To a certain extent, I can understand what you are saying...
Patricia Highsmith's novels were always more popular in Europe than in America during her lifetime. It was only after the success of Anthony Minghella's film of "The Talented Mr. Ripley" that the American market became curious about her work and many of her books were reprinted.
European audiences do tend to be more open to the idea of anti-heroes in crime fiction than American audiences, who prefer "good guys versus bad guys".
(that's a generalization folks, if you are a European who prefers unambiguous heroes n' villains or an american who likes flawed heroes then don't flame me)
That said, if you want to understand why people are interested in Ripley, the best thing to do would be to read Highsmith's novels...
Some of her more ardent fans would compare her to Dostoevsky or Nabokov. I don't think she's that great... but it is true her stories are much more character centred than most crime fiction... she generates suspense in an unusual way, the audience is not constantly wondering who committed the crime and why (that's usually revealed very early)... no, the audience is kept on the edge of their seat thinking, "How is he going to get out of this one? And how will he deal with it on a psychological level?"
The Ripley books take place in many exotic locations, and it's probably the contrast between the beautiful scenery and the ugly crimes committed that seems attractive to filmmakers.
I do agree that it would be nice to see the whole series filmed with one cast n' crew since there are a lot of inconsistencies between the existing five Ripley films owing to the different visions of the different directors and wildly different interpretations of the Ripley character by the actors.
I would not want to see the kind of commercialised, watered-down version you seem to be suggesting however...
What I would prefer is a television mini-series of the novels, preferably one made by Granada studios - who did such a superb job bringing other icons of crime fiction (Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Nero Wolfe, Miss Marple) to the small screen.
reply
share
Robert R Jackson
13 years ago
You hit the nail on the head with that one. American audiences tend to like good vs. evil with very little gray. Even in a series like Dexter the titular character is murdering "Bad Guys" and so we forgive (or even admire) his homicidal nature. But Tom Ripley isn't on a noble mission. And the other characters in the Ripley stories never fit the American mold, either. We don't have the father figure or the wholesome love interest. We don't even really get "buddies" to pal around with, which we Americans love (as long as we don't notice any homoerotic subtext).
Ripley books are basically an exploration (even a celebration) of human failings. And we Americans don't like failings. If Tom Ripley is going to impersonate other characters for his own benefit he has to have an almost supernatural ability to mimic voices and body language and he has to have a mind capable of thinking three moves ahead of his opposition. Suspense may only occur due to random chance that even his superhuman powers were unable to predict and avert. We refuse to empathize with characters who have faults.
Forgive us, if you can. We've been conditioned to see ourselves in this light through a media barrage overwhelmingly comprised of good vs. evil conflicts in which the protagonist is essentially Superman. We'll only really identify with Tom Ripley if he's played by Bruce Willis and kills everyone with a European accent before the credits roll.
reply
share