Blu-ray Review: Purple Noon - The Criterion Collection

The 1960 film Purple Noon was originally released in France under the title Plein Soleil. Directed by René Clément, it was the first adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. That was the title of writer-director Anthony Minghella’s better-known 1999 adaptation of the novel. As is frequently the case, cineastes generally seem to prefer the earlier version. Though previously available on standard DVD, Purple Noon arrives in high definition courtesy of The Criterion Collection.

On the surface, the set-up is quite simple. Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) has been tasked with persuading Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) to return to the United States. If he succeeds, Tom will be financially compensated by Philippe’s father. Tom and Philippe are friends, but the true nature of their friendship is somewhat of a mystery that unfolds throughout the film’s first act. Not at all concerned about his father’s wishes, Philippe lives a life of leisure with his girlfriend Marge (Marie Laforêt). Clearly envious, Tom plots to take everything from Philippe. He’s after far more than the senior Mr. Greenleaf’s payout. The bigger prize can be had by literally replacing Philippe.

Further plot divulgences require a spoiler alert, so consider yourself warned. If you’ve already seen Minghella’s film, Noon will give you serious déjà vu. Tom eliminates Philippe in an act of shocking, sudden violence. From that point on, he attempts to cover his tracks while absorbing the trappings of Philippe’s life. Complicating matters significantly is Philippe’s friend Freddie Miles (Billy Kearns), a variable that Tom hadn’t factored into his calculations. He’s also at risk for slipping up in his forged correspondence (as Philippe) with Marge, who is naturally worried about her boyfriend’s abrupt disappearance.

For my money, Minghella’s Mr. Ripley presented a deeper vision of the characters, layered with considerably more nuance. In his film, Tom is a repressed, self-loathing homosexual. None of this is present in Noon, which offers a more straightforward version of the character as a sociopath. Furthermore, Jude Law was astoundingly charismatic in his portrayal as Greenleaf (whose first name, true to the source novel, is Dickie in the ’99 film). As played by Ronet, Philippe is hardly the kind of person anyone would go out of their way to befriend. He’s a rich, spoiled bore. In Minghella’s film, even setting aside the homosexual subtext, anyone who has ever felt like a misunderstood loner can easily identify with the desire to be accepted by someone as exciting and magnetic as Dickie.

Article Author: The Other Chad

My name is Chaz. A former co-worker (Dave) always misheard my name as "Chad." Complicating matters was a third co-worker, who was in fact named Chad. So Dave habitually called me the "other Chad."

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