The Talented Mr. Ripley( Impressive Review)

Geoffrey O'brien's essay on Purple Noon (1960 adaptation to Highsmith's novel) remarks on the discrepancy between the two films, stating that the original is, in essence, a postwar American Count of Monte Cristo. What we see with The Talented Mr. Ripley is a character (Tom Ripley) with whom we can not easily relate, not only because of his apparent homosexuality, but because his motives are not quite as certain. Certainly, Tom is driven by a desire to fit into the "cultured, wealthy, and socially accepted" class, but his yearnings are not quite as vividly depicted.

Highsmith's novel works well because of her characterization of Italy and the detail given to the magnificence and splendor of the setting. What Clément's adaptation succeeds in doing is transcribing this imagery into film. With Purple Noon, the audience (particularly "postwar Americans identifying with notions of infinite yearning and primal dispossession") not only understands Tom Ripley, but wants what he wants. We see a film that is open and bright, eliminating even a hint of murk, as if inviting the audience into the same self-indulgence that Ripley basks in. Furthermore, the film's aesthetic is only second to the perfection of a prime Delon. The audience's complicit desires are not exclusive to the surrounding pristine opulence, but extend to the protagonist himself. We not only want to feel the Mediterranean sunlight, but we want to be Alain Delon, as he accentuates every frame.

Clément's film works best as a true American adaptation of Patricia's novel, whereas Minghella's film—while deserving of its own merits—removes itself from key elements of the novel and works better as a journey into the descent of madness more so than a morality tale highlighting the dangers of material jubilation.