as Tom; the aristocratic Mediterranean backdrop is somehow flat and sickly unalluring. With an impassive eye and steady pace Ripley's crimes unfold with cold-blooded rational. This story telling deliberately wrecks havoc with the audience's sympathies. Tom is a villain but we can't help but identify with his attempts to avoid capture for his murder, and we are ruthlessly pushed and pulled between feeling anxiety for his safety and for the welfare of his potential victims. Alain Delon is both a blank slate and an eager young man on the make, like Tony Curtis' Sidney Falco with no qualms about making compromises because he has no morals to compromise. The film similarly refuses to take a moral stance on its characters. With her Ripley books, Highsmith deliberately played into the gothic frisson elicited by watching a monstrously bad deed go unpunished and Clement also understands the allure of a well-structured bit of entertainment that dares the audience to indulge their darkest instincts. In 1996, Purple Noon was theatrically re-released in the United States by Martin Scorsese in conjunction with Miramax Zoe.

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