Purple Noon

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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 ...
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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.
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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
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide
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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Product Details

  • Release Date: 12/4/2012
  • UPC: 715515090216
  • Original Release: 1960

    • Rating:

  • Source: Criterion
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: Pan & Scan
  • Language: Français
  • Time: 1:57:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 20,931

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Alain Delon Tom Ripley
Maurice Ronet Philippe Greenleaf
Marie Laforêt Marge Duval
Elvire Popesco Mme. Popova
Erno Crisa Inspector Riccordi
Frank Latimore O'Brien
Billy Kearns Freddy
Nerio Bernardi
Jess Hahn
Ave Ninchi Signora Gianna
Romy Schneider Freddy's companion
Technical Credits
René Clément Director, Screenwriter
Paul Bertrand Art Director
Henri Decaë Cinematographer
Paul Gégauff Screenwriter
Jean Guelis Choreography
Raymond Hakim Producer
Robert Hakim Producer
Francoise Javet Editor
Nino Rota Score Composer
Patricia Highsmith Source Author
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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]
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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
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